Razorbacks Blitz Alabama Ace Early For Series Opening Win, Survive Late Alabama Rally
Early offense enough run support for Arkansas' Hagen Smith
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas scored early and often to cruise to a 5-3 series-opening win over the Alabama Crimson Tide Friday Night.
"It’s tough winning on the road," coach Dave Van Horn said. "We knew Alabama could really hit and we know we’re going to have to swing the bats a little bit better tomorrow."
Ben McLaughlin and Jared Sprague-Lott brought out the power stroke early with two homers. McLaughlin hit a 423-foot homer to left-center. Sprague-Lott followed with a homer to left to give Razorback ace Hagen Smith a 3-0 lead before he even threw a pitch.
"I would say over the past couple of weeks [hitting] coach [Nate] Thompson has just been doing a great job with all the hitters coming up with a good approach," Sprague-Lott said. "I just simplified some things and starting to feel good for sure."
Smith's streak of four straight starts of double-digit strikeouts ended, but he held the Crimson Tide without a hit through the first five innings. His second-inning strikeout of TJ McCants gave him 284 strikeouts in his Hog career, passing David Walling for third all-time in strikeouts.
The Hogs showed its offensive versatility in the third inning, getting three straight hitters aboard after the first two were retired. Hudson White drove in Sprague-Lott with an RBI single after Sprague-Lott, who got on base all five times, began the rally by getting hit by a pitch. Diggs cashed in by scoring the fifth run on a wild pitch.
The Arkansas lefty ran into his only trouble in the sixth. Gage Miller broke up the no-hitter with a clean single to center to lead off the inning. Justin Lebron hit a hard grounder into left to put runners on first and second with just one out.
Smith battled back to get Will Hodo to pop up back to the mound and struck out McCants on a 3-2 slider on his 98th and final pitch to get through six scoreless innings, letting out a loud roar leaving the mound. His season ERA is down to 1.53.
"I thought I threw pretty well," Smith said. "Defense played good behind me and offense scored a bunch of runs at the beginning of the game. I threw a lot more cutters today than sliders, so I think that kind of got them swinging."
Arkansas looked to be cruising to victory especially when Will McEntire came into the game and pitched a clean seventh but Alabama blitzed the righty in the eighth. It took just 11 pitches from McEntire for the 9-1-2-3 hitters in the order to string together four straight singles.
Suddenly, Hodo represented the tying run at the plate as Van Horn called on Stone Hewlett. Hodo drew a walk to load the bases on a 3-2 count after Hewlett fell behind 3-0. McCants hit a sac fly to left to draw the Crimson Tide to within two.
Van Horn once again went to the bullpen. Gabe Gaeckle struck out pinch-hitter Will Hamiter on a 96 mile an hour full-count fastball for a key second out. He stranded the tying run at first base with a grounder to second off the bat of Evan Sleight.
Geckle came back out in the ninth and induced two popups and a flyout for a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth to pick up his sixth save and push the Razorbacks to 12-1 in SEC play, the best start in program history. The Tennessee Volunteers hold the record in SEC play history with 17-1 in 2022.
Game two of the three-game set is scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday and will be streamed on SEC Network+. Mason Mollina (3-0, 3.38 ERA) will start for Arkansas while Alabama counters with
Greg Farone (3-1, 3.28 ERA).
HOGS FEED:
• Remarkable path to Fayetteville for one of Arkansas' new assistants under Calipari
• Arkansas football will start season earlier, locks up national TV spot for opener
• Alabama coach wants Tide to snatch legs, rip throat when facing Arkansas' Hagen Smith
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