The No. 2 Arkansas Razorbacks (30-3, 11-1 SEC) cruised to an easy 16-2 win Sunday over the Missouri Tigers (11-20, 0-12 SEC) to secure a series sweep at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville.
Hogs' first baseman Cam Kozeal had three extra base hits with two home runs, including a grand slam, to drive in six of the team's runs on the day. Right fielder Carson Boles earned his first career SEC start and he crushed a three run home run in the first inning, while catcher Ryder Helfrick logged three hits.
The Razorbacks logged 16 hits in the game, which pushed their total to 32 on the day, as they also tallied 16 knocks in the 14-4 win in the first half of the seven-inning doubleheader. Just like the Game 2 win earlier in the day, the Hogs had 11 hits with runners on base and eight hits with runners in scoring position. They had two innings with five runs and one with four runs in the contest.
Arkansas starting pitcher Landon Beidelschies struck out a season-high seven batters across four innings in the contest. He allowed two runs on four hits with one walk, although just one of the two runs were earned. The relief trio of Christian Foutch, Cole Gibler and Carson Wiggins combined for three scoreless, hitless innings and five strikeouts for the Hogs.
Beidelschies started his day with a leadoff walk that came around to score on a passed ball that was a dropped third strike that got by catcher Ryder Helfrick. Luckily for the Hogs, Beidelschies worked around traffic and stranded two runners to keep the damage at one run in the frame.
Arkansas quickly gained the lead in the bottom half of the first inning courtesy of a two-run double down the left field line from Kuhio Aloy, who made contact with a 67 mph curveball on the swing. Two batters later, Boles drove a three-run home run to left center field to begin his first SEC start on the right foot.
The Razorbacks ended up batting around in the bottom of the first inning to chase Missouri starting pitcher Tony Neubeck and bring on reliever PJ Green, who got out of the frame without allowing anymore scoring.
Beidelschies worked a 1-2-3 top of the second inning for the Razorbacks, who promptly extended their lead to 7-1 via a two-run home run from Kozeal to right field in the bottom half of the second inning.
Missouri plated its second run via an RBI single from centerfielder Kaden Peer in the top of the third inning, but that was all Beidelschies allowed in the frame to keep the Tigers from cutting too much into the Hogs' lead.
Arkansas added to its lead with an RBI sacrifice fly out from Justin Thomas Jr. in the bottom half of the third. Two batters later, Kozeal drove his second homer of the game to right field for a grand slam to make the lead a whopping 12-2.
Beidelschies tossed a three up, three down top of the fourth for his final frame of the evening, and the Tigers managed to keep the Hogs scoreless in the bottom half for the first time in the contest.
Junior right-hander Christian Foutch struck out two in a perfect top half of the fifth for the Hogs, who went down scoreless in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Freshman lefty Cole Gibler pitched a scoreless top of the sixth inning. Mizzou reliever Xavier Lovett returned to the mound for his third straight inning in the bottom half of the sixth, and he gave up a pair of two out RBI singles to Charles Davalan and Wehiwa Aloy that made the Hogs' lead 14-2.
After Lovett was tagged by Kozeal for a double, the Tigers elected to bring in another reliever — Cayden Nicoletto — who immediately allowed an RBI single to freshman Gabe Fraser. Kuhio Aloy added another RBI knock with a single to center that made the lead 16-2 before Nicoletto finally got out of the inning.
Freshman right-hander Carson Wiggins issued a one out walk in the top of the seventh inning, but that was his only flaw in the frame, as he shut things down to secure the series sweep.
Up next, No. 2 Arkansas will host in-state foe Arkansas State on Tuesday evening at Baum-Walker Stadium. First pitch against the Red Wolves is set for 6 p.m. CT and it will be nationally televised on SEC Network.
