LEXINGTON, Ky. – After getting five runs of support in the first two innings, right-hander Isaiah Campbell carved through the Wildcat lineup Friday night, helping the fifth-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks to a 5-2 victory over Kentucky, their fifth in a row and eighth conference victory in a row.
Campbell, a redshirt junior, went seven innings strong and gave up just one run on five hits with six strikeouts. He retired eight of the final 10 batters he faced and notched his seventh outing of seven innings or more this year. Campbell picked up his eighth victory of the season, which ties for second most in the SEC and continues to lead the team.
Arkansas (36-11, 16-6 SEC) jumped on Kentucky (22-23, 5-17 SEC) early for four runs in the first inning and one run in the second inning, however, the offense stalled for the final seven innings. The Hogs managed just six hits the rest of the way as the Kentucky bullpen left seven runners on base.
Casey Opitz and Christian Franklin did lead all Razorbacks with three hits each, as they accounted for half of Arkansas’ 12 hits in the game. Casey Martin also had a two-hit game as he hit his third inside-the-park home run of the year in the second inning and his second this week.
Arkansas and Kentucky will attempt to play game two of their series Saturday at Kentucky Proud Park. Forecasts are calling for a chance of rain in the afternoon, but first pitch remains at 1 p.m. and will be televised on SEC Network+.
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