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Pompey Delivers Dramatic Ninth-Inning Homer as Hogs Top Bulldogs

Razorbacks rebound to snap-two-game losing streak by topping No. 3 Mississippi State in SEC opener
Bob Stephens|
Arkansas Razorbacks pitcher Gabe Gaeckle gave the Hogs 5.2 innings while allowing two earned runs Saturday against No. 3 Mississippi State.
Arkansas Razorbacks pitcher Gabe Gaeckle gave the Hogs 5.2 innings while allowing two earned runs Saturday against No. 3 Mississippi State. | Arkansas Communication

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Arkansas Razorbacks

TJ Pompey was benched for Arkansas' SEC opener but the junior shortstop was ready when called upon and delivered the biggest hit of the Razorbacks' season.

The transfer from Texas Tech belted a dramatic game-winning home run in the bottom of the ninth to send the sellout crowd into a frenzy and give the Razorbacks a much-needed 5-4 victory over Mississippi State.

It was a fitting ending in an opening weekend matchup between the nation's No. 3 team, Mississippi State, and the No. 5 Hogs.

The Hogs seemingly were cruising to a 4-2 win until Mississippi State sophomore Ryder Woodson slugged a two-run homer with two outs in the top of the ninth to quiet the crowd and tie the game.

Hogs reliever Cole Gibler (2-0) blew the save when Woodson went deep but was credited with the win.

Arkansas starter Gabe Gaeckle wasn't at his best but lasted 5.2 innings while giving up eight hits and three walks for a pair of earned runs.

MSU starter gave up five runs, four earned, in six innings as the Hogs got four hits and three walks. He whiffed eight and walked none.

Pompey shocked Bulldogs reliever Maddox Miller (1-2) with his game-changing long ball.

Will Pompey's surprising blast ignite him and Hogs?

Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn adjusted his lineup, largely due to Pompey's struggles. In 48 at-bats, the 6-foot-4, 215-pounder was hitting a measly .188 with an astounding 26 strikeouts.

Van Horn was disgusted with Pompey's lack of confidence, exemplified by him chasing bad pitches and not controlling the zone and providing a competitive at-bat. He also had two errors in 34 defensive chances.

That all changed with one unforgettable swing that just might kick-start Pompey's season. As a sophomore, he started 18 of 19 games before suffering a season-ending injury.

He wielded a dangerous bat in that third of a season, slashing .348/.397/.623 with five home runs, 15 RBIs, 16 runs, 24 hits and stole five bases in five attempts.

Perhaps Pompey's homer will also kick-start the rest of the team. Arkansas lost its two previous games, both to the Stetson Hatters, and had dropped a game to Arkansas State the week before.

Experience tells me one game can turn a season around. I also know that momentum is only as good as the next day's starting pitcher.

Doubleheader set for Saturday due to weather

The Hogs and 'Dogs will play a doubleheader Saturday with the first pitch set for 1 p.m. The schedule change to a twinbill is due to Sunday's anticipated bad weather.

Mississippi State (15-3) is 0-2 on the road, including a 7-6 loss at Southern Miss. The 'Dogs are 14-0 at home this season with their other setback 8-7 in 10 innings to No. 1-ranked UCLA at a neutral site, the home of the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas.

Arkansas (13-5) will start Hunter Dietz on the mound. Dietz, a 6-foot-6, 235-pound southpaw, has surrendered only six hits and one walk while whiffing 20 and covering 13 innings in his last two starts.

The Hogs hope to keep hitting. In the opener Friday, senior Zack Stewart, a senior transfer from Missouri State, belted a two-run homer, his fourth of the season.

Nolan Souza had two hits, a double and an RBI for the Razorbacks while Camden Kozeal had a hit and RBI.

Hogs hope to win series, take advantage later of soft SEC schedule

In the SEC preseason coaches poll, Mississippi State got four of the 16 first-place votes while Arkansas garnered two. LSU led with nine and Texas got the other. Those four clubs topped the poll:

1 LSU 9 231

2 Texas 1 214

3 Miss St 4 205

4 Arkansas 2 203

One advantage the Hogs have this season is they don't play LSU or Texas. They don't face Tennessee or Vanderbilt, who were sixth and eighth in the coaches poll, or 13th Texas A&M. They do square off with Auburn (5), Florida (7), Georgia (9), Ole Miss (10).

More good news for Van Horn and Arkansas fans is the Hogs play the league's predicted bottom dwellers: Kentucky (11), Alabama (12), Oklahoma (14), South Carolina (15) and Missouri (16).

Regardless of how the final standings do turn out, the Razorbacks will be battle tested. Whether they're worthy of a top 8 seed and proposed host of a Super Regional is another matter. Only time will tell.

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Bob Stephens
BOB STEPHENS

Bob Stephens won more than a dozen awards as a sportswriter and columnist in Northwest Arkansas from 1980 to 2003. He started as a senior for the 1975 Fayetteville Bulldogs’ state championship basketball team, and was drafted that summer in the 19th round by the St. Louis Cardinals but signed instead with Norm DeBriyn's Razorbacks, playing shortstop and third base. Bob has written for the Washington Post, Chicago Sun-Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, New Jersey Star-Ledger, and many more. He covered the Razorbacks in three Final Fours, three College World Series, six New Year’s Day bowl games, and witnessed many track national championships. He lives in Colorado Springs with his wife, Pati. Follow on X: @BobHogs56

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