Andrew Benintendi ripped a pair of dingers -- his fifth and sixth home runs in his last six games -- powering Arkansas to a 5-3 win over Kentucky in the series opener, on a perfect Friday night in front of 9,217 at Baum Stadium.

 

Kentucky (18-14 4-8 Southeastern Conference) fell behind early in the first inning as Benintendi ripped the full-count, two-out homer. After UK answered on the strength of Dorian Hairston's second homer of the year, the Razorbacks plated a pair of runs on three consecutive singles, and a two-out wild pitch, in the second inning for a multiple-run margin they wouldn't surrender. UK mounted a rally in the seventh inning, plating two but stranding the tying run on third with one out and the bases loaded after back-to-back outs. Benintendi, who ranks as the SEC leader in homers and second in the NCAA, then put the exclamation point on the win with a no-doubt blast in the bottom of the seventh, sailing his 13th homer of the year out of the stadium in rightfield.

Andrew B is from Cincinnati. Kid has always been a strong hitter.