Crimson Tide rolls past Diamond Hogs
FAYETTEVILLE — The No. 6 Razorbacks returned to Baum-Walker Stadium this week after a palatable road series loss to LSU with a golden opportunity to cement themselves among the SEC leaders against a sub-.500 opponent.
The Alabama Crimson Tide came to Northwest Arkansas two games behind 4-2 Arkansas, having lost consecutive series to Florida and Kentucky, but that did not stop it from having its way during the first Friday night game of the season in Fayetteville.
Twenty-two hits, the most the Razorbacks have allowed during head coach Dave Van Horn’s 21-year tenure, made for an easy 12-1 win over the home team, which has dropped four straight contests to the Crimson Tide.
"First inning we had runners at first and second, nobody out with 3, 4 and 5 coming up and we didn’t advance a runner at all," Van Horn said. "That was a little hard to swallow. Their offense just got after our pitching tonight, and we didn’t have an answer."
Alabama broke the scoreless tie in the top of the second, tagging Razorback starter Hunter Hollan for consecutive hits to lead the frame off after his scoreless, 14-pitch first. Crimson Tide center fielder Caden Rose laced a 104-mph double to the left field corner and scored on an opposite-field knock by designated hitter Dominic Tamez, his first at-bat at Baum-Walker Stadium since transferring from Arkansas in 2020.
Another hit and a walk loaded the bases for Alabama with two away, but Hollan punched out right fielder Andrew Pinckney, who entered the night leading the visitors with a .360 average, on three pitches.
The trouble persisted in the third with another leadoff double hit harder than 100 mph. For the second straight Friday, Razorback catcher Parker Rowland saw the runner wandering far enough off the base to pick him off. The out begat two more, and Hollan faced the minimum three hitters on just 12 pitches.
The Hogs responded to the strong inning from their battery with the tying run in the bottom of the third. Center fielder Tavian Josenberger worked a seven-pitch at-bat in his second trip to the plate, culminating in a 108-mph rope to the home bullpen for his fifth longball of 2023.
The deadlock was short-lived, as Alabama freshman third baseman Colby Shelton match Josenberger’s one-out solo shot with one of his own in the fourth. Eight-hole hitter Tommy Seidl followed suit with his second single in as many at-bats, and catcher Mac Guscette took Hollan deep again, extending the Crimson Tide lead to 4-1.
Arkansas designated hitter Kendall Diggs drew a leadoff walk in the home half of the fourth, marking the third time a leadoff batter reached base. A flyout sandwiched by a pair of strikeouts also marked the third time that runner failed to score.
"We just pick a guy off second, get out of a little jam there, thought maybe we were going to flip the switch a little bit there," Van Horn said. "But Hess just came out and pounded the zone, got ahead of us. Swing and miss a lot, and you saw what happened."
Hollan allowed his third leadoff batter in five innings to reach via a hit, and first baseman Drew Williamson punished him with the third Alabama longball of the night. The Razorback left-hander had only surrendered two coming into Friday.
One more hit, the Crimson Tide’s 10th of the night, chased Hollan from the game before he could record an out in the fifth. That turned into a seventh earned run, when freshman righty Gage Wood surrendered a two-out, two-run single to shortstop Jim Jarvis.
"I don’t know where those pitches were but they seemed to be on him pretty good, whether it was a fastball or a cutter," Van Horn said of his starter. "Even some other type off-speed pitches, when he made a mistake they hit him hard."
Alabama tacked on its fifth run of the frame and ninth of the game when Shelton scored from second on Pinckney’s infield single.
Austin Ledbetter was the third Arkansas pitcher of the evening, and he posted a zero in the sixth despite two more Tide hits. His seventh inning was less smooth, as he surrendered four more hits and a run. If not for a successful challenge on a play at the plate from Van Horn, it would have been two, which would have made it a 10-run game.
"I appreciate Austin," Van Horn said. "He went out there and saved our bullpen a little bit and had an inning or two when it went pretty good, but had a couple where he had to fight it, gave up some runs. But just glad to see him go out there and really get after the strike zone for us."
The Razorbacks successfully staved off a run-rule defeat for the second straight SEC game, as Alabama left the bases loaded in the eighth, but that did not change the fact they had no answers for Crimson Tide reliever Hagan Banks.
Starter Ben Hess, who was on a pitch count, concluded his outing after 68 and four innings. Banks perfected the Hogs for four more, punching out five in the process.
"They did a really good job of just attacking the zone, getting ahead in counts," right fielder Jace Bohrofen said. "Give credit to the starting pitcher, he did a phenomenal job just really keeping us off-balance. He likes his fastball a lot, and that's what we were supposed to hit. He threw it, and we missed it early in counts, and then he would throw a breaking ball or off-speed, we would either spit or foul it off. Then he would come back with a fastball, and we'd chase up and get ourselves."
William Hamiter, who entered the game as a pinch hitter, launched the 22nd hit and fourth Alabama homer of the night in the ninth, capping the scoring at 12-1.
The Crimson Tide entrusted left-hander Connor Ball to record the final three outs. He did so successfully, working around a fielding error and a single to seal the victory and close the gap between the two squads in the standings to one game.
Arkansas and Alabama are scheduled to meet again at 2 p.m. Saturday at Baum-Walker Stadium. Round two, which will feature right-handed starters Will McEntire and Luke Holman, will stream live on SEC Network Plus, accessible through the ESPN app.
"I know that they’re not happy," Van Horn said. "What I’m trying to do is save some guys, try to win tomorrow. When you’re getting hammered, you just kind of let it roll sometimes and let it go. We’ve still got two to play."
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