The No. 2 Arkansas Razorbacks improved to 10-2 after knocking off the Central Arkansas Bears in a midweek matchup at Baum-Walker Stadium. The Razorbacks were outhit 9-7 but rode a seven-run third inning to victory with the help of an error and four walks.
SCORING RECAP
- Top 2 – UCA 1, Arkansas 0: After retiring the first four hitters he faced, freshman Colin Fisher allowed three straight singles, the last of which being a knock to right field by Bryce Cermenelli to drive home Drew Sturgeon for the game’s first run.
- Top 3 – UCA 2, Arkansas 0: Fisher hits the first two batters of the inning before allowing an RBI single to Jagger Schattle with one away
- Bottom 3 – Arkansas 4, UCA 2: Wehiwa Aloy gives Arkansas the lead with his first home run as a Hog, which happened to be a grand slam after an error and two walks. The homer from Aloy was hit 442 feet and 106 MPH off the bat.
- Bottom 3 – Arkansas 7, UCA 2: After two more walks, Ben Mclaughlin provides the second home run of the inning for Arkansas to extend the lead with two outs. The ball was hit 102 MPH off the bat and 420 feet to straightaway center field.
- Top 5 – Arkansas 7, UCA 3: After retiring the side in order during his first inning of work, Cooper Dossett issued a leadoff walk and hit a batter with one out before turning it over to Koty Frank, who allowed an RBI bloop single to Jagger Schattle.
- Top 5 – Arkansas 7, UCA 4: Following the single, Drew Sturgeon follows with a double ripped off the wall in deep right-center field to drive in another run.
- Top 5 – Arkansas 7, UCA 5: A sacrifice fly to shallow right field by Preston Curtis brings home another run for the Bears.
- Top 5 – Arkansas 7, UCA 6: Bryce Cermenelli provides the fourth run of the inning for UCA with an RBI single down the right-field line.
- Bottom 8 – Arkansas 8, UCA 6: Hudson Polk started the frame with an infield hit, and Ben McLaughlin ripped a single to right behind him before a wild pitch brought home Will Edmunson (pinch ran for Polk) to score.
- Bottom 8 – Arkansas 9, UCA 6: With the bases loaded, Hudson White delivers a sacrifice fly to right-center field to score McLaughlin from third base.
- Top 9 – Arkansas 9, UCA 7: Freshman closer Gabe Gaeckle retired the side in order in the eighth before running into some trouble in the ninth, allowing a pair of singles and issuing two walks to bring home a run and push the tying run to second base with two outs before getting a strikeout to end it.
MVB (Most Valuable Bat)
Wehiwa Aloy: Going 1-for-5 probably shouldn’t get you this prestigious honor, but when it’s a grand slam and one of only seven hits for Arkansas, it’ll do. Aloy was also robbed of at least extra bases on a well-hit ball in his first plate appearance, so it’s pretty much 1.5 hits on the day.
On a serious note, the Hogs could really use the spark of Aloy’s power potential, so the big swing from the shortstop is a good sign he may be turning the corner at the plate. This is a guy that led the team in hitting throughout the offseason, so it’s hard to imagine his current .204 batting average sticking around for too long.
MVA (Most Valuable Arm)
Colin Fisher: Oddly enough, there weren’t a ton of great pitching performances for Arkansas in this one, and you could argue this was the ‘worst’ outing of Fisher’s young career, but he did enough to pick up his third win of the year and helped set the tone for the Hogs on the mound in a shootout.
Unlike most freshmen, filling the strike zone is not an issue for Colin Fisher. He threw 30 of his 47 pitches for strikes, which you could argue was too many as he allowed four base hits and the first two runs of his collegiate career. His fastball touched 93 MPH and sat around 92 consistently while mixing in a mid-80s changeup and a high-70s curveball. Fisher finished with four strikeouts, zero walks.
OTHER NOTES & OBSERVATIONS
- LHP Stone Hewlett pulled off a rare four-strikeout inning in the seventh after one got to the backstop. In three innings of work this season, the Kansas transfer now has eight strikeouts while allowing just one run on two hits.
- The Bears reached four hits through three innings before the Razorbacks recorded their first, but Arkansas’ first two hits (both home runs) plated seven runs. The Hogs were able to work four free passes during the third inning, all of which came around to score.
- Missouri transfer Ross Lovich continues to make the most of his playing time. He got the start in center field today and hit leadoff, going 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.
- Ben McLaughlin joined Lovich as the only other Hog with two hits on the day, raising his season batting average to an even .333.
UP NEXT
The No. 2 Arkansas Razorbacks will return to Baum-Walker Stadium on Friday to begin a three-game series against the McNeese State Cowboys. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. (CT) and will be streamed on SEC Network Plus.