Aloy drives in five, Arkansas run rules UAPB 11-1 in midweek bout
The No. 2 Arkansas Razorbacks (35-6, 14-4 SEC) won their 10th midweek matchup of the season with an 11-1 run-rule victory over UAPB (13-26, 4-13 SWAC) at Dickey-Stephens Park in Little Rock on Tuesday.
Scoring started early for the Hogs and Golden Lions, as both teams traded runs in the bottom of the first and top of the second for an early 1-1 tie. After two scoreless frame, Arkansas retook the lead in the bottom of the fifth thanks to a Wehiwa Aloy double — his third hit of the day — which scored two runs to give the Hogs a 3-1 lead.
Arkansas blew the doors wide open in the bottom of the sixth, though, as 14 batters came to the plate in what was a seven-run bombshell from the Razorbacks.
Sophomore right-hander Ben Bybee got the starting nod on the mound for the Razorbacks, and he was a little erratic with three hits allowed, an earned run and four strikeouts. Fellow sophomore righty Cooper Dossett relieved him in the third and dazzled in three scoreless innings with four strikeouts of his own.
Right-hander Christian Foutch and lefty Parker Coil pitched the final two frames for the Razorbacks and combined for three strikeouts, no walks and no hits to close out the victory.
The first pitch from RHP Ben Bybee was a strike, but UAPB's leadoff man reached base after 3B Nolan Souza failed to catch a middle-infield popup. The next Lions' batter lined out to center field, and the leadoff runner was caught stealing at second base. Bybee finished things off with a swinging strikeout.
Peyton Stovall came up to the plate to start the bottom of the first and he kickstarted the Razorbacks' offense with a leadoff single to right field. Ben McLaughlin continued the good start with a nine-pitch AB that ended in a HBP. With two runners on, Wehiwa Aloy smashed a single to left field for the first run of the game. The Razorbacks went on to strand their two baserunners and exited the first with a 1-0 lead.
UAPB tied the game in the top of the second after Bybee surrendered a single and double to the Lions' first two batters, but the Razorback righty bounced back with three straight strikeouts to end the inning.
Arkansas went quickly in the bottom of the second despite a leadoff walk by Ross Lovich. Ryder Helfrick hit a ball into right field but an amazing catch resulted in a double play at first base after Lovich failed to return in time. Ty Wilmsmeyer capped the frame off with a punch out looking.
Welcome to Little Rock, Cooper Dossett. The RHP relieved Bybee in the top of the third and greeted the first three UAPB batters with strikeouts. Unfortunately for Arkansas, the momentum wasn't carried to its bats in the latter half of the inning. Flyouts by Stovall and McLaughlin to center field halted things before they started, and a single by Aloy was wasted after a Diggs groundout.
Flyouts sandwiched a single for UAPB in the top of the fourth, but that baserunner was quickly erased on a steal attempt with a great throw by Helfrick. Arkansas' offensive woes continued in the bottom of the fourth, as Nolan Souza flew out on the first pitch, Hudson White struck out and Ross Lovich fouled out.
Dossett continued to impress in the fifth frame, as he fought through a leadoff single with a strikeout and groundout to force an inning-ending double play. Helfrick started the bottom of the fifth with a deep flyout to center field, but a Wilmsmeyer HBP gave fans something to cheer about. Stovall followed up with another deep flyout before McLaughlin walked to give the Hogs two baserunners. Already 2-for-2 on the day, Aloy continued his red-hot hitting with a double that gave Arkansas a 3-1 lead.
RHP Christian Foutch relieved Dossett in the sixth and he got his day started with a pop up before going single, strikeout, single to the next three respective batters. Foutch escaped the jam with a groundout to Souza at third base.
Arkansas exploded in the bottom of the sixth for seven runs on four walks, three base hits and one error to take a 10-1 lead. With a chance at a run-rule victory in the bottom of the seventh, the Hogs wasted no time with back-to-back singles by Lovich and Helfrick. A flyout by Will Edmunson moved Lovich over to third, and Stovall walked things off with a sac-fly to center field.
Up next, the Razorbacks will host the Florida Gators for a three-game series at Baum-Walker Stadium that starts on Friday. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. CT and it will broadcast on the SEC Network.
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