PHOENIX (AP) — Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman led off Saturday's game with consecutive home runs for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Ohtani, on a full count, hit his 44th of the season — a 420-foot shot to dead center off of Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly. Betts followed with his 14th on an 0-1 pitch and Freeman, on Kelly's next pitch, blasted one to right-center for his 19th of the season.
It was the first time the three superstars had homered consecutively.
Corbin Carroll hit an inside-the-park homer against Los Angeles starter Gavin Stone to start the Arizona half of the first, scoring standing up as center fielder Kevin Kiermaier leaped at the wall and the ball bounced back toward the infield.
It was Carroll's 19th homer of the season and fifth in the last five days. He hit two in Wednesday's win over the New York Mets.
The Diamondbacks led 4-3 after one inning on Lourdes Gurriel Jr.'s two-run double and Eugenio Suarez's sacrifice fly.
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Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, right, of Japan, connects for a home run as Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Adrian Del Castillo, left, looks on during the first inning of a baseball game Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Ja’Quinden Jackson ran for 147 yards and a touchdown and Taylen Green picked up 96 yards on the ground with two scores as Arkansas beat Alabama-Birmingham 37-27 on Saturday.
Jackson’s score, a 16-yard dash early in the third quarter, broke a 20-all tie to give Arkansas (2-1) its first lead. UAB had little answer for him whenever he ran the ball as his yardage total came on just 15 carries.
Green, Arkansas’ starting quarterback, countered his sub-par throwing day with his rushing results. He tied the game at 17 in the third quarter on a 14-yard touchdown and provided a 9-yard insurance touchdown with 3:38 left after Arkansas had taken a three-point lead. In the air, he was just 11 of 26 for 161 yards with an interception.
The Blazers (1-2) led 17-3 early in the second quarter, having scored on their first three drives. The second drive needed to go only 15 yards after Green was intercepted in his own red zone. Jared Zeno, who threw three touchdown passes for UAB, found Kam Shanks for a 15-yard score to put Arkansas down by a touchdown before Zeno connected with Amare Thomas for a 34-yard score on the next drive to make it a two-score game.
Arkansas scored five of the next six times as Braylen Russell added a rushing touchdown and Kyle Ramsey made two field goals to provide the Razorbacks with a 30-20 lead in the fourth quarter. Zeno found Dallas Payne for his third touchdown of the game midway through the fourth before Green led the 7-play, 75-yard drive that ultimately proved the game-changer.
Jackson, a Utah transfer, became the first Arkansas player with 100-yard games in each of his first three in a Razorbacks uniform since Alex Collins in 2015. Collins, Arkansas’ second-leading rusher in school history, died last year in a motorcycle wreck. He was honored during the game along with other members of the 2024 Arkansas Hall of Honor.
UAB is likely neither as bad as the team that lost to Louisiana-Monroe in Week 2 by 26 points nor as good as the team that lost to Arkansas by 10 on Saturday. The Blazers’ ride in the AAC could be just as chaotic.
Arkansas wasn’t especially impressive, but after last year’s 4-8 season and last week’s double-overtime loss to Oklahoma State, putting a team away in a close game is a large step forward.
UAB hosts Navy in AAC play on Saturday.
Arkansas travels to Auburn to open the SEC schedule on Saturday.
UAB wide receiver Kam Shanks (8) slips past Arkansas defensive back TJ Metcalf (18) to score a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Fayetteville, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)
