After finding itself in a 5-0 hole after two innings, the Cardinal team roared back to defeat White 9-7 and secure a 2-1 series victory in Arkansas' 2022 Fall World Series.
A three-run top of the third inning, highlighted by a two-run homer from Tavian Josenberger gave Cardinal its first sign of life at Baum-Walker Stadium on the afternoon.
Kendall Diggs led the top of the fourth off with an opposite field solo shot, and an RBI double from Peyton Holt tied things up at 5-5.
Once again, Diggs came through in the top of the fifth, this time with an RBI single to right that put Cardinal up 6-5. After a pair of hit by pitches and a pair of wild pitches from right-hander Jake Faherty, Cardinal had a 9-5 lead after 4 1/2 innings.
Freshman right-hander Josh Hyneman came on for his second inning of relief in the bottom of the fifth, and after loading the bases, he gave up a two RBI double to Reese Robinett that was 105 miles per hour off the bat. The intrasquad scrimmage was called after that, and Cardinal was victorious.
Here's a full inning-by-inning recap of the Diamond Hogs' final scrimmage of the fall:
Lefty freshman Sean Fitzpatrick worked a 1-2-3 top of the first inning that included a pair of strikeouts issued to Josenberger and Harold Coll.
After an RBI groundout from Jared Wegner scored freshman Mason Neville and an error allowed Peyton Stovall to score, Robinett crushed a two-run bomb off lefty Nick Griffin to give White a 4-0 lead after the bottom of the first. The hit tied Robinett for a team-high four home runs in the fall.
Fitzpatrick put together another three up, three down frame, inducing a pair of flyouts to center and a pop out to catcher Parker Rowland.
Freshman right-hander Christian Foutch came on to pitch for the Cardinal team in the bottom of the second. He loaded the bases after a leadoff walk to Ryan Ward, a single from John Bolton and an intentional walk to Stovall.
Wegner scored Ward on a sacrifice fly to center for the only run of the frame to push the White lead to 5-0 after two innings.
Fitzpatrick's perfect game was lost after Holt led the top of the third off with a single. Oklahoma transfer catcher Hudson Polk hit a 361-foot double off the wall in right-center to score Holt and put Cardinal on the board.
Righty junior Dylan Carter came on in relief for Fitzpatrick and immediately gave up a 360-foot two-run bomb to Josenberger that trimmed the White lead to 5-3. Carter bounced back by inducing a groundout and striking out Caleb Cali.
Foutch came back on for Cardinal in the bottom of the third and struck out two batters to make up for a hit by pitch to Rowland.
Carter returned to the mound for White to begin the fourth inning, and he surrendered an opposite field leadoff homer to Diggs that trimmed the White advantage to one run.
After a Ben McLaughlin flyout, Carter walked Hunter Grimes and Holt drilled an RBI double off the wall in right to tie the game at 5-5.
Hyneman came on to pitch for Cardinal in the bottom of the fourth and he started his outing with a pair of strikeouts to Bolton and Neville. A Stovall groundout ended a 1-2-3 inning for Hyneman.
Sophomore lefty Matthew Magre came on for white in the bottom of the frame. Magre issued a one-out walk to Coll, who advanced to third on a single from Cali.
Diggs drove Coll in with an RBI single to right that gave Cardinal a 6-5 advantage and chased Magre from the game. Faherty came on in relief of Magre.
Faherty hit Grimes in his first batter faced and then a wild pitch on the next at bat scored Cali and gave Cardinal a 7-5 lead. Faherty issued two hit by pitches and two wild pitches to score two more runs and put Cardinal up by four.
Hyneman returned to the mound and loaded the bases after issuing a hit by pitch, walk and single. Robinett drove in two runs with a heater double to left-center that trimmed the disadvantage to two, but the game was called after that.
