Diamond Hogs run-rule UALR
FAYETTEVILLE — Midweek weirdness reared its head in many forms Tuesday night at Baum-Walker Stadium as the No. 5 Diamond Hogs defeated UALR in run-rule fashion.
Unusual mound appearances, pitcher at-bats, a near-complete emptying of the bench and 18 free passes to Razorback hitters were ingredients in the come-from-behind 20-5 win over the Trojans.
Arkansas right-hander Cody Adcock made his third start of the season, appearing to be out of the first inning after a sparkling 4-6-3 double play. A long replay review revealed the batter was safe at first, allowing the runner at third to score.
Trojan left fielder Luke Pectol made the reversal even costlier for the Razorbacks, sneaking an RBI single through the right side to make it 2-0.
"He’s a little jittery, he’s a little wound up," Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said of Adcock. "He’s got to calm down, and we’re trying to get him there. But thank goodness our offense kicked it into gear and gave us an opportunity to leave him out there for a while."
All nine starters scored in the bottom of the first. Eleven straight reached base, seven via walk and four on singles. With five reserves already in the starting lineup, Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn elected to pinch hit Mason Neville for Jared Wegner with a five-run lead, adding a sixth to the mix.
Wegner hurt his thumb sliding into third, hence the early change, Van Horn said.
It took UALR three pitchers and 65 pitches, only 30 of which were strikes, to record three outs.
The Hogs continued to pour it on in the early innings, as center fielder Tavian Josenberger plated a pair with two outs in the second. Designated hitter Jace Bohrofen and shortstop Harold Coll each belted two-run homers in the third, extending the lead to 15-2.
Batting around for the second time in the fourth inning, Arkansas eclipsed the 20-run mark for the first time since June 4, 2022, at the Stillwater Regional. Just two hits were needed to scratch five more runs across, as four of the five free passes Trojan pitchers issued scored.
"We were very, very patient at the plate," Bohrofen said. "A lot of walks and hit-by-pitches, and just not trying to do too much, and then driving in runners. I thought we did a really good job."
Adcock’s outing ended after four innings and 67 pitches, and he gave way to infielder-turned-pitcher Ben McLaughlin for his second appearance on the mound. He recorded a scoreless fifth and got plunked in the bottom of the inning, becoming the first Razorback to hit and pitch in the same game since Nate Wohlgemuth on April 14, 2021.
Four straight hits in the sixth made it 20-4 and chased McLaughlin from the game.
"He was behind in the count a little bit too much," Van Horn said. "It’s still kind of an experiment, seeing how it’ll go. It didn’t go great today."
Left-hander Sean Fitzpatrick made his first appearance since the College Baseball Showdown, allowing an inherited run to cross but retiring the next three batters to strand a pair.
After outfielder Hunter Grimes made it 21-5 with a sacrifice fly, Fitzpatrick returned to work another scoreless frame with a third strikeout to wrap up Arkansas’ 26th win of the season.
"You don’t see a lot of 21-run games, especially at this level of baseball," second baseman Peyton Holt said. "To see up and down the lineup everyone having some success, it’s pretty fun."
The Razorbacks and Trojans are set to square off again at 4 p.m. Wednesday. Freshman righty Ben Bybee will get the ball for the home team against a UALR starter to be announced. The contest will stream live on SEC Network Plus, accessible through the ESPN app.
Box score
