NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — No. 16 Arkansas didn’t need a full nine innings to take care of business Tuesday night.
Riding a wave of free passes from Arkansas-Pine Bluff and a continued hot stretch at the plate, the Razorbacks run-ruled the Golden Lions 12-2 at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock, capping the game in seven innings in front of 9,191 fans who got to head home a little early.
The victory extended Arkansas’s winning streak to five games, tying the longest such run the Razorbacks have put together all season.
Coming off a weekend sweep of Alabama that pushed them back into the SEC race, the Hogs carried that same level of offensive energy into a midweek matchup that was never really in doubt.
The final score could’ve been worse for UAPB. Arkansas reached base 25 times in 6.2 innings, leaning heavily on a Golden Lions pitching staff that issued nine walks and hit three batters — 12 free passes in all.
The Hogs scored in five of their seven trips to the plate and had eight of nine starters record at least one hit on the night.
It was the kind of complete effort that’s become a recurring theme during this five-game stretch for a team that’s working hard to climb back up the SEC standings.
Aloy keeps rolling after breaking out of slump
If there’s been one story driving the Razorbacks’ recent surge, it’s the resurgence of designated hitter Kuhio Aloy.
He went 3-for-4 with four RBI Tuesday and singled up the middle or to right field on each of his three hits, a sign that he’s made real adjustments to his approach at the plate and isn’t getting beaten by pitches on the outside corner the way he was earlier this season.
After going just 3-for-28 to open a prolonged slump, Aloy broke out against Alabama over the weekend and he’s been locked in ever since. Since that breakout, he’s gone 7-for-14 and lifted his batting average nearly 30 points — from .252 all the way up to .281.
That kind of turnaround in a short stretch means a lot for an Arkansas lineup that needs contributions from multiple spots to be effective in SEC play.
His biggest moment Tuesday came in the third inning when he singled to right-center to plate two runs and push the lead to 5-0 and then he added his fourth RBI of the night with a fifth-inning single up the middle that scored Zack Stewart.
Free passes fuel relentless Arkansas offense
While Aloy provided the marquee moments, Tuesday night was really a team effort built on patience and discipline.
Carter Rutenbar was particularly effective from the leadoff spot, drawing three walks in his first three plate appearances before adding a single later in the game.
He reached base four times overall, exactly the kind of production Arkansas needs from the top of its lineup.
Damian Ruiz was the only starter who didn’t record a hit, but he still managed to reach base three times on a pair of hit by pitches and a walk.
The fact that he contributed despite a quiet night at the plate shows the depth of Arkansas’s offensive approach against a UAPB staff that simply couldn’t find the strike zone consistently enough.
Nolan Souza, Stewart and Camden Kozeal each doubled — the only extra-base hits the Hogs recorded, while Kozeal’s double in the seventh inning scored Rutenbar to push the lead to 10-2.
It was a night when the Razorbacks didn’t need to do anything flashy. They just kept getting on base and making UAPB pay.
The final run of the game came via an unusual ending. With a runner on third and just one out in the bottom of the seventh, Stewart lifted what appeared to be a routine popup in foul territory.
UAPB second baseman Trinidad de la Garza got under it, but dropped the ball — and Kozeal alertly tagged up from third and raced home to end the game at 12-2.
Pitching staff controls game from start to finish
Arkansas’s pitchers did their part as well, holding the Golden Lions to just two hits on the night.
Colin Fisher, who was recently moved out of the weekend rotation and into a midweek role, got things started with three scoreless innings.
He needed just 27 pitches to get through his three frames, struck out one batter and mixed in weak contact throughout. He also used a sharp pickoff move to erase the one base runner he did allow.
The outing evened his record on the season to 4-4.
Mark Brissey picked up right where Fisher left off. In his first appearance in 10 days after pitching at Auburn, Brissey worked 2.1 innings and looked sharp throughout.
He allowed one hit and one walk but struck out three before handing the ball to Cooper Dossett ahead of the seventh.
Jackson Kircher pitched in the fourth inning and allowed one run.
Dossett closed things out in the seventh, allowing one run on his way to finishing off the Golden Lions.
The combination of efficient starting work from Fisher and then effective relief from Brissey kept UAPB from ever mounting any kind of offensive threat.
The two hits the Golden Lions managed were hardly enough to change the tone of a game Arkansas controlled from the first inning on.
Razorbacks turn attention to first-place Georgia
With the midweek win secured, the Razorbacks now return to Fayetteville and Baum-Walker Stadium for a three-game SEC series against the Georgia Bulldogs, a series that carries real weight in the conference standings.
Arkansas sits at 8-7 in SEC play, three games behind first-place Georgia. A big weekend could go a long way toward positioning the Hogs for a meaningful run down the stretch.
The series opener is set for Thursday at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPNU.
Junior left-hander Hunter Dietz (3-2, 3.61 ERA) is lined up for Arkansas in the probable matchup against Georgia junior right-hander Joey Volchko (6-1, 3.38 ERA).
It’s a tall task against a Georgia team that’s sitting atop the SEC standings, but based on what the Hogs have shown over their last five games, they’re playing with considerably more confidence than they were just a couple of weeks ago.
The Alabama sweep proved they can compete with quality SEC opponents.
Tuesday’s efficient run-rule win showed they can take care of business against non-conference opponents without expending unnecessary energy.
