Arkansas ousts Mississippi State from SEC Baseball Tournament

HOOVER, Alabama -- Arkansas used a strong first inning on its way to a 7-2 win to eliminate Mississippi State from the SEC Tournament at Regions Park on Thursday.
The Razorbacks jumped to a 4-0 lead as their first four batters reached base. Matt Reynolds added a one-out RBI single and the third run scored when Bulldogs right fielder Jaron Shepherd couldn't field the ball.
Two errors in the inning added up to a 16-minute, 36-pitch first inning for Bulldogs starter Nick Routt. He recorded all three outs via strikeout.
Routt (2-3) finished with 90 pitches over 3 1/3 innings in the loss.
Arkansas ace DJ Baxendale (9-2) allowed two runs over five innings.
Both Mississippi State runs came on consecutive doubles from Nick Vickerson and Shepherd that brought the Bulldogs (34-23, 14-17) to 5-2 in the fourth.
Arkansas (37-19, 16-15) scored two runs in the fifth and sixth innings to extend its lead.
The Razorbacks play Friday at 3 p.m. against the Alabama-Florida loser.