Nate Allen
FAYETTEVILLE - Last year’s SEC baseball champion Arkansas Razorbacks swept a 3-game SEC West series in Starkville, Miss. from eventual national champion Mississippi State.
This year’s SEC West leading Razorbacks came within a line drive Sunday of again sweeping Mississippi State’s Bulldogs at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville.
But with a leaping stab of Peyton Stovall’s 11th-inning, runners at first and second 1-out line drive, Bulldogs first baseman Luke Hancock whisked an inning-ending doubleplay doubling Jalen Battles off second. Hancock then delivered the tie-breaking RBI single in a 2-run 12th.
So Coach Chris Lemonis’ Bulldogs prevailed, 5-3 and averted a sweep.
Coach Dave Van Horn’s nationally No. 2 Razorbacks romped, 8-1 and 12-5 Friday night and Saturday night over Mississippi State. The Hogs take a 21-5 overall record into Tuesday night’s 6 o’clock nonconference game against the University of Central Arkansas here and 7-2 SEC record into the Thursday through Saturday SEC series against the Florida Gators in Gainesville, Fla.
Thursday’s Arkansas vs. Florida game will be 5 p.m. CDT televised by the SEC Network.
Freshman 2-hole hitter Stovall, hot lately but 0 or 6 Sunday and struck out four times including with one out and the bases loaded in 3-3 ninth, hit a rocket of a would-be 11th-inning extra base game-winner that Hancock turned into Arkansas’ double disaster.
Hancock had homered off Arkansas starter Jaxon Wiggins for the game’s first run in the first inning and stroked the tie-breaking single with runners at first and second in the 12th off losing reliever Kole Ramage followed by Logan Tanner’s insurance run RBI single.
“He (Hancock) made an outstanding defensive play jumping up and catching that ball and made a really good throw to second to just barely get Battles out,” Van Horn said. “It would have been nice to see if Michael (Turner, the 3-hole leading Arkansas’ hitting coming into Sunday’s game but 1 for 6 Sunday including striking out for the final bases-loaded out in the ninth) could have punched one in to get us the victory there but we didn’t get that opportunity.”
Van Horn continued about Hancock.
“And then for him to get that base hit,” Van Horn said. “He’s hitting in the 3-hole for a reason. He was the right man in the right spot obviously. He got the big hit for them.”
Hancock was not Sunday’s lone star.
The Bulldogs’ bullpen battered Friday and Saturday by the Hogs came through Sunday with stellar performances by Brooks Auger, one run in 3 1-3 innings upon relieving starter Cade Smith to start the sixth, and winner Jackson Fristoe, arriving with one out to strike out Stovall and Turner in the ninth after Greenbrier’s Cayden Wallace, 2 for 5 Friday and 2 for 5 with 4 RBI Friday and 1 for 3 Sunday, was intentionally walked. Wallace’s walk loaded the bases following Zack Gregory’s sacrifice bunt advancing runners to second and third.
Wallace also was intentionally walked in the 12th after Gregory again sac bunted Battles (leadoff single) to second.
“I thought we put ourselves in position to win three or four times,” Van Horn said. “We just didn’t drive in a run. You’ve got to give credit to their pitchers for that. I thought Fristoe did an outstanding job finishing it up for them.”
Arkansas had some stellar pitching of its own.
Though Wiggins “didn’t have his best stuff,” Van Horn said and was tagged for solo home runs by Hancock and RJ Yeager, he handed a 2-2 game to lefty reliever Evan Taylor starting the sixth inning after inducing an inning-ending doubleplay in a controversial fifth inning with second base umpire Scott Cline mistakenly declaring the ball that Arkansas center fielder Braydon Webb trapped an out which was overturned on review.
Webb had thrown to second which would have forced the retreating runner from first but since the ball was first declared an out then overturned it became a single with both runners safely at first and second.
Three of Mississippi State’s next four batters were left-handed and retired by Taylor. Tanner, the right-handed one, homered to put State up 3-2.
Gregory’s leadoff home run Smith in the third and Webb’s solo home run in the fourth tallied two off starter Smith.
Zebulon Vermillion bailed out Taylor in the seventh after Taylor hit the leadoff batter with a pitch.
By then it was 3-3 with Brady Slavens clouting a deep sacrifice fl after Webb bunted runners to second and third.
Brady Tygart, would keep it that through a spectacular 3 2-3 striking out seven including the first six he faced.
“He was throwing a lot of strikes and getting them out,” Van Horn said. “That’s what he does. Tygart was outstanding.”
The short reliever finally got long on fatigue.
Ramage struck out the last Bulldog with inherited runners on first and second in the 11th before Hancock struck with his glove and his bat.
Friday night Arkansas netted seven 4-hit innings against but one run from winning starter Connor Noland and and a scoreless inning each from Vermillion and Ramage.
Battles homered twice and knocked in three runs and Turner and Moore each knocked in two.
Saturday night winning freshman starter Hagen Smith allowed three hits through six and bequeathed reliever Gabriel Starts a 12-3 lead.
Wallace, four RBI with a double, and Slavens, 2 for 4 with 3 RBI, swung big bats.
Arkansas took at least 2 of 3 every SEC series last year and have done so thus far sweeping Kentucky and 2 of 3 vs. Missouri and Mississippi State.
“Good series win,” Van Horn said Sunday. “I’m just disappointed we didn’t finish it up today.”
Razorback freshman pitcher Brady Tygart (#25) from Hernando, MS celebrates a strikeout against Mississippi State Sunday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, AR.
Razorback senior center fielder Zack Gregory (#3) from Keller, TX celebrates his home run against Mississippi State Sunday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, AR.
Razorback sophomore pitcher Jaxon Wiggins (#22) from Roland, OK throws a strike against Mississippi State Sunday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, AR.
Razorback junior second baseman Robert Moore (#1) from Leawood, KS makes a critical put-out to end the inning against Mississippi State Sunday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, AR.
Razorback sophomore third baseman Cayden Wallace (#7) from Greenbrier, AR makes a catch on a pop-up by Mississippi State Sunday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, AR.
 Razorback sophomore third baseman Cayden Wallace (#7) from Greenbrier, AR makes an off balance throw for a put-out against Mississippi State Sunday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, AR.
