Baseball
Huge inning lifts Hogs to series sweep of Louisiana Tech
After rocky first three innings Hogs blow past Louisiana Tech to clinch series sweep in last home non-conference series.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It probably wasn’t a thing of beauty, but Arkansas’ `5-6 win over Louisiana Tech was a series sweep.
It was the last non-conference weekend series of the season for the Razorbacks, who will open SEC play next weekend against Auburn after a pair of midweek games against UNLV.
Maybe the most important thing was Dave Van Horn didn’t have to use up a big chunk of the pitching staff to get that done.
After Will McEntire’s complete game Saturday, Hunter Hollan overcame a rocky start Sunday and the Hogs’ exploded for 10 runs in the fourth to complete the sweep.
Hollan also lasted five complete innings, giving up just one earned run, striking out seven and not walking anybody. That was huge for a pitching staff that was already running low on numbers due to injuries.
Hollan walked Walker Burchfield to lead things off and he scored when Peyton Holt overthrew everything but the backstop on and the Bulldogs have their first lead of the series.
Tech added to that after Hollan loaded the bases and his a batter, bringing another run across. Tech added another run after he hit the next batter, too.
Hollan finally settled down and got a ground-out, then struck out a hitter to get out of the inning.
Jace Bohrofen led off the bottom of the inning with a line shot to the base of the fence and hustled into second. He took third and sailed home on a single up by the middle by Holt for the Hogs’ first run.
Then the Razorbacks blew it wide open after retiring the Bulldogs in order.
Tavian Josenberger led off with a double, then two batters later Jared Wegner hits a shot to right field that barely gets over the fence to tie the game.
Kendall Diggs hit his sixth homer of the year over the right-field wall, pushing two more runs across.
Peyton Holt nearly made it two in a row, but the ball sailed foul, then he delivered a triple off the top of the fence in right field, running Tech starter Reed Smith.
They brought in Lan Tomkins, who proceeded to throw it just about everywhere but over the plate, walking five straight and three runs for the Hogs. Brady Slavens greeted new pitcher with a single to score two more runs and complete a wild 10-run inning.
Karson Evans delivered a massive three-run homer over the left-field wall in the sixth for some proof of life.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Hogs blew it open again.
The Hogs got the first two batters on base in the bottom half with John Bolton getting hit, then Josenberger drawing a walk. Bolton got to third on a wild pitch and scored on a fielder’s choise ground-out by Peyton Stovall.
The Hogs loaded the bases for Bohrofen, who worked the count to 2-2, then Tech had a passed ball that brought Stovall home. Bohrofen then delivered a two-RBI single up the middle for another huge inning. It was 14-6 and the Hogs have gotten pretty deep into Tech’s bullpen.
Peyton Stovall got his third RBI of the day in the eighth inning on a line shot to center field.
Arkansas is now 13-2 on the season and plays UNLV on Tuesday and Thursday in the final non-conference games of the season, starting at 6 p.m.
