FAYETTEVILLE — When asked about it by the media afterward, Christian Franklin gave a sheepish grin and admitted he was trying a little too hard in his final at bat.
The freshman needed a home run to complete the cycle and, with the game in hand, clearly was going for it with two big hacks in the seventh inning. He ended up looking at strike three, but he had already done enough to help Arkansas to a 9-2 win over Charlotte on Wednesday.
Even with the strikeout, Franklin went 3 for 4 with three RBIs. His double drove in one run to make it 2-0 in the fifth inning and then he capped a five-run sixth inning with a two-run triple.
“He had a couple of really big hits,” head coach Dave Van Horn said. “He got the first hit for us, got the big triple there that kind of finished it off so to speak with the big inning.”
The triple was probably Franklin’s biggest hit because it helped blow open the game for the Razorbacks. They were up just 4-0 with two outs when he sent the 0-1 pitch into right-center field.
“I got froze first pitch with the slider,” Franklin said, “so I figured then he would come back with that again and I was sitting on it.”
Had he managed to complete the cycle, Franklin would have been just the second known player to do it in UA history. Kyle Harris accomplished the feat against Tennessee in 1994.
It might be surprising that he did it out of the 9-hole, but he has produced from that spot all season. He raised his batting average to .400, which is second only to Trevor Ezell, with the performance and he now has a team-high 15 RBIs.
“I think down the road, not necessarily this year, he’s going to be a 1-2 hole hitter, but you know it’s all the same to me,” Van Horn said. “You’ve got to feel good about scoring in the third, not just the first and the fifth.”
Wicklander’s Start
Making his sixth appearance in just the 11th game of the season, freshman Patrick Wicklander got the start and was really good for the Razorbacks.
The only negative in his five scoreless innings was that he walked the leadoff man in each of the first three innings. However, Wicklander never allowed the runner to get past second.
“It wasn’t something I planned on doing, but you’ve just got to overcome what happens,” Wicklander said. “I put myself in it so I have to get myself out, that’s kind of how I deal with it.”
Wicklander said he struggled to get his off-speed stuff over the plate for strikes early on, but got a better feel for it as the game progressed.
All the 49ers could manage against him was a Drew Ober bunt single with two outs in the first inning, as Wicklander racked up a career-high eight strikeouts.
“He’s been through a lot already but we keep putting him out there because he’s a good pitcher and we need him and he can handle it,” Van Horn said. “I feel like he’s going to be a big part of the pitching staff and we’re trying to get him some experience.”
There was some talk in the dugout about letting him pitch some in the sixth inning, but Van Horn decided to go to the bullpen after he had thrown 76 pitches.
“I like what I see from him,” Van Horn said. “He’s a guy who could pitch for us every Tuesday or Wednesday and if he keeps pitching well, maybe we flip him to the weekend to keep some of our older guys in the bullpen.”
Third-Inning Web Gems
Wicklander’s outing was aided by a sensational play by shortstop Casey Martin.
After a walk to Tommy Bullock to start the third inning, Carson Johnson hit a grounder up the middle that seemed destined to get into the outfield for a hit. However, Martin ranged over, fielded it and tossed it to second baseman Jack Kenley to start a 6-4-3 double play.
“To me, the play of the early part of the game was just a great play by Casey Martin on a ground ball that looked like it was headed into center field,” Van Horn said. “That was a big momentum swing. …. That was a big-time defensive play.”
Had the ball gotten through, Charlotte likely would have had runners on the corners with no outs and slugger Harris Yett coming to the plate. Instead, the bases were empty and Wicklander got a strikeout to end the inning.
“There could have been different situations that could have changed the game,” Wicklander said. “But as soon as I could see the ball in Marty’s glove I thought, ‘OK, we at least got one, possibly two here.’”
Not to be outdone, Bullock - the 49ers’ shortstop - made an excellent play in the bottom half of the inning that prevented what could have been a big inning for Arkansas.
The Razorbacks dialed up a hit-and-run and Heston Kjerstad seemed to have a line drive right where Bullock had left, but he somehow dove back and snagged it. He was then able to throw to first and easily double up Franklin.
Arkansas Natives
This game was a homecoming of sorts for two Charlotte players and its pitching coach, as all three are from Arkansas.
Johnson, the 49ers’ starting second baseman and a Springdale native, had the biggest cheering section with a dozen or so fans sitting behind the home plate in personalized hoodies. They were green with his name and number on the back and a Hog logo on the front.
They were mostly disappointed Wednesday night because Johnson went 0 for 4. In addition to the aforementioned tough-luck double play, he also struck out after failing to lay down a sacrifice bunt and grounded out to second twice.
Starting pitcher Ryan Czanstkowski is from Mountain Home and actually retired the first three batters he faced. However, he issued back-to-back walks to start the second - prompting a mound visit from Arkansas native and pitching coach Shohn Doty - and got the next three.
Two of those outs, though, were a sacrifice bunt and sacrifice fly to score the first run of the game. Those were the only two innings he pitched.
His alma mater’s baseball team, now coached by former Arkansas player Tim Carver, actually made the trip to Fayetteville and got to watch batting practice before taking in the game.
Other Tidbits
~It was another cold day at Baum-Walker Stadium, so the “tickets scanned” number of 1,248 was much lower than the paid attendance of 6,976.
~The win improves Arkansas to 8-0 inside Baum-Walker Stadium this year. Since the start of last season, the Razorbacks are 38-3 in Fayetteville.
~Trevor Ezell launched a 363-foot home run to start the sixth inning. He has hit safely in 10 of 11 games so far this season and the one time he went hitless - Game 2 at USC - he was just 0 for 2 with three walks. By going 1 for 3 on Wednesday, Ezell actually lowered his batting average to .425, but is now tied with Kenley for the team lead in home runs with three.
~The Razorbacks’ other home run was a two-run shot by Dominic Fletcher that traveled 372 feet in the eighth inning, giving them their final runs of the day. It was his second homer of the season and the 24th of his career.
~Freshman Trey Harris has seemingly solidified himself as the designated hitter. In his third start, he went 1 for 2 with an infield single, a hard line out to left, a sacrifice bunt and a hit by pitch. Although he has only two hits, his .462 on-base percentage will likely keep him in the lineup, as Jordan McFarland and Matt Goodheart each failed to reach in pinch-hit opportunities. “Trey just seems to get on base a little bit,” Van Horn said. “Right now, he’s going to DH for us. He brings a little bit of speed, a little athleticism at that position.”
~Freshman right-hander Carter Sells made his collegiate debut in the ninth inning Wednesday, becoming the 15th pitcher - and seventh freshman - to get on the mound this season. He struck out the first batter he faced, issued two straight walks and then got a ground ball that Kenley botched for an error. Both walks eventually scored, so he’s charged with two earned runs in 1/3 of an inning. “He works as hard as anybody and I feel bad the numbers don’t add up because we felt like he should have had another K,” Van Horn said, referring to a couple of pitches on which Sells got squeezed by the home plate ump. “It says he got two earned runs here, but that’s probably not really what happened.”
~For just the second time this season, Arkansas played an entire game without stealing a base. The only other time it happened was the third game against Eastern Illinois.
BOX SCORE
SUBSCRIBE to HawgBeat and get access to exclusive prospect interviews, the best recruiting network in the industry, inside scoops on recruiting and team news, videos, podcasts and much more.
Join the discussion on THE TROUGH, the Arkansas Rivals premium message board for thousands of Hog fans.
