Pompey Batted Twice in the Same Inning — Here's What Happened Next

Dave Van Horn had watched TJ Pompey struggle early this season and the Arkansas coach wasn't going to apologize for batting him ninth.

Van Horn's logic was simple — a long lineup is a dangerous lineup — and Tuesday night at Baum-Walker Stadium, that philosophy paid off in a big way.

"He's done a good job of slowly coming out of that early-season slump … and has really helped us," Van Horn said later. "Some people, they get all carried away with, 'He's hitting ninth.' To me he's hitting leadoff and then maybe he can drive in some runs from the guys in the middle. You just want that lineup to be long."

That lineup was exactly nine deep Tuesday, and it chewed up Central Arkansas pitching for a 15-2 run-rule victory in front of the Baum-Walker faithful.

It was the seventh run-rule win of the year for the Razorbacks and the third in a single week.

Another PUMP by Pomp pic.twitter.com/0hVXjikWRe
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) March 25, 2026

Van Horn also credited the turning point to a swing from a different player entirely. Zack Stewart connected on a 397-foot opposite-field shot to left-center in the fourth inning that cut a 2-1 deficit and seemed to shift the energy of the whole game.

"The game changed a little bit when Stewart hit the home run opposite field," Van Horn said. "He really hit it well, because I thought Pannell pitched really well against us."

Van Horn wasn't wrong about Jacob Pannell. The Fayetteville High School graduate kept the Hogs off the board until that Stewart blast and didn't allow a hit until then.

Oh my Tye Briscoe what a debut 🔥

1.0 IP // 0 H // 0 R // 0 BB // 3 SO pic.twitter.com/YQwwZzlFoH
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) March 25, 2026

But the fifth inning arrived, and everything unraveled for the Bears.

"Luckily the leadoff man popped up because that could have been a really big inning for them," Van Horn said of an earlier jam in the second.

It wasn't just starter Peyton Lee.

"His stuff was pretty good," Van Horn said. "Command was average. First inning it was good; he's just got to be more consistent."

Pompey Bats Twice in Same Inning — with Nobody Out

When Pompey led off the fifth with a walk, the Razorbacks were trailing 2-1. By the time he came back to the plate in the same inning — with nobody out — Arkansas led 7-2.

That second trip ended with a 391-foot grand slam that cleared the left-field wall and stretched the lead to 11-2.

Pompey said he'd never experienced anything like it in his two years at Texas Tech or his time in Fayetteville.

"It was cool," Pompey said. "Everybody was seeing the ball and getting on base and doing what they need."

The fifth inning was a 10-run, 53-pitch masterpiece of patient hitting. Arkansas sent 14 batters to the plate, produced six hits and drew five walks against four different UCA pitchers.

Pompey had tied it 2-2 earlier in the inning on Camden Kozeal's RBI single. After Pannell was replaced by Jake Jones, Stewart drew a walk for a 3-2 lead.

Then Maika Niu ripped a 2-run double, Stewart scored on a wild pitch and freshman Carter Rutenbar doubled off the wall in right-center before Pompey's grand slam put the exclamation point on the inning.

This baseball never had a chance 😳 pic.twitter.com/dXLBYzA7pF
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) March 25, 2026

Pompey wasn't done.

He came back in the sixth and deposited a 426-foot solo shot to center field that ended the scoring for the night. He finished 2-for-2 with two walks, three runs and five RBI.

It was a perfect night for a player who was taken out of the starting lineup as recently as March 13 for the SEC opener against Mississippi State.

That same night, though, he came in as a defensive replacement and hit a walk-off solo homer in the ninth. He's been rolling ever since, raising his batting average from .188 to .263.

"He's probably a little more patient at the plate," Van Horn said. "When he would get a pitch, it seemed like two weeks ago he would foul it off. Now he doesn't miss it as much, and that's what you've got to do.

"If they make a mistake or they leave something in the middle of the plate, you're lucky to get one of those an at-bat."

Rutenbar Makes His Mark with First Career Homer

If Pompey was the star of the night, freshman Carter Rutenbar made a case to share the spotlight.

He was inserted into the lineup after Kuhio Aloy struck out twice chasing sliders from Pannell. Rutenbar had a score to settle after striking out in a pinch-hit opportunity against South Carolina on Sunday.

"I've been a little pissed off since that AB," Rutenbar said. "That wasn't me and I know that."

He made up for it in a big way. Rutenbar went 2-for-2 with four RBI, including a 378-foot home run to right-center field in the sixth — the first of his college career.

The funny part? He was irritated that his first at-bat only produced a double.

"I had to do some pushups after that first AB," Rutenbar said. "I got the second one, though. It felt really good."

Christian Turner led off the sixth with an infield single and Nolan Souza was hit by a pitch before Rutenbar's shot pushed the lead to 14-2.

Mark Brissey had worked around a leadoff hit batter in the top of that inning to keep things clean before Arkansas put the game completely out of reach.

On the mound, a trio of relievers — Brissey, Parker Coil and freshman Tye Briscoe in his college debut — combined to retire 10 of UCA's final 11 batters to wrap things up efficiently.

The game ended in the middle of the seventh due to the run rule. That wasn't a bad thing because it could have been worse.

For the Bears, it was a tough night after Pannell kept things competitive early. He allowed 5 runs on 4 hits and 4 walks while striking out 5 in just over four innings.

UCA dropped to 13-12 on the season while Arkansas moved to 19-7 — rolling into the weekend with momentum and a lineup that, from top to bottom, looks dangerous.

Pompey Bats Twice in Same Inning — with Nobody Out

Rutenbar Makes His Mark with First Career Homer

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