Robert Moore went 4-for5 with two home runs and a double, finishing with five runs batted in and five runs scored as No. 1 overall seed and top-ranked Arkansas overwhelmed North Carolina State 21-2 in Game 1 of the Fayetteville Super Regional on Friday.
Moore had plenty of help as the Razorbacks picked up their 50th win of the season against 11 losses. Charlie Welch went 3-for-4 with a homer and a double, driving in four and scoring four times while raising his average to .400 on the season. Cullen Smith had two hits, including a grand slam. Arkansas scored runs off six of the seven pitchers they faced.
Patrick Wicklander (7-1) went six innings in a start for Arkansas, allowing a run on six hits while striking out six. Wicklander surrendered a leadoff homer to Jose Torres in the top of the second, walked the next two batters before getting out of the jam. The Razorbacks answered with three runs in their half of the inning and never looked back, taking the lead for good on Moore’s two-run homer.
Austin Murr had an RBI triple in the ninth for the Wolfpack (33-18).
The two teams square off in Game 2 of the best-of-three series on Saturday.
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