Razorbacks Play Home Run Derby on Mississippi State
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — No. 2 Arkansas may be starting to hit the long ball.
Mississippi State would probably agree.
The Razorbacks held a track meet around the bases, hammering four home runs to overpower the Bulldogs, 12-5, and clinch its 13th consecutive SEC series win on Saturday at Baum-Walker Stadium.
The Hogs own the league’s longest active consecutive series win streak (13) as well as the SEC’s longest consecutive home series win streak (10).
Michael Morrison / allHOGS Images
The Razorbacks are now 21-4 overall and 7-1 in SEC play on the year. Arkansas has won eight consecutive games against Mississippi State (16-12, 3-5 SEC) and seven straight home series over the Bulldogs.
After Mississippi State struck first with an early run in the top half of the first, it was all Arkansas.
The Hogs scored eight runs across the first three innings, powered by back-to-back four-run outbursts in the second and third.
Brady Slavens hit the first of Arkansas’ four home runs on the night in the bottom of the third, breaking out of his slump with a 376-foot rocket off the balcony of the Hunt Center.
"I’ve been trying to find that edge here for a while now," he said later. "I kind of felt like I had gotten back to what I know and what I'm used to."
It wasn't the only long ball of the night.
Arkansas' Chris Lanzilli is still slams a Mississippi State pitch in April during a Hogs' win in the SEC series at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville. (Michael Morrison / allHOGS Images)
Ahead 8-1 in the fourth, Chris Lanzilli and Robert Moore went back-to-back with long balls of their own and extended the Razorbacks’ lead to nine.
Lanzilli’s 45 career homers are fifth most among active Division I college baseball players.
The Hogs’ home run derby was not finished as Zack Gregory launched his second homer of the one inning later. That pushed Arkansas’ lead to 11-3, which was more than enough run support for starter Hagen Smith and the bullpen.
Cayden Wallace was the night’s leading offensive contributor, racking up four runs batted in on two hits, including a double. He is now slashing .314-.393-.510 on the season.
On the mound, Smith turned in his fourth quality start of the year to pick up his team-leading fifth win. The true freshman left-hander struck out seven over six innings of three-hit, three-run ball.
Gabriel Starks (two innings, two strikeouts) and Elijah Trest (one inning) were solid in relief. The duo locked down the final three innings to secure the Razorbacks’ 12-5 win.
Arkansas goes for the clean sweep tomorrow afternoon, looking to secure its third straight series sweep of the Bulldogs.
First pitch in the series finale is set for 2 p.m. on SEC Network+ and Fubo.tv.
Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.
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