Molina’s 10 strikeouts lifts Hogs past Missouri to sweep series

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Behind Mason Molina’s 10-strikeout performance, No. 1 Arkansas  romped past Missouri on Sunday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium to finish off its SEC opening weekend series sweep.

With Sunday’s win, the Razorbacks, who have won seven consecutive SEC Opening Weekend series, clinched their sixth conference-opening series sweep in their last seven tries since 2017. Arkansas also swept Mississippi State at home in 2017, Kentucky at home in 2018, Missouri at home in 2019, Kentucky at home in 2022, Auburn at home in 2023.

Missouri had no answers against Molina, who fired 5.1 scoreless innings and matched his season-high with 10 strikeouts for the third time this season. The left-hander, who earned the win to improve to 3-0, lowered his season ERA to 2.74.

The Razorback offense provided Molina with plenty of run support, tagging Tiger starter Carter Rustad for five runs. Arkansas scored twice in the bottom of the first, thanks to Kendall Diggs’ RBI double and Ben McLaughlin’s sac fly.

McLaughlin (1-for-2, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB) hammered a solo home run in the bottom half of the third to extend the Hogs’ lead to three. Arkansas broke through for two more runs in the fifth on Peyton Stovall’s double and Wehiwa Aloy’s sac fly, opening a commanding five-run lead and knocking Rustad, who came into the day with a 2.33 ERA, out of the ballgame.

Stovall (2-for-5, 2B, RBI), Aloy (2-for-3, 3 RBI, BB) and Jared Sprague-Lott (2-for-5) each turned in multi-hit efforts to pace the Razorbacks, who blew the game open with a three-spot in the sixth. After Sprague-Lott scored on a fielding error, Aloy delivered a two-out, two-run single to left to expand Arkansas’ advantage to 8-0.

Hudson White (1-for-3, 2B, RBI) later added an RBI double in the bottom of the seventh to cap the Razorbacks’ explosive day at the plate. Arkansas finished the three-game series with eight homers and 21 RBI, and outscored Missouri, 23-1.

In relief of Molina, Koty Frank (0.2 IP, 2 SO), Colin Fisher (1.0 IP, 1 R), Gage Wood (1.0 IP, 1 SO) and Gabe Gaeckle (1.0 IP) teamed up to close out the Razorbacks’ 9-1 series-sweeping victory and extend Arkansas’ winning streak to 13 games.

For the weekend, Arkansas held the Missouri offense to just one run on eight hits in 27.0 innings, good for a microscopic 0.33 team ERA. The Tigers posted a meager .096 batting average and struck out 37 times in the three-game series.

Up next, Arkansas will head off to the Plains to take on SEC Western Division foe Auburn. First pitch in the three-game series between the Razorbacks and Tigers is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday on SEC Network.