Arkansas eliminated from NCAA Tournament after 6-3 loss to SEMO
The 5-seed Arkansas Razorbacks (44-16) were eliminated from the NCAA Tounament after dropping their first ever regional game to a 4-seed in a 6-3 loss to the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks (36-26) on Sunday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium.
Arkansas never found a rhythm offensively, as the Hogs were outmatched by Redhawks starting right-hander Collin Wilma's mixture of mid-60s curveballs and low-90s fastballs. The lack of offensive production continued throughout the entire match, as bullpen lefty Logan Katen and right-handers Payton Lawrence and Kyle Miller cruised through 4.1 total innings to win the game.
As a whole, the Razorbacks finished 6-for-33 at the plate (.182), 2-for-9 with runners on (.222) and 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position (.000).
Right-handed sophomore Gage Wood made his third career start and shined for the first two innings against the Redhawks despite giving up a solo homerun to the third batter he faced. He ran into trouble in the third and ultimately exited the frame after allowing a combined three earned runs on three hits.
Relievers Jake Faherty and Will McEntire each allowed one run respectively in a combined 3.1 innings, while Stone Hewlett, Christian Foutch and Koty Frank finished out the matchup.
Top 1 (Arkansas) - Arkansas 0, SEMO 0
A bright afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium gave way to a perfect day for baseball yet again. To start off Arkansas' elimination game against the Redhawks, Peyton Stovall swung and missed at strike three but thought he foul tipped it. Instead, he was thrown out at first base. Hudson White made good contact but flew out to left center, and Jared Sprague-Lott fouled out to first base to complete the 12-pitch inning.
Bottom 1 (SEMO) - SEMO 1, Arkansas 0
Batesville native Gage Wood made his third career start against SEMO, and his outing started with a groundout from Brooks Kettering, who walked five times against the Hogs on Friday. A one-pitch foul out to the next Redhawk had the Hogs ready to head to the dugout, but Ty Stauss smoked one to left field for a solo homerun. Wood capped the frame off with a strikeout looking.
Top 2 (Arkansas) - SEMO 1, Arkansas 0
With the pressure on down a run, Ben McLaughlin flew out to center field to begin the second. Wehiwa Aloy nearly went yard to left field, but the wind carried it foul. He eventually grounded out in a full-count back to SEMO RHP Collin Wilma. Kendall Diggs drew a much-needed walk, but he was stranded following a well-struck line out by Peyton Holt to center field.
Bottom 2 (SEMO) - SEMO 1, Arkansas 0
Wood shook off a few pitches and delivered a fastball across the plate, but SEMO's Michael Mugan tapped it into the infield past Wood for an infield single to leadoff the inning. Bryce Cannon struck out swinging on a beautiful fastball from Wood, and then a groundball double play got the Hogs out of the inning on only 10 pitches.
Top 3 (Arkansas) - SEMO 1, Arkansas 0
Wilma continued pumping in 90 MPH heaters and low-60's curveballs, and it was too much for Ryder Helfrick who struck out swinging to start the third. Ty Wilmsmeyer grounded out in his first at-bat of the day, and Stovall grounded out to second base for the final out of the frame.
Bottom 3 (SEMO) - SEMO 1, Arkansas 0
SEMO's Ian Riley worked a full-count to leadoff the bottom of the third, but he struck out swinging on a Wood fastball. Arkansas' righty followed that up with another swinging strikeout on a high fastball and a grounder to complete the 1-2-3 inning.
Top 4 (Arkansas) - SEMO 1, Arkansas 0
White opened the fourth frame with a three-pitch swinging strikeout, and Sprague-Lott matched him with a swing and a miss on a low breaking ball. McLaughllin flew out to left field on two pitches to end the inning.
Bottom 4 (SEMO) - SEMO 4, Arkansas 0
The Redhawks doubled to left field to leadoff the latter half of the fourth against Wood, who then walked Ty Stauss to give SEMO two baserunners with no outs. After a long at-bat, Josh Cameron singled through the right side to score another run and Wood's day was done.
RHP Jake Faherty entered with no outs and runners on first and third, and immediately allowed a run to cross home plate on a groundball that he picked up and tossed wide of home plate. A sac-bunt moved both runners to second and third. The next Redhawk hit a ball to Sprague-Lott at third, but he threw the runner out at home for the second out of the inning. With two men on, a single tacked on another run and put two more Redhawks in scoring position.
Faherty finally escaped the inning on a strikeout looking.
Top 5 (Arkansas) - SEMO 4, Arkansas 1
Aloy swung and missed at a low-60s curveball in the dirt to start the fifth, followed by a strikeout looking by Diggs. Holt breathed some life into the Arkansas bullpen with a 400+ foot solo homer to left field, and Helfrick reached first after a hit-by-pitch. Wilmsmeyer worked a quality at-bat to walk to set up Stovall, who got hit by the first pitch he saw to load the bases.
With the red-hot White coming to the plate, SEMO made a pitching change to LHP Logan Katen. After getting ahead 3-0 in the count, White grounded out to second base spoil a massive opportunity.
Bottom 5 (SEMO) - SEMO 5, Arkansas 1
With some newfound momentum, Faherty gave up a leadoff solo homerun to Brooks Kettering to give the Redhawks a four-run advantage again. Faherty battled back and struck out the next three batters to hand the reigns back over to the offense.
Top 6 (Arkansas) - SEMO 5, Arkansas 1
Sprague-Lott grounded out in a full-count to leadoff the sixth. McLaughlin poked a one-out single into left field to give the Hogs a man on base, but Aloy struck out swinging at a head-level ball for the second out of the frame. Diggs grounded up the middle to bring the top of the sixth to a close.
Bottom 6 (SEMO) - SEMO 5, Arkansas 1
Senior right-hander Will McEntire took the mound in the sixth for the Hogs, and he struck out his first batter of the game on four pitches. It was a good inning for McEntire, who drew a fly out and strike out from the final two batters to move to the seventh.
Top 7 (Arkansas) - SEMO 5, Arkansas 1
With nine outs left in Arkansas' season, Holt flew out to right field to being the seventh. Helfrick and Wilmsmeyer struck out swinging to end a 1-2-3 frame for the Hogs.
Bottom 7 (SEMO) - SEMO 6, Arkansas 1
McEntire returned to the mound again in the seventh and promptly allowed a leadoff single to right field. That runner made his way to second after a sac-bunt and eventually scored after a Brooks Kettering right-field single. For potentially the last time in a Razorback uniform, McEntire struck out a Redhawk looking before exiting the game.
Dave Van Horn handed the ball off to LHP Stone Hewlett out of the bullpen, and he ended the frame with a strike out looking.
Top 8 (Arkansas) - SEMO 6, Arkansas 1
In potentially his last at-bat in a Hog uniform, Stovall led off the eighth with a single to right field. White slapped a double down the right field line to give the Razorbacks two runners in scoring position and no outs.
SEMO brought in RHP Payton Lawrence from the bullpen, and he goes groundball to Sprague-Lott, one-pitch foul out to McLaughlin and groundball to Aloy to escape the jam on only five pitches.
Bottom 8 (SEMO) - SEMO 6, Arkansas 1
SEMO right fielder Josh Cameron led the bottom of the eighth off with a single to bring RHP Christian Foutch out of the bullpen. Fouth picked up his first out on a bunt before hitting Bryce Cannon with a pitch. Aloy nearly made a SportsCenter Top-10 play at short stop to throw a runner out at first, and Van Horn called upon RHP Koty Frank for the final out.
Top 9 (Arkansas) - SEMO 6, Arkansas 3
With its season on the line and only three more outs, Diggs grounded out into the shift to start the ninth. Holt kept the season alive with a seeing-eye-single to right, and Parker Rowland tanked a right-field homer to draw the score within three runs. Pinch-hitter Nolan Souza struck out on four pitches and Stovall flew out to left field to end the game.
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