Late-inning rally propels Diamond Hogs to win over Alabama
FAYETTEVILLE — Alabama relief pitcher Kade Woods appeared to have the second out of the seventh inning with two Razorbacks on base and a one-run lead Saturday.
Trackman registered the 1-2 pitch to Arkansas center fielder Tavian Josenberger well within the strike zone, incensing Brad Bohannon.
The Crimson Tide head coach went on a profanity-laden tirade against home plate umpire Mark Winters, who ejected him. As he made his way back to the visitors’ dugout, he mocked the Hog Call as the locals ushered him off the field.
Josenberger turned on the first pitch after the delay, depositing it in the right field corner for a go-ahead two-run double. The Hogs backed it up with a pair of longballs in the eighth on their way to a 9-6 victory to even the series.
"Right when he got ejected, I knew the momentum just flipped on our side," Josenberger said. "I knew right after that, that I was going to have a big swing in a big moment. Got a pitch to hit and put a pretty good swing on it."
Once again, Alabama took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second, coming in the form of a 421-foot solo shot by shortstop Jim Jarvis.
Arkansas starter Will McEntire sandwiched that frame between two zeros, but in the fourth, the roof caved in.
After recording a soft groundout against the leadoff man, the Crimson Tide tagged him four four straight hits, three of which turned into runs.
Dylan Carter was the first man out of the bullpen for the Razorbacks, and he successfully stranded the runner at second, letting McEntire off the hook for a fifth run.
Alabama starter Luke Holman assembled a much stronger start, facing the minimum nine Razorbacks through three innings.
Josenberger broke up his no-hit bid with a leadoff double in the fourth, but things were looking grim as he stayed put through a Peyton Stovall pop-up and a Jared Wegner strikeout.
After right fielder Jace Bohrofen drew a walk, designated hitter Kendall Diggs delivered what was easily the biggest swing of the weekend to that point for the home team. He drove a 2-2 pitch 420 feet to center field, cutting the Alabama lead to 4-3.
"We just felt like we’d just keep working and maybe something good would happen," Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said. "We just started stringing together some hits."
Jarvis appeared to get those three runs right back in the fifth, launching Carter’s pitch 407 feet to dead center field. Josenberger timed his leap perfectly, snaring the ball from the jaws of a would-be 7-3 deficit to record the third out of the inning.
"He’s been having a great series," Van Horn said. "I can’t really say enough about him. He’s been unbelievable."
Josenberger showed off his glove again in the sixth, ranging to his left to snag a liner and setting him up for an easy outfield assist. Crimson Tide catcher Dominic Tamez, who was at first base, was closer to third than second when the ball was caught, so the Hogs doubled him off, 8-6-3.
The Kansas transfer’s shining defense rewarded him with a hit in the bottom of the sixth — a shallow pop-up to third that somehow found grass. He stole second and took third on a flyout by Stovall that chased Holman from the game.
After walking Wegner, Alabama reliever Riley Quick surrendered a game-tying RBI single to Bohrofen.
The late innings belonged to Arkansas “wild card” Hagen Smith, who took just five pitches to relinquish the lead.
Tide center fielder Andrew Pinckney took the big left-hander 415 feet to left-center field to give his team a 5-4 advantage.
Similar to his last appearance, Smith loaded the bases, but he got himself out of the jam with just the solo shot allowed.
"I like the confidence he has on the mound," Van Horn said. "He thinks he can get anybody out with any pitch."
Quick allowed his first two hitters to reach in the seventh, marking the end of his day. Woods entered, allowing a sacrifice bunt and the two-run double, which gave Arkansas its first lead of the series.
Alabama leveled the score once again in the eighth, but Bohrofen led off with a go-ahead homer. Two batters later, third baseman Caleb Cali unleashed a 450-foot blast to give the Hogs a three-run cushion.
"It was awesome," Cali said. "Just trying to come through for my team there."
Smith retired the Tide in order in the ninth, marking its first inning without a hit since Friday’s first inning and leveling the series at one game apiece.
"We showed a lot of toughness and grit," Van Horn said. "I love it."
Sunday’s rubber match is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT on the SEC Network. Alabama will throw left-hander Grayson Hitt, the No. 43 draft prospect on MLB.com, while Arkansas will go with freshman righty Ben Bybee.
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