Lovich's Bomb Against Old Team Brings Razorbacks' Win Over Missouri
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas used four homers, including two from designated hitter Nolan Souza, and stellar pitching to blank the Missouri Tigers 8-0 in the SEC opener for both teams.
Missouri transfer Ross Lovich stood back and admired his work, 394 feet of pure bliss over the bullpen against his former team. With runners on first and second in the third, Lovich hit a three-run bomb on top of the building in right field to stretch the Razorback lead to 5-0. Lovich jogged past his younger brother, Jackson, the starting first baseman for the Tigers as he rounded the bases.
Nolan Souza provided the first offensive jolt with a 335-foot line drive, two-run home run to right in the second inning putting the Razorbacks up 2-0.
Kendall Diggs continued the power party, hitting another two-run homer in the fourth to expand the lead to 7-0. Diggs hit the 400-foot bomb in front of a Peyton Stovall walk. Arkansas, despite only having seven hits, took advantage of two Tiger errors and two walks to push across all eight runs.
Souza capped off the scoring with a 405-foot solo homer deep into the dark sky and finished a 3-for-4 day at the plate.
On the rubber, Hagen Smith continued to climb the all-time Razorback strikeouts leaderboard. The Bullard, Tex. native passed Blaine Knight for fifth all-time (244) in the fourth.
Smith went one time through the order facing the minimum before allowing a one-out double. He finished the night with six shutout innings with just two hits allowed and 10 strikeouts on 99 pitches. His career strikeout total sits at 249.
Christian Foutch, who had not seen action on the mound in over two weeks, pitched the seventh and eighth innings. Cooper Dossett retired Missouri in order in the top of the ninth to complete the three-hit shutout.
The series against the Tigers continues 2 p.m. Saturday and will be streamed on SEC Network+.
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