McEntire’s start, Wood’s finish with timely hits gives Hogs a series win

Arkansas got what coach Dave Van Horn really wanted no matter how it looked Saturday afternoon in Oxford, Miss.

He wasn’t really wanting to ride a bus for 5.5 hours back to Fayetteville, Ark.

“Just glad we got a couple of wins and we get out of here,” Van Horn said after a 6-4 win over Ole Miss. “We just fought ’em.”

It was that kind of a day. Even though the Rebels are defending national champions, they have struggled after getting through non-conference play with a 16-3 record.

The loss Saturday dropped the Rebels to 2-10 in the SEC while the Razorbacks are now 25-6 overall and 8-4 in the league after winning two-of-three.

It’s the only bus trip of the year for the Hogs for a variety of reasons that aren’t just about saving some money. Getting in and out of Oxford isn’t the easiest thing in the world for anything outside of a small jet.

“This is a tough place to play,” he said after beating the Rebels in back-to-back road series for the first time since 2008 and 2010. “It will make the ride home a lot better.”

The Hogs kept getting a lead, then Ole Miss would figure out a way to tie it up. Arkansas took a 1-0 lead in the third on a homer by Caleb Cali, then the Rebels chipped back with a run in the fourth to tie the game against Hogs’ starter Will McEntire.

Less than a week ago, Van Horn didn’t even know if he would be available after a flu diagnosis Sunday that forced him to go with Hagen Smith and a committee in a 7-4 loss. McEntire got the start in the last game Saturday.

“He fought as long as he could,” Van Horn said later. “It was good we kept scoring.”

After the Hogs scored a pair of runs in the top of the fifth. Caleb Cali, who was 2-for-3 at the plate, scored one of them on a wild pitch and Peyton Stovall singled in John Bolton.

And, of course, the Rebels tied the game in the bottom of the inning.

The Hogs pushed two more runs across in the top of the seventh inning and Gage Wood, who worked the final three innings, held the Rebels to a single run to close out the series.

Arkansas will host Little Rock for games on Tuesday night and Wednesday evening before a weekend series with Tennessee, who is struggling this season.