FAYETTEVILLE — Batting second in the lineup, Arkansas designated hitter Nolan Souza set the table in the first inning and cleared it in the fifth Friday at Baum-Walker Stadium.
A Souza double set up a 3-run first, and his 2-run double in the fifth increased the lead to 5-1 as the fifth-ranked Razorbacks defeated Xavier 5-2 in front of an announced crowd of 10,388. It was the largest attendance for an Arkansas home opener.
Ryder Helfrick followed Souza’s 1-out double in the first inning with a walk, then Camden Kozeal drilled a 378-foot opposite-field home run to left-center field to give the Razorbacks a quick 3-0 lead.