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Razorbacks Bounce Back Behind Fisher, Big Sixth Inning to Take Series

Arkansas baseball drops Friday opener but storms back with strong pitching and clutch hitting to secure weekend series win.
Andy Hodges|
Arkansas Razorbacks catcher Ryder Helfrick reacting after a big hit Sunday during game against the UT Arlington Mavericks at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark.
Arkansas Razorbacks catcher Ryder Helfrick reacting after a big hit Sunday during game against the UT Arlington Mavericks at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. | Arkansas Communications

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Arkansas Razorbacks

The weekend didn’t start the way Arkansas wanted.

The sixth-ranked Razorbacks dropped a tight 4-3 game to UT-Arlington on Friday. By Sunday afternoon, they had turned things around.

After losing the opener, the Hogs won the final two games of the three-game series. The rubber match ended early with an 11-1 run-rule victory in seven innings.

Arkansas improved to 9-3 on the season by finishing strong and putting together one of its best offensive games of the year.

Razorbacks coach Dave Van Horn said the team’s bats showed up after a slow start to the weekend.

“There were some really, really good swings,” Van Horn said. “Balls were hit hard, we took some walks [and had a] 2-out rally. That was really good to see. We hit some doubles, stole some bases. It was a really good offensive weekend when you get rid of Friday.”

Balanced Attack Powers Hogs

Once Sunday’s game settled in, the Razorbacks began stacking quality at-bats from top to bottom in the lineup. Zack Stewart set the tone with a solo home run in the second inning.

One inning later, Camden Kozeal sent a fastball to center for a two-run shot. Both swings came against UT-Arlington freshman Zach Evans and gave Arkansas early breathing room.

But the offense didn’t rely only on home runs. The Hogs showed patience and speed. Maika Niu walked to begin the fourth, stole second base and moved to third on a groundout. Carson Brumbaugh then lifted a sacrifice fly to bring him home, stretching the lead.

Brumbaugh, hitting ninth, turned in one of his best games in a Razorback uniform. He finished 2 for 3 with two doubles, two runs scored and his first career RBI.

“I’m just going back to what I used to do as a kid and just trying to hit the ball through the middle,” Brumbaugh said. “It’s kind of got me back in a better spot.”

Fisher Keeps Rolling

While the offense built the lead, Colin Fisher handled the rest. The junior left-hander worked six innings and gave up only one unearned run. He scattered five hits, walked one and struck out seven. Of his 85 pitches, 62 were strikes.

Fisher said he didn’t have his best command of off-speed pitches early, so he leaned more on his fastball.

“Last week I felt like I had everything working,” Fisher said of his one-hit shutout against Xavier. “Everything today wasn’t working, so [it was good] just being able to pitch through that and knowing that I could kind of get out of it, even though there’s runners on or whatever.”

He has now gone 19 innings without allowing an earned run in starts against Texas Tech, Xavier and UT-Arlington. His WHIP sits at 0.53, and he’s struck out 26 hitters.

“I thought Fish threw good,” Van Horn said. “He didn’t throw great, because he’s thrown great a couple of times.”

Sixth Inning Breaks It Open

The turning point came in the sixth inning. With two outs and a runner on, the Razorbacks didn’t back down. Brumbaugh lined a double to right field to spark the rally. Damian Ruiz followed with a single, and Kozeal added an RBI double.

Ryder Helfrick then delivered a two-run home run to left field, pushing the advantage even further.

“It was huge coming up with two outs,” Helfrick said. “You can kind of either make a decision to give up or keep fighting.”

The inning didn’t stop there. Kuhio Aloy reached with a single. After a pitching change, Alexander Peck came off the bench and singled. Stewart worked a walk, and Niu added an infield single to drive in another run. Seven straight Arkansas hitters reached base during the surge.

UT-Arlington’s lone run came in the fifth after a fielding error at third base allowed a runner to reach. Holden Rook followed with an RBI double, but that would be the Mavericks’ only scoring play.

“The last two days we couldn’t get anything generated offensively,” UT-Arlington coach Mike Trapasso said. “I just didn’t feel like we put up a fight. It’s disappointing.”

The Hogs closed things out quickly in the seventh. Christian Turner drew a walk and later scored on Carter Rutenbar’s single to right field. That final run ended the contest under the run rule, marking Arkansas’ third shortened victory of the season.

Steele Eaves pitched a clean seventh inning to finish it. He has yet to allow an earned run in eight innings this year.

After a tough Friday, Arkansas responded with steady pitching, disciplined at-bats and a decisive late rally to claim the series.

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Andy Hodges
ANDY HODGES

Sports columnist, writer, former radio host and television host who has been expressing an opinion on sports in the media for over four decades. He has been at numerous media stops in Arkansas, Texas and Mississippi.

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