Missouri State 3, Arkansas Razorbacks 1: Not This Day

A new Baum Stadium record of 12,167 was fully prepared to celebrate another trip to Omaha on Saturday.

Missouri State southpaw Matt Hall had other ideas.

The same guy who said on Thursday that he didn't think the crowd would be much of a factor proved why he led the NCAA in strikeouts, fanning eight Hogs en route to a 3-1 victory and a deciding game tomorrow.

He threw a complete game one-hitter, which was only his second of the year, the other coming against Central Arkansas on Feb. 28.

After blistering likely first rounder Jon Harris and other MSU relievers in Game 1, there was little offense from the Razorback hitters on Saturday.

"We just couldn't figure out Matt Hall," Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said. "He did a tremendous job of keeping us off balanced."

Arkansas' lone hit came in the first inning by way of Bobby Wernes, a flare to right field.

Missouri State got on the board in the second inning and scored two in the third to take a 3-0 lead.

The Hogs scored their lone run in the bottom of the seventh inning when Joe Serrano drew a leadoff walk from Hall.

Hall retired Wernes on the next at-bat, then walked Benintendi. Hall then got Spoon to fly out to deep center, but Clark Eagan hit a flare at the shortstop and he booted it, allowing Serrano to race around.

Arkansas sent to the top of the order to the plate in the ninth, and Serrano drew a leadoff walk again.

Wernes sit a screamer down the left field line in his at-bat, but it went just barely foul and he ended up reaching on a fielder's choice.

Benintendi then popped up in foul ground and Tyler Spoon struck out swinging to end the game.

The Hogs will try to earn the program's eighth trip to Omaha tomorrow at 2 p.m. Van Horn said in the postgame that they will probably throw James Teague.

With a win tomorrow, Arkansas will clinch its eighth 40-win season under Van Horn and the sixth in the last seven years.