Hogs Almost Throw Away Easy Win Battling Michigan in Arlington Finale
ARLINGTON, Texas — Arkansas walked its way to victory behind sparkling pitching for the third straight game with a 4-3 win over the Michigan Wolverines. The pitching staff took a no-hit bid into the seventh behind Mason Molina's five innings with 10 strikeouts, but the game was not without some self-inflicted ninth-inning drama.
With the Hogs up 4-1 heading to the bottom of the ninth, Koty Frank allowed a leadoff single in the ninth, the Razorbacks looked to be home and dry on a grounder to third, but Jared Sprague Lott's second wide throw of the day extended the game. Later in the inning with the lead down to 4-3 and the tying run on second, Arkansas again looked to have won the game before Peyton Holt booted a grounder at third. With the tying run now just 90 feet away, Stephen Hrustich hit a can of corn fly ball that fell mercifully into the glove of right fielder Ross Lovich
Coach Dave Van Horn introduced a massive shakeup to the lineup a day after playing 14 innings and scoring one run, putting Will Edmunson at leadoff, his third different player in seven games. Lovich got the start in right, while Nolan Souza started at second.
The early issues of stranding baserunners continued. Despite Ben McLaughlin lacing an RBI double into left field which was almost caught on a slide, the Razorbacks were largely unable to take advantage of three walks and a hit batter in the first two innings from Michigan starter Dylan Vigue, including grounding into an unconventional 3-6-1 double play to end the first.
Molina must've felt inspired by his fellow Razorback pitchers this weekend compiling seven strikeouts through the first three frames, including back-to-back punchouts with a runner on third and one out to keep the 1-0 lead heading into the fourth.
Two more walks and another hit batter, all with one out in the fourth brought Ty Wilmsmeyer to the plate with the bases loaded, but struck out swinging. Vigue, however, bailed the Hogs out, plunking Edmunson in the back foot and walking Kendall Diggs to force home two runs before being removed from the game. The Razorbacks took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the inning without the benefit of a hit.
Molina continued to roll, retiring nine in a row and taking a no-hit bid into the sixth, allowing just two baserunners through five innings on 81 pitches, before getting replaced by Will McEntire.
Lovich made a basket catch in right on a line to retire the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the sixth. The Razorbacks got some much-needed insurance in the seventh. Diggs led off the inning with a double which the right fielder trapped on a sliding attempt. Michigan second baseman Mack Timbrook made a nice play sliding to keep the ball from trickling into right field but overshot the first baseman, allowing Diggs to come around and score.
The no-hit bid ended with two outs in the seventh when third baseman Cole Caruso roped a double into the right field corner, but was stranded at second one pitch later with a grounder to short.
Michigan got its first run in the eighth thanks to a throw that sailed wide to put the leadoff runner at second, but the Hogs took a three-run lead to the ninth.
The Razorbacks will now partake in its first midweek game of the year against Grambling 3 p.m. Tuesday back at Baum-Walker. The game will be streamed on SEC Network+.
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