Arkansas earns 12-7 win over Missouri State
FAYETTEVILLE — The No. 2 Arkansas Razorbacks (38-7) won a high-scoring affair with a 12-7 victory over Missouri State (18-25) on Tuesday evening at Baum-Walker Stadium to improve to 11-0 in midweek games this season.
The Razorbacks scored in each of the first four innings, two of which were four-run frames. Arkansas had four runs on the scoreboard via a grand slam from Wehiwa Aloy before Missouri State could even record an out in the bottom of the first.
Arkansas starting pitcher Gage Wood faced the minimum across three scoreless to begin the game. The sophomore righty allowed just one hit and had no walks compared to four strikeouts on 43 pitches. Seven different relief pitchers saw the mound after Wood for Arkansas.
With a 9-0 lead after three innings, the Hogs seemed destined for a run-rule victory, but a four-run top of the fourth by the Bears. A three-run homer in the top of the seventh by the Bears made things interesting, but the Hogs kept things out of reach and added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth to secure the win.
"I thought Gage Wood came out and did a great job, gave us three really good innings," head coach Dave Van Horn said postgame. "We had built up a lead after the first inning. That second inning he came out and got them out quick. That’s big. We came in and scored another one and left one or two out there. But came back and scored four more in the third. We kind of cruised after that."
Both teams had more runs scored than hits, as the Hogs scored 12 runs on 10 hits and the Bears scored seven on five hits. All but one of Arkansas' nine starters had a hit in the game, including Jared Sprague-Lott, who had two hits, one homer and three runs scored.
Making his first collegiate start, Wood picked up two strikeouts and a pop out in a 1-2-3 top of the first inning for the Razorbacks. In the bottom half, the Hogs plated the first three batters via singles and they all scored via a 406-foot grand slam off the bat of Aloy to make it 4-0 before the Bears could record an out. The next three batters made outs to close the frame for Bears' starter Brendan Beaver.
After Wood once again went three up, three down in the top of the second, the Diamond Hogs added a fifth run via an RBI swinging bunt single from Peyton Stovall with two outs.
Wood allowed his first, and only, hit of his outing in the top of the third to Missouri State's Logan Chambers — a Bryant native — but Wood still ended up facing the minimum after retiring the other two and getting out of the inning via catcher Hudson White throwing Chambers out at second.
"Just wanted him to start," Van Horn said of Wood. "And the future could be now. You just never know how it’s gonna go. But it was just good to see him go out there and throw the ball over the plate and make them swing the bat and he mixed pretty well."
The Bears turned to reliever right-handed Stephen Schissler in the bottom of the third and he gave up two straight walks followed by an RBI single from Arkansas first baseman Jack Wagner that made the Hogs' lead 6-0. Catcher Hudson White then drove in another run with a one-out RBI double to the gap in right-center.
After Stovall hit a two-RBI single through the right side to put the Hogs up 9-0, the Bears went to left-hander Dalen Stewart, who picked up the third out to stop the bleeding.
Arkansas also went to the bullpen in the top of the fourth by bringing in right-hander Cooper Dossett, who was tagged for four earned runs on two hits. The Springdale native issued two walks and hit a batter while recording just one out before he was relieved by Christian Foutch, who did allow some of the runs credited to Dossett to score via a two-RBI swing.
The Razorback bats earned two of the runs back in the bottom of the fourth with a pair of RBI knocks from designated hitter Ryder Helfrick (double) and right fielder Jayson Jones (single) to push the lead to 11-4 after four innings.
Missouri State lefty reliever Tyler Charlton worked the first scoreless inning of the game for the Bears in the bottom of the fifth by stranding a leadoff hit by pitch with three straight outs.
Arkansas veteran righty Will McEntire, another Bryant native, worked a 1-2-3 top of the sixth in relief. That frame featured him striking out his former high school teammate in the Bears' Logan Chambers.
Charlton put together a second straight scoreless frame for Missouri State in the bottom of the sixth, which also saw Wagner exit for the Hogs with an apparent injury. Senior Ben McLaughlin replaced Wagner.
Sophomore left-hander Parker Coil pitched an eventful top of the seventh for the Hogs and he gave up three runs on a homer to left by Missouri State cleanup hitter Taeg Gollert that cut the lead to 11-7.
Missouri State right-handed reliever Garrett Ferguson went three up, three down in the bottom of the seventh to hold the Razorbacks scoreless for the third straight inning.
After freshman phenom Gabe Gaeckle worked a perfect top of the eighth, Sprague-Lott hit a 402-foot solo shot to the Hog Pen in left field to give the Hogs an insurance run and a 12-7 lead with just three more outs to go.
"He hit the top of it a little bit," Van Horn said of Sprague-Lott's homer. "A little topspin there and it probably would’ve went about 450. He hit it a long way. I just like the fact that he’s a tough out. I like the fact that he can lay down a bunt for a hit or a sac bunt or hit the ball over your head. So he’s gotten a lot better, in my opinion."
Junior flamethrower Jake Faherty pitched a 1-2-3 top of the ninth and closed the game down with two straight strikeouts.
Up next, the Razorbacks and Bears will meet for a second and final game Wednesday for a 4 p.m. CT first pitch at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville. The game will be streamed live on SEC Network+.
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