Cam Kozeal homers and drives in 4 to lead Arkansas past North Dakota St 6-2 in Fayetteville Regional

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Cam Kozeal went 3 for 4 with a home run and four RBIs, and Parker Coil and Landon Beidelschies pitched a combined 5 1/3 innings of shutout relief to lead No. 3 national seed Arkansas past North Dakota State 6-2 in the Fayetteville Regional on Friday.

The Razorbacks (44-13), who were knocked out of regionals on their home field in 2023 and ’24, improved to 33-4 this season at Baum-Walker Stadium and will play Saturday against the winner between Creighton and Kansas. The Summit League Tournament champion Bison (20-33) meet the Creighton-Kansas loser in an elimination game.

Kozeal’s RBI double put Arkansas up 4-2 in the third inning and his two-run homer in the fifth, his team’s program-record 111th, produced the final margin.

Aiden Jimenez, who has been the Razorbacks’ bullpen ace, made his second start of the season. He gave up Colten Becker’s tying homer in the second inning and left with two outs in the fourth.

Coil (3-0) scattered three hits and struck out four in 3 1/3 shutout innings, and Beidelschies allowed one hit and struck out four in two innings.

NDSU starter Nolan Johnson (4-6) went five innings and was charged with all six Arkansas runs.

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