Offense struggles as 49ers silence Arkansas, 6-3
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Arkansas had its six-game winning streak snapped as the bats went silent in Wednesday's 6-3 loss at the hands of the Charlotte 49ers.
Razorback starter Barrett Loseke threw a career-high 8 strikeouts in the first three innings, but the Hogs went through eight pitchers after pulling him and gave up 6 runs on 9 hits, including 3 runs in the eighth inning. A recently-hot lineup went stagnant as Arkansas (16-5, 3-0) hit 7 for 35 on the day.
Charlotte got 4 RBIs from four different players on their way to a 9-hit afternoon. The 49ers converted multiple times in the clutch, hitting 5 for 12 with two outs on the board. Charlotte took advantage of three Razorback errors in their three-run eighth inning.
Here's how the Hogs had their streak snapped Wednesday:
THE WINNING INNINGS
Heston Kjerstad blasted Arkansas' 40th home run of the year with a two-out, two-run shot to right field, making it 2-0 Hogs in the bottom of the second.
In the fourth inning, Arkansas got runners to second and third on an error, a single and a wild pitch but couldn't convert as Luke Bonfield got caught and tagged out on a fielder's choice. Dominick Cammarata cut the Arkansas lead to one run in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single, leaving it at 2-1 Hogs.
A leadoff double from Jackson Mims lead to an RBI double from Drew Ober off Jacob Kostyshock, tying the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth. Kostyshock drew a double play to end the inning.
The 49ers brought in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI single to right field by Tommy Bullock. The base knock off Kole Ramage pushed Charlotte ahead 3-2.
A single, two straight errors - one on Grant Koch, the other on Jax Biggers - and a wild pitch by Jake Reindl allowed the 49ers to tack on another run in the bottom of the eighth, pushing the deficit to 4-2 Charlotte. A wild pitch from Reindl and a walk by Scroggins loaded the bases. Dave Van Horn brought in Weston Rogers to pitch, but he walked the only batter he faced, making it 5-2 Charlotte. Zebulon Vermillion immediately entered and became the fourth Arkansas pitcher of the inning. Biggers' second error of the inning brought in a final run for Charlotte, pushing it to 6-2 49ers.
Kjerstad launched his second home run of the day with a solo bomb in the top of the ninth, getting a run back for Arkansas and making it 6-3 49ers. After a walk from Grant Koch, the Hogs' next three batters were retired, sealing the victory for Charlotte.
STAT OF THE GAME
Arkansas' eighth-inning implosion was the nail in the coffin. The Razorbacks gave up 3 runs on only 1 hit (a single) and went through four different pitchers. Jax Biggers committed two errors himself in the inning as Arkansas finished with three as a team.
The Hogs' 1 through 4 hitters went 2 for 18 with 5 strikeouts and 0 RBIs. Dominic Fletcher and Heston Kjerstad were the lone bright spots in the lineup, going 4 for 7 with 2 home runs and 3 RBIs.
Barrett Loseke was one of nine Arkansas pitchers that saw action Wednesday and was the only one who had any success. Loseke struck out 8 of 10 batters he faced in his three innings on the mound. He only walked one batter and didn't allow a hit or run.
WINNING PITCHER
WIN: Colby Bruce (Charlotte): 2 1/3 IP (30 pitches), 2 H, 2 K's, 0 BB, 1 ER
SAVE: Jonah Patten (Charlotte): 1 IP (18 pitches), 0 H, 2 K's, 1 BB, 0 ER
UP NEXT...
Arkansas will immediately travel to Gainesville for their second straight weekend series against a top-five opponent. The Razorbacks will battle the No. 2 Florida Gators in a three-game series starting Friday, March 23. First pitch is set for 5:30 pm (CDT) on SEC Network+.