STARKVILLE, Miss. — Things have gotten so miserable at Dudy Noble Field, where the 2021 national championship trophy rests on the concourse behind home plate, that even half-capacity was too much to ask Sunday afternoon.
Locals were probably better off staying home anyway, as the visiting Razorbacks took it to their Bulldogs for the third consecutive day. Even without three regular starters in the lineup, Arkansas outslugged Mississippi State en route to an 11-6 victory, its sixth straight against SEC opponents.
"Just excited to get out of here with all three games," Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said. "Came down here a little beat up again, just playing guys that hadn’t played much all year and it seemed like they just kept making good plays in the field, advancing runners and helping the team win."
The Razorbacks took a little longer to crack the scoreboard Sunday, but they put the pressure on from the get-go. Their first taste of switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje was lefty-heavy, and the first four batters, all left-handed, produced two runners and two outs. Third baseman Caleb Cali struck out on a 96-mph fastball out of the Curacao-born hurler’s right hand.
Hunter Hollan one-upped his counterpart in the first, mowing through three Bulldogs on seven pitches in a start delayed two days by his shin splints.
Both starters traded zeros again in the second before Arkansas grabbed the first lead for the third time in as many games.
The two-out rally in the third inning began with Cijntje plunking center fielder Jace Bohrofen, whose steal of second base set designated hitter Ben McLaughlin up for an RBI chance. The junior college transfer delivered with his second knock of the afternoon.
Two pitches were all first baseman Brady Slavens needed to see to build on the one-run lead. Cijntje hung a 1-0 breaking ball, and the third-year Hog swatted it to the right field seats for his third homer of the series and a 3-0 cushion.
"Putting him in the four hole, I was just trying to show him a little bit of confidence, especially with a couple of guys out," Van Horn said. "I don’t know if he’ll stick there when we get our two other outfielders back, but he had some really good at-bats and some big swings and helped us get the lead. Just really happy for him that he had such a good weekend."
The lead was short-lived, as Hollan paid for two walks, two balks and an even longer home run. After balking in a run, the left-hander hung one to Mississippi State designated hitter Hunter Hines, whose 22nd homer of the year leveled the score with two outs.
As has become tradition for the Razorbacks, they answered their opponent with a crooked number of their own. Cijntje only faced them twice through the order, and reliever Cole Cheatham walked right fielder Kendall Diggs to load the bases with two outs in the fourth.
Two breaking balls buried Bohrofen in an 0-2 count, but a third made its way to the right field corner. Both runners in scoring position came around with ease, and Diggs grazed the plate with milliseconds to spare for a 6-3 lead.
The Bulldogs got back within a pair in the bottom of the fourth, chasing Hollan after two outs just as Arkansas did their starter. Third baseman Nate Chester’s two-out RBI double made it 6-4, and a walk to the No. 9 hitter prompted Van Horn to make a change.
Right-hander Cody Adcock induced a ground ball to strand a pair of runners, closing the book on Hollan at four earned runs in 3 ⅔ innings.
"I feel like that was my best stuff that I've had all year," Hollan said. "The cutter and fastball, they were both playing really good. Just kind of got a little unlucky. It happens."
Once again, the Razorbacks had a response for the run after Adcock got them out of the jam with a ground ball. The bottom of the lineup proved problematic for Mississippi State reliever Nate Dohm, who issued a free pass on either side of shortstop David Mershon’s fielding error.
Diggs, at the plate with two outs and the bases loaded, sent Dohm’s 2-1 offering 421 feet to right-center for a grand slam.
It did not matter to Bohrofen that the Bulldogs switched pitchers, as he launched right-hander KC Hunt’s 1-0 pitch over the center field fence for his team-leading 13th dinger of 2023 and the 11th two-out run of the game.
Trailing 11-4, Mississippi State second baseman Amani Larry began to eat into the deficit with a two-run homer against Adcock, who only lasted another batter. Lefty Zack Morris came in to settle things down, which he did with a pair of ground balls, including a sparkling inning-ending, 4-6-3 double play.
As the Razorback bats began to cool down, Morris kept the Bulldogs at bay, rolling two more groundouts and fanning Hines for his first strikeout to end the seventh.
The eighth was not quite as seamless, as shortstop John Bolton’s two-out throwing error complicated things. It took a lineout to left for Morris to polish off his third scoreless frame, stranding three runners.
"I just continued to build the confidence I’ve had in the previous outings, just trying to get things rolling ‘cause this team needs it," Morris said. "I need it too, but this team needs it more. With a few pitchers going down, just got to find a way to step up and help this team win."
A week after earning a save in his first SEC appearance, the ninth inning belonged to freshman Parker Coil. Mississippi State hit three straight balls to second baseman Peyton Holt, who whipped them all to Slavens to finish off the fourth series sweep against conference opponents.
Grouped with series losses from No. 1 LSU and No. 5 Vanderbilt, the Diamond Hogs are tied for the best record in the conference at 17-7, a half-game ahead of the top-ranked Tigers in the Western Division.
Next up for Arkansas is the No. 3 South Carolina Gamecocks, who will begin the final regular season series at Baum-Walker Stadium at 6:30 p.m. Friday. The first of three games will stream live on SEC Network Plus, accessible through the ESPN app.
"We’re obviously all happy with where we are," Van Horn said. "We’re just trying to win today. Try not to worry about everybody else. The guys are getting ready to finish up some school this week, and now we’ve got South Carolina coming in that struggled at Kentucky, so I’m sure we’ll get their best shot next weekend."
