By Otis Kirk
FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas defeated Santa Clara 6-4 to advance in the fifth game of the Fayetteville Regional before 10,395 fans at Baum-Walker Stadium Sunday night.
Arkansas (43-17) led the entire game against the Broncos. Arkansas jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. They built the lead to 4-0 before Santa Clara scored three in the bottom of the sixth. Dave Van Horn was proud of how his team bounced back after getting trounced earlier in the day by TCU.
"Yeah just a great job by our guys hanging in there in the second game," Van Horn said. "Obviously the first game was super long, got out of hand early. Just I mean, they just jumped all over us and made us pay for every pitch that wasn’t located. Give them credit, TCU.
"The second game, we just did a great job. Came out, got a walk and a first-pitch double. Advanced a runner and then sac fly. It was a good inning. The guys had a little bit of an attitude for a team that just got it handed to them so I appreciate that. We beat a good team today, that second game. Santa Clara is a solid team, veterans. They can hit and pitch and field. Two good wins against them in this tournament. Can’t really remember that first game too much because it seems after those first two innings it was a bit of a blur."
What proved to be the winning hit was a two-run blast over the fence in center field by Kendall Diggs that provided Arkansas a 6-3 lead in the top of the eighth. Santa Clara scored a run in the bottom of the ninth, but Hunter Hollan came in to get a double play from Ben Steck ending the game. Diggs golfed the pitch and sent it off the scoreboard in center field.
"I had a little tough day, really getting the head out," Diggs said. "My swing was long. But it was close enough I put a pretty good swing on it."
In the top of the first Tavian Josenberger walked to start the game. Jace Bohrofen then doubled to plate Josenberger. Jared Wegner flied out to right field advancing Bohrofen to third with one out. Ben McLaughlin then hit a sacrifice fly to left scoring Bohrofen.
In the top of the third, Wegner blasted one over the fence in center field for a 3-0 lead. In the top of the fourth, Diggs reached on an error on Santa Clara's Efrain Manzo at first. Diggs eventually scored with two outs when Parker Rowland singled to center field.
Santa Clara got on the scoreboard when Dawson Brigman singled to center field to start the sixth. Michael O'Hara walked. Then, with two outs, Eamonn Lance blasted a double to left getting both Brigman and O'Hara home. Malcolm Williams then reached on a throwing error by McLaughlin, the third baseman. Lance scored on the play.
Brady Tygart (3-1) started for the Razorbacks and picked up the win. Tygart went 5.2 innings, allowed three hits and runs, though only two were earned. He walked three and struck out six. He also hit a batter and threw a season-high 99 pitches.
"I feel like I could throw anything for a strike, honestly," Tygart said. "I think just mixed it. Mixed in the zone and tried to keep them off balance. I think they were guessing. Just tried to keep them off balance and keep them guessing."
Will McEntire relieved Tygart and worked 2.2 innings. He allowed two hits, one run, struck out five and didn't walk anyone. McEntire ran out of gas in the bottom of the ninth after striking out Lance to begin the inning. Williams then singled to left, advanced to second on a balk and scored on a single by Thomas Ferrroggiaro. That is when Van Horn went to Hollan who earned his first save of the season.
TCU 20 - Arkansas 5, Sunday, Game 4
TCU defeated Arkansas 18-6 in the second game of the season, but no one expected a similar outcome in the finals of the winner's bracket on Sunday.
But that is what the 11,121 fans in attendance got as they had to sit through two lightning delays. The first one was lasted 59 minutes and the second one 51. The game was never in doubt.
TCU took a 6-0 lead in the top of the first. They added five more in the second and three in the top of the third for a 14-1 lead. Arkansas' long run came on a lead-off home run by Tavian Josenberger.
TCU second baseman Tre Richardson hit three home runs including two grand slams. He had a two-run blast and also added an 11th RBI on a single.
“The approach, it didn’t change in anything that I did all season," Richardson said. "Today I was able to get three [home runs] out, and that was a pretty good feeling. But for the most part, I just went out there to take at bats and try to win each pitch, and that was the biggest thing.
"But nothing really changed, and maybe because we had IHOP for breakfast this morning, so that was something big so we probably need to do that again. But other than that, it was just going up there and trying to compete, and win pitches and to help my team win. I had two pancakes and a slob of bacon.”
Josenberger hit his second home run of the game in the top of the fifth. Jace Bohrofen hit a solo blast in the bottom of the sixth. Harold Coll added a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh.
Hagen Smith (8-2) got the start, but was roughed up early. He lasted one inning allowing six hits, eight runs, walked two and only struck out one. He also hit a batter.
Zack Morris also worked one inning. Former Bryant two-sport standout Austin Ledbetter gave the Hogs a lift out of the bullpen. Ledbetter pitched six innings, 3-8. He allowed nine hits and six runs while striking out four, but he allowed the Hogs to save their bullpen. Ben Bybee worked the ninth inning.
TCU's Sam Stoutenborough (4-0) got the win. He worked six innings giving up a half dozen hits, four runs and struck out five. The three TCU pitchers didn't walk anyone.
Up Next
Arkansas and TCU will meet Monday at 2 p.m. If Arkansas wins then a winner-take-all game will be played at 8 p.m. Monday night. TCU only has to win one of the two games to advance to the super regionals next week. The Fayetteville Regional winner will face the Terre Haute Regional hosted by Indiana State.
Photos Courtesy of Craven Whitlow CW3 Action Sports
