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Rain shortens Hogs’ 11-4 win to finish sweep over Blackhawks

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Rain shortens Hogs’ 11-4 win to finish sweep over Blackhawks

Only the rain could stop the Razorback offense.

Arkansas picked up its first series sweep of the season, defeating Southeast Missouri State in a rain-shortened, five-inning game on Sunday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium.

The Hogs broke out for 11 runs over the first four innings before the elements wreaked havoc.

With the win, the Razorbacks start the season with a perfect 7-0 record for the second straight year and for the eighth time in the Dave Van Horn era (19 seasons).

Arkansas’ offense was hot from the start despite the steady rain, launching three home runs and collecting double-digit hits for the second game in a row.

Right fielder Cayden Wallace and first baseman Brady Slavens hit back-to-back dingers in the second inning to give the Hogs an early 2-0 lead.

Shortstop Jalen Battles’ second-inning RBI single made it 3-0, providing starter Lael Lockhart an early cushion. The left-hander went 3.2 innings on Sunday, striking out five while allowing three runs on three hits and three walks.

Arkansas’ bats, however, were not done. The Hogs tacked on two more in the third, including one on third baseman Cullen Smith’s RBI double to center, and led 5-1 entering the next inning.

SEMO narrowed the gap with two runs of its own in the top half of fourth, but the Hogs had even more in them.

The Razorbacks exploded for six additional runs, led by designated hitter Matt Goodheart’s two-run homer to right center, and staked an 11-3 lead at the conclusion of the fourth inning. SEMO got one back in the fifth via a home run, but the weather had begun to take a turn for the worse.

After right-hander Kevin Kopps recorded the final out in the top of the fifth on a strikeout, the game entered a rain delay. The umpires reconvened after an initial 30-minute pause and called it for good. The ballgame, which lasted five innings, is ruled an official contest.

Arkansas will take a seven-game winning streak into next weekend’s series against Murray State.

The Racers come to town for a three-game set, which gets started at 3 p.m. Friday, March 5, at Baum-Walker Stadium.

Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.

Burnside, Haff lead Razorbacks to run-rule win over Texas Tech

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Burnside, Haff lead Razorbacks to run-rule win over Texas Tech

Infielder Braxton Burnside hit two home runs, and pitcher Mary Haff threw a shutout as No. 24 Arkansas run-ruled Texas Tech in six innings, 8-0, in the Razorback Invitational finale at Bogle Park on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

The Razorbacks (11-2) finished the event a perfect 6-0, and in two games against Texas Tech (5-6), outscored the Red Raiders, 17-0.

The Hogs entered the day leading the SEC in home runs and increased their season total to 33, with Burnside’s eight bombs pacing the club.

Infielder Hannah Gammill and infielder Audrie LaValley each reached on walks in the second inning before outfielder Sam Torres laid down a sacrifice bunt, plating Gammill on a throwing error by the Texas Tech pitcher.

Burnside hit the first of her two bombs in the third, putting Arkansas ahead, 2-0. A five-hit, four-run fifth inning blew the game open and gave the Razorbacks a 6-0 lead.

Infielder Danielle Gibson smashed a three-run homer to right center, and catcher Kayla Green lined a two out double to the right centerfield gap, plating another run.

The offense went right back to work in the sixth, with Burnside crushing her second solo jack of the day to left. Gibson and designated player Linnie Malkin both singled, and Gammill walked, setting up LaValley to be hit by a pitch and force across the game-ending run.

Arkansas won three of its six Razorback Invitational games in run-rule fashion.

Haff (6-1) pitched tremendously, scattering three hits — two singles and a double — while not walking a batter. She struck out four and pitched to contact well, registering 11 flyouts.

The redshirt junior did not allow a run over 18.1 innings pitched for the week and struck out 20 with just two walks. Megan Hornback (0-1) allowed all the damage for Texas Tech, pitching 5.2 innings while walking three and striking out two.

Both Burnside and Gibson went 3-for-4 and outfielder Hannah McEwen was 2-for-4 with a pair of singles.

Arkansas continues its homestand hosting the Wooo Pig Classic next weekend and will play five games from Thursday, March 4, through Saturday, March 6.

Van Horn after squeezing in five-inning, rain-shortened, 11-4 win

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Van Horn after squeezing in five-inning, rain-shortened, 11-4 win

Arkansas and Southeast Missouri had to deal with rain that continued but the field was too slick to keep going after five innings in 11-4 Hogs’ win.

Arkansas gets more shots, but falls to Saint Louis, 3-1

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Arkansas gets more shots, but falls to Saint Louis, 3-1

Arkansas (10-3, 7-1 SEC) fell on Sunday afternoon to Saint Louis (5-0) by a score of 3-1. Arkansas outshot the Billikens by a 15-6 margin and put six of those on frame.

Game notes

• Saint Louis got on the board after Sophia Stram headed in a corner taken by Hannah Friedrich in the 19th-minute.

• Hannah Larson made it 2-0 SLU just three minutes after half off another cross into the box by the Billikens.

• Parker Goins got the Hogs on the board in the 56th-minute. Ava Tankersley played Goins into space and the senior beat the Saint Louis ‘keeper near post for her sixth goal of the year.

• Emily Groark netted another insurance goal for the Billikens off a strike from the center of the box with just under two minutes to play in the match.

From Colby Hale:

“First, congrats to Saint Louis. It is not easy to come here and win. I thought we got beat in a lot of the areas we normally pride ourselves in. We have a few weeks to get back to some of that and grow!”

Next game

The Razorbacks have a break before an in-state matchup at Arkansas State on Sat., March 20. First kick in Jonesboro is set for 1 p.m.

Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.

Musselman previews quick turnaround matchup Monday

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Musselman previews quick turnaround matchup Monday

Hogs coach Eric Musselman talked with the media Sunday afternoon about having to turn around after LSU win Saturday for road trip to Columbia.

Razorbacks pick up seventh straight SEC Indoor title Saturday

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Razorbacks pick up seventh straight SEC Indoor title Saturday

In winning a seventh consecutive SEC Indoor championship, No. 1 Arkansas totaled 141 points and bettered the conference field by 60 points.

Since the league expanded to 14 teams in 2012-13, this total for the Razorbacks was the second highest winning score, just 10 shy of the 151 points Arkansas scored in 2019, the last time they hosted the SEC Indoor meet.

“It takes a village and it was very much a combined effort,” said Arkansas women’s head coach Lance Harter. “Our combined effort is a pretty formidable foe, to say the least, as a team. What we’re super excited about is that we were able to get through it relatively happy.

“We had some great breakthrough performances and added a few more individuals to the national lineup. We’ll just look forward coming back here in two weeks and see what the NCAA has to offer.”

The final day started with Krissy Gear producing the lone individual win for the Razorbacks as the claimed the mile after placing second in the race last season. Gear became the fourth consecutive Arkansas runner to win the SEC Indoor mile, joining Nikki Hiltz (2018), Lauren Gregory (2019) and Carina Viljoen (2020).

A 1-3-5-7 finish led to a haul of 22 points for the Razorbacks. Gear’s time of 4:34.72 led the Arkansas crew and she was followed by Gregory (4:35.72), Isabel Van Camp (4:40.20), and Gracie Hyde (4:41.53). Also finishing ninth was Kennedy Thomson (4:45.43).

Arkansas capped the stellar day with a school record in the 4×400 relay, which also broke the meet record set by LSU in 2005 and makes the Razorbacks the sixth fastest school in collegiate history.

Running a time of 3:28.50, the Razorbacks held off the challenge from Kentucky (3:28.82) with a quartet that included Paris Peoples (52.56), Rosey Effiong (52.58), Shafiqua Maloney (51.84), and Kethlin Campbell (52.02).

The performance bettered the UA record of 3:28.70 set at the 2015 NCAA Indoor and included Daina Harper, Sparkle McKnight, Chrishuna Williams and Taylor Ellis-Watson.

“That’s not our A team in the relay,” noted Harter. “Because of the tight schedule, Coach Johnson had to be creative. Everyone of them rose to the challenge. To knock off our school record, which is a special time, I’m super excited because the kids just did a fantastic job of rising.”

Ten Razorback points were scored in the 60m as Jada Baylark jetted to another career best of 7.18, moving into sole possession of the No. 2 mark on the UA all-time list, while Tiana Wilson (7.32) finished sixth.

The 400m crew collected a dozen points off a 3-5-7 finish from Morgan Burks-Magee, who set a career best of 52.10, moving to No. 4 time on the UA all-time list. Following were Effiong (52.30) and Peoples (52.69).

Razorback hurdlers totaled 13 points off a 2-5-8 finish. Daszay Freeman clocked a career best of 8.07, moving to No. 4 on the UA all-time list, as Yovienny Mota lowered her best to 8.14, which improved her Venezuelan national record and moved her to No. 6 on the UA all-time list. Jayla Hollis ran 8.33 for eighth.

A career best of 2:03.12 earned Shafiqua Maloney a bronze medal in the 800 while Quinn Owen (2:09.26) earned a pair of points placing seventh.

In the 200m, Baylark (23.19) led a trio of Razorback scorers in placing fifth while Wilson (23.46) and Hollis (23.78) finished seventh and eighth.

Arkansas rolled up 21 points in the 3,000m as Katie Izzo collected a second silver medal with a 8:56.55 performance while Gregory earned a bronze medal in 9:03.10. Logan Morris (9:10.25) and Abby Gray (9:11.01) finished fifth and sixth.

“It will be a tall order to try to defend both,” noted Harter of having the NCAA Indoor and NCAA Cross Country Championships within a span of four days in March. “The indoor has always been our priority, and we’ll look forward to that in two weeks.

“There are some great competitors from the SEC who will be rivals for us. Then, as we go from coast to coast, there are many a great team out there.”

This marked the eighth time for Arkansas men and women to sweep SEC Indoor titles since joining the league and it’s the fifth time to accomplish the feat since 2012-13 when the conference expanded to 14 schools.

Hogs don’t win any individual titles, but takes SEC Championship

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Hogs don’t win any individual titles, but takes SEC Championship

Claiming it’s 24th SEC Indoor championship among the 30 contested since Arkansas joined the league, the Razorbacks achieved the title with a very rare feat.

Arkansas displayed the importance of its depth in securing the team title without an individual or relay title among the 17 events contested indoors.

It’s the first time in the history of the SEC Indoor, dating back to 1957, for a team to accomplish a championship in such a manner.

“I’m just so proud of this team and the coaches,” said Arkansas men’s coach Chris Bucknam. “They did a phenomenal job. From way back in August to now it’s been really tough doing all the things we had to do. But they got into a flow, listened to their coaches, and we just had a great meet. It’s a great victory for our program.”

Arkansas totaled 116 points for the victory, scoring in every event except three – 200m, high jump and shot put.

The Razorbacks also completed its third set of consecutive titles since 2013, when the conference expanded to its current configuration. The set of title years includes 2013 and 2014, 2016 and 2017, as well as 2020 and 2021.

“It shows our depth, but also shows how tough this conference is and the great athletes across the board,” noted Bucknam of winning a team title without an individual or relay title. “It’s hard to compete in this league and on top of that to win.

“We put the lineup together to score points. We might not have hit any homeruns, but we hit a lot of doubles and triples and singles. Our on base percentage was pretty good at the end of the day because we ended up winning the meet.”

Finishing behind the Razorbacks were LSU (93), Alabama (72), Ole Miss (70.5), Florida (57), Tennessee (50), Kentucky (47), Auburn (45), Texas A&M (44.5), Georgia (31), South Carolina (16), Missouri (15), and Mississippi State (5).

“We scored big points from the heptathlon to the 5,000,” said Bucknam. “We had great races in between that, whether it was the hurdles or the 60 dash, mile and 3k. Our jumpers did a phenomenal job. Overall, it was a team victory across the board. Now it’s on to nationals.”

Amon Kemboi led the Razorbacks with 14 points with a silver medal in the mile (3:58.56) and bronze medal in the 3,000m (8:04.63).

Kemboi and mile winner Waleed Suliman of Ole Miss (3:58.28) both bettered the meet record of 3:59.4 that was set back in 1976. Andrew Kibet picked up points for Arkansas placing sixth (4:03.49).

In the 3,000m, Kemboi finished behind Mario Garcia Romo of Ole Miss (8:03.99) and Alabama’s Eliud Kipsang (8:04.27).

The Razorbacks scored 12 points in the race, securing the team title. Supplying the additional points in the 3,000 were Jacob McLeod (8:06.15), Gilbert Boit (8:06.23), and Ryan Murphy (8:08.18), who placed 6-7-8.

Sprint and hurdle events added 21 points. In the 60 hurdles, Tre’Bien Gilbert and Phillip Lemonious finished third and fourth behind a pair of LSU hurdlers. Gilbert set a career best of 7.70, improving his No. 5 position on the UA all-time list, while Lemonious ran 7.17.

Kristoffer Hari (6.77) and Roman Turner (6.78) finished third and sixth in the 60 while James Milholen (47.63) placed eighth in the 400.

Five more points were added to the tally when Kieran Taylor placed fourth in the 800 with a 1:50.44.

Field event points included three in the pole vault with Etamar Bhastekar, sixth at 16-10 ¾ (5.15), and Rhett Nelson, seventh at 16-6 ¾ (5.05), while Ryan Brown added a point in the triple jump with a leap of 51-7 ¼ (15.73) for eighth place. John Baker finished ninth with a 51-0 ¼ (15.55).

Arkansas closed out the meet with a fifth-place effort in the 4×400 relay, posting a time of 3:05.07 with a foursome of Jadon Bartholomew (48.32), Jalen Brown (45.53), James Milholen (45.13), and Rhayko Schwartz (46.09).

Musselman on Hogs keeping streak rolling, downing LSU at Bud Walton

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Musselman on Hogs keeping streak rolling, downing LSU at Bud Walton

Arkansas coach Eric Musselman’s complete press conference with the media after downing the Tigers, 83-75, for ninth straight SEC win.

Thomas said Hogs just wanted rebounds more than Tigers in second half

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Thomas said Hogs just wanted rebounds more than Tigers in second half

After Hogs’ rebounding effort in the second half, LSU’s Cameron Thomas (25 points, 7 rebounds) said later “they just wanted it more, I guess.”

Hogs explode for four runs early, never look back in win

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Hogs explode for four runs early, never look back in win

It was all Arkansas from the start for a change.

The second-ranked Razorbacks exploded for four runs in the bottom of the first and never looked back, dispatching Southeast Missouri State, 9-3, on Saturday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium.

Arkansas has now won six straight to begin the 2021 campaign.

Starter Peyton Pallette was once again spectacular on the mound as he struck out eight in five scoreless innings of work. The right-hander allowed only three hits and walked one during the outing, preventing SEMO’s offense from striking early.

Arkansas, meanwhile, scored multiple runs in each of the first three innings to open an eight-run lead.

Photo by Arkansas Communications

Back-to-back RBI singles from outfielder Christian Franklin and designated hitter Matt Goodheart, who returned to the lineup after missing the previous five game due to a non-COVID-related health reason, put the Hogs ahead, 2-0.

Up by four in the second, Franklin jacked his third home run in as many days over the wall in left. His two-run dinger extended the Razorback lead to six.

The onslaught continued with two more in the bottom of the third. Second baseman Robert Moore singled home a run before he worked his way around the base paths and scored on a wild pitch.

Shortstop Jalen Battles’ RBI double in the bottom of the fourth put Arkansas ahead, 9-0.

Pallette was in cruise control the entire time. He struck out two in his final inning of work and departed the ballgame with plenty of bullets still left in his chamber, throwing only 68 pitches (48 strikes) on the day.

Left-hander Zack Morris was impressive in his first relief appearance of the year, escaping a bases-loaded jam with two strikeouts. Right-hander Gabriel Starks closed out the game and struck out one in his collegiate debut.

Tomorrow’s series finale is set for 1 p.m. at Baum-Walker Stadium.

The Razorbacks seek their seventh straight win, looking to begin the season with a 7-0 record for the first time since the 2016 campaign and for the seventh time in the Dave Van Horn era (19 seasons).

Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.

Notae on stepping up for Tate, fixing first game mistakes

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Notae on stepping up for Tate, fixing first game mistakes

Arkansas’ JD Notae talked with the media after the win over LSU the key in improving from first meetings is correcting mistakes in initial games.

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