The No. 1 Arkansas Razorbacks finished off an easy sweep against the Missouri Tigers with a 9-1 win in the series finale at Baum-Walker Stadium.
After tossing back-to-back shutouts to begin SEC play, four Razorback pitchers combined to limit the Tigers to one run on three hits while cruising to their 13th straight victory. Here’s a closer look at the action and what stood out
SCORING RECAP
- Bottom 1 – Arkansas 1, Missouri 0: Peyton Stovall ripped the first pitch he saw to left field for a leadoff single (100 MPH exit velo), and Kendall Diggs smoked the fourth pitch of the frame in the left-center gap for an RBI double (101 MPH exit velo).
- Bottom 2 – Arkansas 2, Missouri 0: After Wehiwa Aloy worked an 11-pitch walk, Ben McLaughlin lifts a sacrifice fly to left field to bring Diggs home from third.
- Bottom 3 – Arkansas 3, Missouri 0: Ben McLaughlin jumps on a 2-2 fastball and rips it over the fence in right field for his second home run of the year, hit 357 feet and 101 MPH off the bat.
- Bottom 5 – Arkansas 4, Missouri 0: After Ty Wilmsmeyer reached with an infield single, Peyton Stovall rips a 111-MPH double down the right-field line to drive him home.
- Bottom 5 – Arkansas 5, Missouri 0: A wild pitch moves Stovall up to third base, and Wehiwa Aloy lifts a fly ball to right field, easily deep enough for Stovall to tag and score from third.
- Bottom 6 – Arkansas 6, Missouri 0: Jared Sprague-Lott starts the frame with an infield hit, and Hudson White reaches via HBP, and Ty Wilmsmeyer reaches on an E5, which allows Sprague-Lott to come around to score from second.
- Bottom 6 – Arkansas 8, Missouri 0: With the bases loaded and two away, Wehiwa Aloy rips a two-run single through the left side for his first of two singles on the afternoon.
- Top 7 – Arkansas 8, Missouri 1: Freshman lefty Colin Fisher comes in to make his first SEC appearance, and the first pitch he throws is hit over the wall in right-center by Missouri DH Thomas Curry.
- Bottom 7 – Arkansas 9, Missouri 1: Ross Lovich works a leadoff walk and comes around to score with one out as Hudson White mashes a double in the right-center gap.
MVB (Most Valuable Bat)
Ben McLaughlin: Stovall recorded two big hits, and Aloy drove in three runs out of the three-hole, but today’s honor goes to McLaughlin as he turned out to be the only Hog to leave the yard with a swing, and that should be enough to earn him the team’s prestigious gorilla postgame (context can be found below)
It was a quieter weekend for McLaughlin than usual, but he had a very strong day at the dish with a homer, a sac fly, a pair of walks and a hard-hit flyout to center field. His batting average for the year sits at a cool .318, and it looks like he is back on track after a rare three-game stretch without a hit.
MVA (Most Valuable Arm)
Mason Molina: It’s hard to fly under the radar as one of the top left-handed pitching prospects in the draft this year and a former Friday night starter in the Big 12, but it feels like Molina’s consistency as Arkansas’ Sunday starter has been overlooked a bit.
The left-hander from California carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning before allowing a leadoff single and giving way to Koty Frank with one out. Molina finished with his third 10-strikeout game of the year while scattering three walks without allowing a run.
Molina’s season ERA now sits at a firm 2.74, and he’s racked up 43 strikeouts in 23 innings of work. He’ll face much tougher tests throughout SEC play, but it’s safe to say Arkansas is in pretty good shape with this starting rotation.
OTHER NOTES & OBSERVATIONS
- Jared Sprague-Lott made his second start of the weekend at third base and quietly went 2-for-5 with a run scored. He’s cooled off a bit since his torrid start to the season, but his batting average for the year is now back up to .353.
- Sophomore RHP Gage Wood came into the game in the eighth inning and issued a leadoff walk but bounced back to get a big double play ball and a strikeout looking on a well-placed slider. It may not be much, but getting a scoreless inning to start SEC play should give him a nice little confidence boost moving forward.
- After a pair of hits in today’s game, Wehiwa Aloy is now hitting .243, which is still a large drop off from the .376 he hit at Sacramento State a year ago, but it’s the highest his average has been since opening weekend, and he’s made just one error this season and holds a strong .979 fielding percentage.
- Gabe Gaeckle made an appearance in the ninth inning to close it out for Arkansas in a non-save situation, inducing three quick groundouts to finish the weekend. That’ll drop his ERA to a cool 2.70, and opponents are hitting just .125 against him this season.
- Missouri finished the weekend 8-for-83 at the plate for a nice little .096 batting average and one (1) run.
UP NEXT
The No. 1 Arkansas Razorbacks will hit the road this week for their first true road series in a three-game set with the Auburn Tigers (13-6, 0-3 SEC) beginning on Thursday. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. (CT) and will be televised nationally on SEC Network.