The Razorbacks’ month of June is always jam-packed with official visits, but there’s another notable unofficial visitor on the way.
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No. 5 Arkansas grinds out series-opening win over No. 14 Mississippi State, 7-5
The No. 5 Razorbacks snatched the series opener over the No. 14 Mississippi State Bulldogs in a back-and-forth game on Friday night in Baum-Walker Stadium, 7-5.
“It wasn’t one of his better ones,” Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said. “He gets two strikes on the leadoff hitter and ends up walking him. Then he walks the next batter and you’re thinking, ‘Wow, he’s going to throw a lot of pitches and isn’t going to be in the game very long. I think he threw 30 pitches in the first inning and they didn’t score on him. And like Hagen seems to be able to do, his stuff is so good, he went through the middle of that order and got us back in the dugout. But that’s through 30 pitches. The second inning he threw six and we’re like, ‘OK, we’re back on track.’ And we’re probably going to get six, maybe seven out of him. We only got five.”
Smith was in a jam early in the top of the first inning after he allowed back-to-back walks to begin the game. He settled back in and struck out the side to get the Hogs out of the inning. Mississippi State threatened again in the top of the third with runners on first and second with two outs but Smith forced Hunter Hines to line out to first base.
Arkansas broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth with a three-run rally. With runners on the corners, Jared Sprague-Lott scored from third base on a wild pitch thrown by Mississippi State pitcher Kahl Stephen while Wehiwa Aloy advanced to second. Hudson White followed up by smashing a two-run home run to left field for his third dinger of the season to give the Razorbacks a 3-0 lead.
“We talked about it in Lexington that his Thursday batting practice was the best I’d seen him hit the ball in a long time and his bat speed was up a little bit,” Arkansas head coach Van Horn said. “I said something about, ‘You’re getting it going, you’re getting hot.’ And he said that’s kind of what it’s all about. Getting it going at the end of the year is better than at the beginning. Hey, whatever it takes. Whatever mindset you’ve got to have. But he’s been swinging the bat really, really good.”
Mississippi State struck back in the top of the fifth with two outs after Hunter Hines cleared the bases with a three-run double down the right field line to score Dakota Jordan, Bryce Chance and Logan Kohler to tie the game. Sprague-Lott gave Arkansas the lead back in the bottom of the sixth with one out on a solo shot to left field for his seventh home run of the season, 4-3.
The Bulldogs put up two runs in the top of the eighth without the benefit of a hit after Aaron Downs reached on a fielding error with one out. Mississippi State went on to load the bases and Johnny Long drew a walk to drive in Downs to tie the game. Chance plated Nate Chester on a sacrifice fly to center field for the Bulldogs to take the lead, 5-4.
The Razorbacks tied the game back up after Wehiwa Aloy hit an RBI single up the middle off of Tyson Hardin to score Peyton Holt while Sprague-Lott advanced to second with one out in the bottom of the eighth. After Ben McLaughlin loaded the bases with a walk, White laced a two-run single to left field to cash in Aloy and Sprague-Lott to give the Hogs the lead, 7-5.
THE RUNDOWN
1-0 Arkansas – With runners on the corners and two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning, Jared Sprague-Lott scored from third on a wild pitch to put up the first run of the game while Wehiwa Aloy advanced to second.
3-0 Arkansas – Hudson White followed up by hitting a two-run home run to left field to cap off a three-run rally. The ball traveled 408 feet at 101 miles per hour.
3-3 – Mississippi State struck back in the top of the fifth with two outs after Hunter Hines tied the game with a bases-clearing double down the right field line to score Dakota Jordan, Bryce Chance and Logan Kohler.
Pitching Change – Hagen Smith was relieved by Christian Foutch to begin the top of the sixth. Smith hurled five frames while allowing three runs, four hits and four walks with 11 punch outs on 94 pitches (58 strikes).
4-3 Arkansas – Sprague-Lott gave the Razorbacks the lead back in the bottom of the sixth with one out on a solo shot to left field for his seventh home run of the season. The ball traveled 421 feet at 103 miles per hour.
Pitching Change – Foutch was relieved by Gabe Gaeckle in the top of the seventh with one out and runners on first and second. Foutch tossed 1.1 innings of relief while allowing a hit and a walk with a strikeout on 22 pitches (10 strikes).
4-4 – Johnny Long tied the game back up with a bases-loaded walk in the top of the eighth to drive in Aaron Downs from third with one out.
5-4 Mississippi State – Chance drove in Nate Chester on a sacrifice fly to center field while Kohler advanced to third.
Pitching Change – Gackle was relieved by Will McEntire in the top of the eighth with two outs and the bases loaded. Gaeckle went 1.1 innings while allowing two runs (both unearned) and three walks with two strikeouts on 41 pitches (21 strikes).
Pitching Change – Tyson Hardin relieved Khal Stephen to begin the bottom of the eighth. Stephen threw seven innings while allowing four runs and six hits with six strikeouts on 103 pitches (72 strikes).
5-5 – Wehiwa Aloy tied the game with an RBI single up the middle to score Peyton Holt while Sprague-Lott advanced to second with one out in the bottom of the eighth.
7-5 Arkansas – After Ben McLaughlin loaded the bases with a walk, White laced a two-run single to left field to cash in Aloy and Sprague-Lott to give the Hogs the lead.
Pitching Change – McEntire was relieved by Gage Wood in the top of the ninth with the bases loaded and nobody out. McEntire recorded one out while allowing two hits and a walk with a strikeout on 22 pitches (12 strikes).
1st INNING
Hagen Smith made his 13th start of the year on the mound for Arkansas and walked Bryce Chance on a full count after being ahead 0-2 in the count. David Mershon walked on a full count but Dakota Jones struck out swinging after being up 3-0 in the count. Hunter Hines and Amani Larry both went down swinging to close out the opening frame.
Khal Stephen started for the 13th time on the bump for Mississippi State and made Peyton Holt fly out to center on the first pitch. Peyton Stovall lined out to short and Jared Sprague-Lott struck out looking for the Razorbacks to go three up, three down.
Pulled a Houdini act ? pic.twitter.com/pMgcj8BjQD
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) May 10, 2024
2nd INNING
Aaron Downs lined out to left field on the first pitch he saw and Ethan Pulliam flew out to center. Logan Kohler struck out swinging to complete a six-pitch inning for Smith while claiming his fourth strikeout victim.
Wehiwa Aloy led off by striking out swinging on a pitch up and out of the zone. Ben McLaughlin went down swinging and Hudson White popped out to second for the Hogs to go down in order for the second straight time.
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