Diamond Hogs shut out, sweep Auburn
FAYETTEVILLE — Sunday’s series finale between Auburn and No. 7 Arkansas appeared on track to be a pitchers’ duel, but a two-out rally in the bottom of the third inning changed the trajectory on another cold and windy afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium.
Tiger left-handed pitcher Konner Copeland recorded eight outs against the first nine hitters, but the second time through the order caused him a world of trouble. Razorback left fielder Jared Wegner punished him for center fielder Tavian Josenberger’s double and a hit batsman — second baseman Peyton Stovall — as he pimped a 470-foot blast well beyond those braving the temperature in the Hog Pen.
"I definitely think I got every piece of that baseball right there," Wegner said.
Wegner’s team-leading ninth roundtripper marked the end of Copeland’s outing and the first, second and third of five unanswered runs en route to a 5-0 shutout victory to secure the series sweep for Arkansas.
"After you win the first couple of games, you’ve got a chance to sweep, then mentally you’ve gotta flip it to ‘Hey, this is a one-game series, we need to win this game.’" Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said. "That’s how important the games are."
As effective as Copeland was to start, Razorback righty Cody Adcock matched his two innings of one-hit ball and raised him four. The Crowder College transfer issued a one-out walk to no avail for the Tigers in the second, and their only hit was erased on a double play in the third. He racked up six punchouts as the Sunday starter who was originally left to be announced.
"He got it together and he pitched like he was in command," Van Horn said. "They’ve got good hitters. They’re going to square up some balls. I liked his confidence out there and just the way he just kept attacking the zone. He just (did a) good job."
It was not until after Saturday's 9-3 win the Adcock learned he would be the Sunday starter, he said.
"I was ready to go out of the bullpen Friday and Saturday," Adcock said. "Whenever they told me I was going to start, I was excited about it. I think if you ask every pitcher in the locker room, everybody wants to be a starter. At the end of the day, my job is to pitch. I don't get to decide when I throw."
After three consecutive perfect innings from Adcock to cap off the Hogs’ third straight quality start, Auburn was finally able to put multiple men on the bases in the seventh against right-hander Austin Ledbetter. The effort was for naught, however, as the sophomore induced a pop-up for the second out and a bouncer to third base for the third.
Ledbetter worked around a leadoff hit-by-pitch to work a scoreless eighth before turning the ball over to Gage Wood in the ninth. The freshman righty issued a pair of free passes against three hitters, prompting a switch to left-hander Hagen Smith. The Razorback wild card fanned Auburn right fielder Justin Kirby and got left fielder Chris Stanfield to bounce into a game-ending fielder's choice, completing the shutout and the 13th straight victory.
"We feel like we’re getting a little stronger, we’re getting a little deeper and obviously the experience these guys are gaining is going to help us down the road," Van Horn said.
The only other Arkansas offense to speak of came in the fourth inning, when right fielder Jace Bohrofen led off with a single — the first of four consecutive knocks. Designated hitter Kendall Diggs roped a double 102 mph into the right field corner, and third baseman Harold Coll delivered with a two-run single to make it 5-0.
A double play and a pickoff from new pitcher Will Cannon stalled the Hogs’ momentum, and he proceeded to shut them down until the eighth inning. The first time they managed to get multiple men aboard was with two outs in the eighth, but right-hander Chase Isbell recorded the strikeout necessary to end the threat.
"That was probably the only disappointing part of the day for me personally," Van Horn said. "Really proud of the team. First weekend out. Really cold temperatures. Showed up every day and played well. Played really good defense today and really all weekend."
The Diamond Hogs are scheduled to conclude their 18-game homestand at 3 p.m. Tuesday, when the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks visit Baum-Walker Stadium. The contest will stream live on SEC Network Plus, accessible through the ESPN app.
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