Razorbacks End No-Hit Bid Late, Roll to 7-0 Shutout of Little Rock

Six Hogs pitchers shut out Little Rock and Zack Stewart slugged career home run No. 50 in Arkansas' 7-0 midweek win.

Arkansas Razorbacks' Zack Stewart against the Little Rock Trojans. | Arkansas Communications

Zack Stewart had already seen the bases loaded twice Tuesday night at Baum-Walker Stadium.

The second time, he was standing in the batter's box when Tag Andrews put him on with a walk as part of a six-run frame that broke the game open.

The third time Stewart came to bat, he didn't need any help.

The Arkansas first baseman crushed a 369-foot solo shot to left-center field in the seventh inning — the 50th home run of his college career — to cap a 7-0 Razorbacks victory over Little Rock.

Six Hogs pitchers combined for the shutout as No. 22 Arkansas improved to 21-13 on the season while the Trojans dropped to 19-14.

A No-Hit Bid Broken Up Late

For four full innings, Little Rock's pitching staff kept the Arkansas lineup completely quiet.

The Hogs didn't register a single hit until TJ Pompey led off the fifth with a single to break up the no-hit bid and ignite the offense.

Pompey didn't stop there.

He stole second base and then swiped third before crossing home plate on Ryder Helfrick's sacrifice fly to give the Razorbacks a 1-0 lead, a sequence that relied entirely on speed and situational hitting rather than the long ball.

That one run would've been enough given how the pitching staff performed.

But Arkansas made sure the outcome was never in doubt.

The Sixth Inning Breaks It Open

What started as a shaky frame for Arkansas turned into a five-run rally that put the game away.

Nolan Souza struck out to open the sixth but reached base when Little Rock catcher Trey Hill committed a throwing error.

Andrews then walked Kuhio Aloy and Stewart in succession to load the bases with nobody out.

Pompey struck out for the second time on the night, but Reese Robinett delivered the biggest hit of the game, a bases-clearing double down the right field line that stretched the lead to 4-0.

Helfrick added an RBI double to score Robinett, and later in the inning Helfrick came around to score on a wild pitch from Zach Busick, pushing the lead to 6-0.

Andrews was charged with four of those runs, two unearned.

The right-hander walked three and struck out two while allowing just one hit — a difficult line for a pitcher facing his former program.

Andrews had redshirted his freshman season at Arkansas before transferring to Little Rock last summer, making Tuesday's matchup a homecoming of sorts.

Arkansas Razorbacks pitcher Tate McGuire against Little Rock. | Arkansas Communications

Six Arms, Zero Runs

Tate McGuire got the ball first and delivered three innings in his initial start of the season. Parker Coil worked one inning before Steele Eaves covered two more frames.

Gabe Gaeckle and Cooper Dossett each handled one inning apiece to set the stage for Ethan McElvain in the ninth. McElvain's final frame wasn't without drama.

A hit batter, a single and a fielding error by shortstop Camden Kozeal loaded the bases with two outs and gave Little Rock a pulse.

McElvain responded by striking out Jack Bilski and then Austin Coyle to strand all three runners and complete the shutout.

Across nine innings the Hogs held the Trojans to seven hits and one walk while punching out seven batters.

It was a dominant collective effort from a pitching staff that didn't allow the Trojans to seriously threaten until the final out was already nearly in hand.

With the midweek win secured, Arkansas shifts its attention back to SEC play.

The Razorbacks are scheduled to open a three-game road series Friday night at ninth-ranked Alabama.

It was a significantly tougher test than the one they handled Tuesday with relative ease.