Pitching Carrying Load No Concern for Van Horn after Loss to OSU
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — When Arkansas and Oklahoma State were fixated in a pitching duel it was a matter of time before someone broke through.
The Razorbacks had many of opportunities throughout the game to score runs — especially late. Arkansas ultimately fell to Oklahoma State 2-1 largely due to 15 stranded base runners. The 14-innings made it the longest game in Globe Life Field history.
Like most sports, defense is usually ahead of the offense. Pitching by both teams dominated until the bitter end. For the Razorbacks, they just happened to be on the wrong side of things. An incredible sac-bunt allowed the Cowboys’ Donovan LaSalle to score the winning run. That squeeze play gave the matchup its most explosive offensive sequence of the 14-inning affair.
February baseball is made for coaches to figure out exactly what they have. There’s certainly cause for concern early albeit minimal. Fall ball doesn’t tell you everything and neither does preseason workouts. Dave Van Horn must find out who is studs are indispensable and which arms he can trust.
Jared Sprague-Lott has been a huge surprise transferring in from mid-major Richmond. He has played extremely well due to the lineup shuffle with Peyton Stovall out. His bat has been red hot hitting .412 in five appearances with one home run, four RBI’s, seven hits, two doubles and team-high .706 slugging percentage.
The senior transfer has been issued three errors this season with a team-low .786 fielding percentage.
Kendall Diggs has been a lethal lead-off man since being thrusted into the role a few games ago. He boasts a .391 batting average but his the sizzle from bat which he had last season. Diggs belted 12 homers in 2023 but through six games this season he’s yet to go yard.
Shortstop Wehiwa Aloy glove seems to be bigger than everyone else’s and his strong hose makes tough throws appear easy. His bat hasn’t been nearly as potent compared to his freshman season at Sacramento State. However, the Hawaiian native has shown plenty of promise early on.
Van Horn isn’t too concerned about the offensive struggles in Arlington.
“Probably the other team’s pitching is pretty good,” Van Horn said. “We’ve got to make some adjustments that we didn’t make tonight.”
Van Horn used six arms with three pitchers going longer than two innings. Brady Tygart displayed his usual stuff in six innings of work. The Mississippi native fanned six batters, gave up just three hits but didn’t allow a run.
A freshman combination of Gabe Gaeckle and Colin Fisher were tossing at elite levels during their second collegiate appearances. Fisher, a Noble, Oklahoma native, threw 39 pitches and struck out six Oklahoma State batters. His work in the 14th inning spoiled a rather impressive outing.
Gaeckle, an Aptos, California native struck out six of nine batters faced. His night ended when he issued a walk to LaSalle in the 12th inning. A rather dominant performance from the youngster.
“Just a great job by our pitching staff,” Van Horn said. “You know, [we] put some freshmen in some really tough situations and they answered the bell. They gained a lot of experience.”
The Razorbacks will play one more game in Arlington Sunday against Michigan. The FloSports broadcast is set to begin at 1 PM.
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