The weekend opened with a one-run loss, but it closed with command on the mound.
After falling 4-3 in Friday’s opener, Arkansas answered by winning the final two games of the series against UT-Arlington. The Razorbacks capped the weekend with an 11-1 run-rule victory in seven innings Sunday, improving to 9-3 on the season.
The difference over the final two games was clear. The Hogs controlled the strike zone, limited free passes and kept traffic off the bases. Sunday’s finale was another example of that formula.
Colin Fisher delivered six steady innings to anchor the win. The junior left-hander allowed just one unearned run while scattering five hits and one walk. He struck out seven and threw 62 of his 85 pitches for strikes.
“I thought Fish threw good,” Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said. “He didn’t throw great, because he’s thrown great a couple of times.”
Fisher extends run-free streak
Fisher didn’t have every pitch working the way he wanted. Still, he found ways to get outs. Early in the game, he relied more heavily on his fastball as he worked through the lineup.
“Last week I felt like I had everything working,” Fisher said of his one-hit shutout against Xavier. “Everything today wasn’t working, so [it was good] just being able to pitch through that and knowing that I could kind of get out of it, even though there’s runners on or whatever.”
That ability to adjust has defined his start to the season. Fisher has not allowed an earned run in 19 innings across starts against Texas Tech, Xavier and UT-Arlington. He owns a 0.53 WHIP and has recorded 26 strikeouts, averaging 13.1 per nine innings.
Even when UT-Arlington threatened, Fisher stayed calm. The Mavericks scored their only run in the fifth inning after a fielding error at third base extended the inning. An RBI double followed, but Fisher prevented further damage and kept the game in control.
The Razorbacks backed him with clean defense the rest of the way and avoided giving the Mavericks extra chances.
Bullpen keeps door closed
Once Fisher’s afternoon ended, Arkansas turned to Steele Eaves to finish it. Eaves delivered a perfect seventh inning to close out the run-rule victory.
He has now thrown eight innings this season without allowing an earned run.
The pitching staff as a whole set the tone after Friday’s narrow loss. Over the final two games, the Hogs limited scoring chances and forced UT-Arlington to string hits together rather than rely on big swings.
UT-Arlington coach Mike Trapasso acknowledged his team struggled to respond.
“The last two days we couldn’t get anything generated offensively,” Trapasso said. “I just didn’t feel like we put up a fight. It’s disappointing.”
Arkansas made sure there wasn’t much opportunity for one.
Offense supports the mound
While pitching led the way, timely hitting provided breathing room.
Zack Stewart opened the scoring Sunday with a solo home run in the second inning. Camden Kozeal added a two-run shot in the third to build an early cushion.
The Razorbacks continued adding pressure with disciplined at-bats. Maika Niu reached base, stole second and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Carson Brumbaugh.
Brumbaugh finished 2 for 3 with two doubles, two runs and the first RBI of his career.
“I’m just going back to what I used to do as a kid and just trying to hit the ball through the middle,” Brumbaugh said. “It’s kind of got me back in a better spot.”
The biggest surge came in the sixth inning. With two outs, Arkansas pieced together a string of hits that led to five runs. Ryder Helfrick’s two-run home run highlighted the rally.
“It was huge coming up with two outs,” Helfrick said. “You can kind of either make a decision to give up or keep fighting.”
Seven straight batters reached base during that inning, turning a comfortable lead into a decisive one.
Response after Friday
Friday’s opener ended in a 4-3 loss, but the Razorbacks didn’t let that linger. Instead, they leaned on their pitching staff and trusted their preparation.
Van Horn pointed to the overall offensive effort while acknowledging the weekend’s turnaround.
“There were some really, really good swings,” he said. “It was a really good offensive weekend when you get rid of Friday.”
In the end, Arkansas’ pitching dominance defined the series. Fisher’s consistency, backed by a clean bullpen outing, ensured the Hogs controlled the rubber match from start to finish.
After a close loss to open the weekend, the Razorbacks responded the way strong teams do — by taking the ball, throwing strikes and finishing the job.
