Martin, Fletcher homer in Hogs' 1st SEC road series win since '17
Casey Martin sent the second pitch of the game over the left field fence and Arkansas was off to the races Sunday afternoon.
The Razorbacks poured on another nine runs on 13 hits to beat Alabama 10-2 and win their first SEC road series since taking two of three at Texas A&M to end the 2017 regular season.
It seemed like they’d break it open in the first inning when they loaded the bases with no outs after Martin’s home run, but Casey Opitz grounded into a double play to limit the damage to just one more run.
Instead, Arkansas had to wait until the third to plate more. Heston Kjerstad led off the inning with his second of three hits for the day and Trevor Ezell followed with a triple, setting up an RBI ground out by Dominic Fletcher and squeeze bunt by Opitz to make it 4-0.
Some defensive mistakes and bad breaks helped the Crimson Tide cut that lead in half in the fourth inning. After Tyler Gentry reached on a throwing error by Martin, a blooper by T.J. Reeves fell where Jack Kenley had vacated to cover the bag on a hit-and-run.
John Trousdale drove in the first run on a sacrifice fly before another error moved Reeves to third after he stole second. That allowed him to score on a wild pitch.
Only one of the runs was earned off starter Cody Scroggins, who picked up his second win of the season by giving up three hits and three walks with three strikeouts in five innings.
Immediately following the defensive blunders, Arkansas got those runs back and then some with a four-run fifth inning. Ezell and Matt Goodheart had RBI doubles sandwiched around an RBI single by Fletcher - who also had three hits in the game - and then Kenley tacked on another run with a sacrifice fly.
With a fresh bullpen, that was more than enough support for the Razorbacks. Jacob Kostyshock did give up a couple of hits and walk two in 1 2/3 innings, but Kevin Kopps got out of the bases-loaded jam with a strikeout in the seventh.
Kopps actually struck out all four batters he faced in 1 1/3 innings before turning it over to Matt Cronin, who pitched a perfect ninth inning with a pair of strikeouts.
The Razorbacks’ final runs in the game came in the eighth inning. Martin did it the hard way - reaching on an infield single, stealing second and scoring on a two-base error on the throw to second - while Fletcher got to trot around the bases with a solo home run.
Arkansas (20-4, 5-1 SEC) will conclude its six-game road trip with a midweek matchup with Missouri State at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and then welcome Ole Miss to Baum-Walker Stadium next weekend.
Other Tidbits
~Goodheart went 2 for 3 with a walk and hit by pitch Sunday and is now 11 for 22 with four doubles, three walks and a hit by pitch since getting new contacts. That is a .500/.577/.682 slash over seven games.
~Jacob Nesbit extended his hitting streak to 14 games and on-base streak to 21 games with a single in the fifth inning. He has reached base in 23 of 24 games this season.
~Christian Franklin wore the “golden sombrero” Sunday afternoon, going 0 for 5 with four strikeouts.
BOX SCORE
