The Arkansas baseball team will have some nonconference losses this year. Grambling wasn’t supposed to be one of them.
It wasn’t, either, but only barely.
Arkansas rallied from a two-run deficit in the sixth inning to beat Grambling, 9-7, in the first game at Baum-Walker Stadium this year. The win lifted Arkansas to a 3-1 start overall.
The Tigers jumped on the Razorbacks’ first three pitchers, Ben Bybee, Zack Morris and Will McEntire. Grambling picked up seven runs on 11 hits and four walks off those three alone through the first five innings.
Arkansas was chipping away on the other side. The Diamond Hogs scored runs in every inning but the first two to keep things within striking distane when Grambling’s bats finally went cold.
Koty Frank and Brady Tygart worked the final 4 2/3 innings for Arkansas, allowing just two hits, a walk and striking out seven.
Jace Bohrofen’s sacrifice fly in the seventh tied the game and both Tavian Josenberger and Peyton Stovall hit sac flies in the eighth to provide Arkansas with its winning margin.
Josenberger, a Kansas transfer, had the best day at the plate for the Razorbacks. He went 2 for 2 with two walks, the sacrifice fly, a stolen base, a double, two runs and two RBI. Stovall was the only other Arkansas player to collect more than a hit. He had two with a run, an RBI and he was hit by a pitch.
Arkansas is back for an extended set on the weekend when Eastern Illinois visits Fayetteville starting Friday.
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