FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — With two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, Game 1 of Arkansas Baseball’s Fall World Series appeared destined to finish as a pitchers’ duel. But when junior college transfer Ben McLaughlin hit his second homer of the day to make it 3-0, things were only just getting started.
The seventh and final frame featured eight runs and two lead changes, ultimately resulting in a 6-5 cardinal victory. Sophomore left-handed pitcher Nick Griffin failed to record an out, loading the bases for freshman infielder Jayson Jones. Freshman righty Josh Hyneman came on following the call to the bullpen, and Jones put the white team on the board with a sacrifice fly.
After the third walk of the inning, freshman center fielder Mason Neville flipped the script with a 397-foot grand slam, taking the white team from two down to two ahead.
The cardinal team appeared doomed when catcher Hudson Polk hit the third straight ground ball to short in the bottom of the seventh, but first baseman Reese Robinett could not pick the throw, and the game went on. Left-handed freshman Sean Fitzpatrick entered the contest after a walk, and he was tasked with getting the final out with the winning run in the batter’s box.
Sophomore Kendall Diggs was the main benefactor of a double steal, as he singled to center field to score both runners and level the score at five. Freshman Isaac Webb stole second as a pinch runner, and junior college transfer Caleb Cali walked things off with a soft RBI single to right.
“Feels good,” Cali said after the win. “Obviously we were hoping to close it out there in the top of the seventh, but they put a few good at-bats up there, and we did our best to fight back with two outs there at the end, so it was good.”
The last inning completely changed the narrative, as both teams’ first two pitchers kept the hitters to a combined three earned runs in 12 innings of work.
Freshman Parker Coil made the start for the cardinal team, holding White to three hits and a walk and recording three strikeouts in three scoreless innings. Fellow lefty Zack Morris nearly matched him, racking up five strikeouts to his two walks and two hits in four innings. The lone blemish on his stat line was a McLaughlin solo homer in the second inning, a blast that traveled 423 feet to right field.
McLaughlin is one of several newcomers on the 2023 team who head coach Dave Van Horn recruited out of junior college. Cali said he views that as an advantage for the Diamond Hogs.
"I think it makes it honestly easier for us to connect in the locker room, just because we've all had the same journey so far," Cali said. "When we walked in the door, we already felt like we have a connection with most of the guys here, so it's cool."
McLaughlin's second longball came against right-hander Dylan Carter, who finished with 2 2/3 innings pitched, three hits, four earned runs, two walks and a strikeout. He had been cruising, retiring five of the seven hitters he faced before the home run, and he would have escaped the seventh with a W and just two runs to his name if Robinett came up with the pick at first.
For a while, Carter pitched opposite sophomore Austin Ledbetter, who posted a 0.00 ERA in 2 2/3 innings at the College World Series. The Bryant native recorded three scoreless frames Monday, allowing four hits and a walk to go with his four strikeouts.
"I just tried to go out there and throw up a couple zeros," Ledbetter said. "Coil pitched really good before me, and I just tried to go in there and give my team a spark."
The best-of-three Fall World Series will roll on with Game 2 scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday. Below is a full box score from Game 1:
