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FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas bounced back from its first SEC series loss since 2019 in commanding fashion, sweeping a doubleheader over UAPB by a combined score of 21-0.
The Razorbacks nearly no-hit the Golden Lions in a 15-0 win to open the day and then won the nightcap 6-0 in a pair of seven-inning games at Baum-Walker Stadium on Tuesday.
“It was just good to get out here and play,” head coach Dave Van Horn said. “Really today was all about getting some pitchers some work and they got it.”
Super senior Kole Ramage was locked in from the beginning of his 11th collegiate start. In three innings of perfect work on the bump, he struck out five — three swinging and two looking — while denying each Lion batter to reach base.
Sophomore Cayden Wallace got the first game underway with a leadoff walk. He went on to steal second for his 10th swiped bag of the year and advance to third on a throwing error. Senior Brady Slavens then brought him home with an RBI single.
With Ramage dealing on the other end, the offense used the bottom of the second to tally three more runs. Sophomore Dylan Leach stayed hot with an RBI single to score senior Jalen Battles after he swiped second. Slavens followed suit with a two-home run over the center field wall.
After putting up two more in the third, on a Battles RBI single and RBI single from freshman Drake Varnado, the Hogs unloaded their biggest half inning of offense in the bottom of the fourth.
It seemed like it would be a quick inning for the Lions after they got grad transfer Chris Lanzilli and Wallace out, but the Hogs would go on to put together a seven-run two-out rally to extend their lead to 13.
The rally began with super senior Braydon Webb singling and stealing second, only to cross home after an RBI single from redshirt junior Zack Gregory. Leach clinced a multi-hit game with a two-run single, scoring Battles and Gregory. After a pitching change, Wallace scored two more with a double into the left field corner. Slavens put the cherry on top with his second dinger of the night with a three-run shot over the right field wall.
Following a 1-2-3 inning of work in the fourth despite a leadoff walk, senior Elijah Trest got the next three Lions he faced to complete a nearly spotless outing with three strikeouts.
Webb led off the bottom of the fifth with his team-leading 10th long ball of the year, sending a 3-2 pitch into the visitors’ bullpen for Arkansas’ 14th run.
Graduate transfer Isaac Bracken was tasked with closing the game out and obliged, tossing two scoreless.
