Bolden’s pitching, Kjerstad’s bomb propels Hogs past ULM
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas cruised past Louisiana-Monroe, 4-0, Wednesday afternoon at Baum Stadium, behind a strong start from freshman Caleb Bolden and another blast from fellow freshman Heston Kjerstad.
Bolden, making his second start of the season, didn’t disappoint, scattering seven hits over a career-high seven scoreless innings with no walks allowed and five strikeouts.
He also got a clean game from the defense behind him as it turned key double plays in the sixth and seventh innings to keep the shutout intact.
As for Kjerstad, the freshman continued on his tear, extending his hit streak to 14 games with his second inning home run to right-centerfield.
The homer was estimated at 430 feet as it cleared Arkansas’ 25-foot tall scoreboard in right field and was dispatched into the pond beyond the outfield wall.
The Amarillo, Texas, native finished the game 2-for-4, his team-leading 12th multi-hit game of the year.
Since the streak started on March 14 against Texas, Kjerstad has hit .439 with 25 hits, 15 RBIs, five doubles, six home runs, and only 11 strikeouts.
His homer Wednesday against ULM also gives him sole possession of the team lead for home runs and puts him third in the league.
Arkansas’ (21-9, 5-4 SEC) 4-0 win on Wednesday was its fourth shutout of the season and first since blanking USC, 4-0, on March 2.
The Hitting
Joining Kjerstad with two hits in the game were outfielder Eric Cole and designated hitter Evan Lee. Cole delivered a single in the fifth and a double in the seventh, while Lee singled in the second and the sixth.
Lee finished with a strong series, going 4-for-10 (.400) with four RBIs, including a home run on Tuesday.
He was also tabbed as the winning pitcher in game one, pitching a near spotless two-thirds of an inning after the game went to extras.
The Pitching
With Wednesday’s performance, Bolden may have locked up a spot as Arkansas’ midweek starter for the remainder of the season.
In both of his starts this year, the other coming against Dayton on Feb. 28, Bolden has pitched six or more innings without giving up a run or a walk, and has struck out five or more batters.
Redshirt sophomore Cody Scroggins finished up the eighth and ninth innings out of the bullpen, going a career-long two innings with no hits allowed and two strikeouts against seven batters faced.
Razorback Quotables
“Really good job by Caleb Bolden today. We were hoping to get four or five innings out of him, but he got rolling. He got a couple big double play balls and kept his pitch count down. He won’t be on the roster this weekend. He’ll just get ready for next Tuesday. We’ve been wanting a guy to do that. He can gain some experience that way for us.” — Coach Dave Van Horn on Caleb Bolden’s performance against ULM
“As soon as he hit it I said ‘that one’s gone’. It was one of the best I’ve ever seen. It was just so obvious being on the field with the sound it made and he got extension. He’s a good hitter. If you leave it in the zone, he usually hits it. There’s a lot of skill involved.” — Van Horn on Heston Kjerstad’s second-inning home run
“I knew I squared it up and hit it pretty good. I surprised myself when I saw it going over the scoreboard. I think it was the farthest I’ve ever hit one.” — Heston Kjerstad on his home run
“My fastball and curveball were really working for me today. It felt good getting out there after Florida. It’s a big confidence boost for me.” — Caleb Bolden on his seven-inning outing Tuesday against ULM
Up Next
Arkansas will take on another highly ranked opponent in 11th-ranked Auburn, starting Friday at Baum Stadium.
First pitch for game one with the Tigers and Razorbacks will be at 6:30 p.m. on SECN+.
Game two on Saturday will be at 6 p.m., also on SECN+. Sunday’s series finale will be broadcast on the SEC Network with first pitch slated for 4 p.m.
Van Horn on Bolden’s strong outing, Kjerstad’s hitting
Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn met with the media after Arkansas’ shutout win over Louisiana-Monroe on Wednesday to sweep the midweek series.
Knight, Kjerstad, Bolden after Hogs shut out Warhawks
Pitcher Blaine Knight talked about the upcoming Auburn series while Heston Kjerstad recounted his mammoth homer and Caleb Bolden his long outing Wednesday.
Van Horn after Hogs pull out 10-9 win over ULM
Arkansas pulled out a 10-9 win over Louisiana-Monroe in 10 innings Tuesday night in a cold Baum Stadium.
Hogs go to overtime to down Warhawks, 10-9, in 10 innings
FAYETTEVILLE — It took some extra swings Tuesday night, but fifth-ranked Arkansas pulled out a 10-9 win over Lousiana-Monroe in 10 innings at Baum Stadium.
It was the its 20th win of the season for the Razorbacks.
The Hogs got some help in the 10th as Casey Martin scored the winning run on a bases-loaded error by ULM shortstop Joey Jordan.
Arkansas only needed two hits in the 10th, but one was a key RBI single from freshman Heston Kjerstad to tie the game. Kjerstad finished the game 3-for-6 with one RBI to extend his hitting streak to a team-best 13 games.
After the Warhawks (15-13, 4-5 Sun Belt) tied the game with a four-run ninth inning, making it 8-8, they took the lead in the top of the 10th by taking advantage of a leadoff walk followed by a sacrifice bunt, an infield single, and then a squeeze bunt by pinch hitter Brendan Jordan.
The bunt was placed perfectly in between the pitcher and the third base line to allow the run to score from third.
Arkansas (20-9, 5-4 SEC) roared right back with a two-run bottom of the 10th.
Eric Cole led off the frame with an infield single deep in the hole at short, his first hit of the night. The next batter, Casey Martin, grounded a ball back to ULM pitcher Keegan Curtis. As Curtis threw to second for the potential double play, his second baseman, Brian Barefoot, caught the ball with his foot off the bag. The umpire called Cole safe and Martin was safe at first as well.
The close play shifted the momentum in favor of the Razorbacks as they went on to get an RBI single from Heston Kjerstad, tying it at 9-9.
Two batters later, after Dominic Fletcher was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Jordan McFarland grounded to short, but the shortstop threw the ball over the catcher’s head as he tried to get the force out at home, allowing Martin to score the winning run.
Arkansas is now 4-5 this season in one-run games with all four victories coming against non-conference opponents.
The win is also coach Dave Van Horn’s 1,200th victory as a head coach across all divisions.
This season is Van Horn’s 24th season as a Division I head coach. He spent six seasons prior as the head coach at Texarkana Community College and Division II’s Central Missouri State.
The Hitting
Along with Kjerstad, Evan Lee and Carson Shaddy both turned in multi-hit games.
Lee, who was the leadoff batter as the designated hitter on Tuesday, hit his second homer of the season in the bottom of the sixth inning, to give Arkansas its first lead of the game at 6-4.
Lee finished with a team-high three RBIs in the game, which was also a season high and tied his career high.
Shaddy came away with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate, his third multi-hit game in his last five appearances.
The redshirt senior has been a tough out over the last three weeks, hitting .450 (18-for-40) over an 11-game stretch with 13 RBIs and just nine strikeouts.
The Pitching
Freshman Jackson Rutledge earned his first start of his young collegiate career Tuesday night and gave up three earned runs over three innings.
Juniors Jake Reindl and Barrett Loseke shut down the ULM offense from the fourth through the eighth innings, allowing no runs on just three hits, combined, and eight strikeouts.
Reindl was in line for the victory before ULM scored four in the top of the ninth to send it to extras.
Lee, in true two-way player fashion, came in to get the final two outs in the top of the 10th to keep it tied, allowing him to earn his second victory of the year.
Up Next
The Razorbacks and Warhawks are back on the field on Wednesday to close out their two-game series starting at 3 p.m. at Baum Stadium. The game will be televised online on SEC Network+.
Brooks takes second conference honor in two weeks
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Arkansas senior Taliyah Brooks was named the SEC Field Athlete of the Week following her heptathlon title at the Texas Relays last weekend.
The honor is the second in as many weeks for Brooks, as she took the honor following her school record 22-3 long jump at the Arkansas Spring Invitational.
Brooks, who won the event in 2016 and was runner-up in 2017, began her run to the title last Wednesday with a first place finish in the 100 meter hurdles.
She followed that up with a fourth place finish in the high jump and a ninth place finish in the shot put.
Brooks trailed just once during the heptathlon following the shot put, by 17 points, but ended the day with a strong showing and another first place finish in the 200 meters with a time of 23.99 to pull her back ahead.
“I was happy with the results,” said Brooks. “I think overall I had a good two days. We will use the rest of the season for training, sharpening up on my individual events, and preparing for the next heptathlon during championship season”
She was just one of two athletes to break the 20′ mark in the heptathlon long jump, posting a mark of 6.30 (20-8), placing first by more than four inches.
Her day ended with a sixth place finish in the javelin throw and an eighth place finish in the 800 meters.
Brooks’ title marks the 24th at the Texas Relays for Arkansas and fourth in the heptathlon.
Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays Heptathlon
1. Taliyah Brooks – 5,946 pts
(1) 100-Meter Hurdles – 13.28, 1,083 pts.
(4) High Jump – 1.72m, 879 pts.
(9) Shot Put – 11.72m, 643 pts.
(1) 200 Meters- 23.99, 982 pts.
(1) Long Jump – 6.30m, 943 pts.
(6) Javelin- 36.91m, 608 pts.
(8) 800 Meters – 2:21.17, 808 pts.
Brooks’ Career Heptathlon Results
2018 Texas Relays – 5,946 pts (1st)
2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships – 5,795 pts (3rd)
2017 SEC Outdoor Championships – 6,099 pts (1st) – School Record
2017 Texas Relays – 6,075 pts (2nd)
2016 SEC Outdoor Championships – 5,855 (4th)
2016 Texas Relays – 5,991 pts (1st)
2015 NCAA Outdoor Championships – 5,717 pts (16th)
2015 SEC Outdoor Championships – 5,681 pts (7th)
2015 Texas Relays – 5,482 pts (4th)
Storms named SEC’s top pitcher for week after MSU outings
FAYETTEVILLE — On the strength of two strong outings, sophomore Autumn Storms was named the SEC Pitcher of the Week with Tuesday’s release by the league office.
Storms is the sixth pitcher in program history to earn the award and the first since the 2009 season.
The Razorbacks (28-6, 5-4 SEC) are ranked No. 20 in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 and check in at 21st in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll.
Storms was 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA and no walks in 11.1 innings of work against then-No. 20/18 Mississippi State.
She recorded a complete-game shutout in game two of the weekend to secure the Razorbacks’ series win and allowed just three hits with fourth strikeouts in the 76-pitch outing.
Storms’ performance marked just the second time Mississippi State had been shut out all season.
In the series finale, Storms tallied 4.1 innings of relief work to pick up her second win in as many days and locked down the Razorbacks’ first SEC series sweep since 2013 and the program’s first-ever three-game sweep of a ranked opponent.
Her standout efforts came against a Mississippi State team that was hitting .324 and averaging over six runs per game entering the weekend.
“I thought she was outstanding the last two days,” coach Courtney Deifel said of Storms following Sunday’s win. “She just had that look in her eye and had such good command of her pitches. This weekend showed exactly what we know she can do. Her presence, her confidence and her command set such a great tone for us.”
With the two wins, the Temecula, California, native moved into eighth place on the program’s career wins list (27).
Storms moved to 11-4 in the circle with a 2.02 ERA, 80 strikeouts and just 18 walks allowed this season.
Storms joins the list of Arkansas’ past Pitcher of the Week selections Miranda Dixon, Katy Henry, Tammy Kincaid, Heather Schlichtman and Rachel Talley.
Overall, the program has collected 13 SEC Pitcher of the Week accolades among the six pitchers. Kincaid (1997-00) was a five-time winner during her career.
Tuesday’s release also marks the first time in program history for Arkansas to win all three weekly awards in a single season.
Hannah McEwen earned SEC Player of the Week Honors back in March while Mary Haff has twice been named the league’s Freshman of the Week.
