Stovall, White keep bats hot despite series loss at Kentucky
The No. 2 Arkansas Razorbacks lost the rubber match to the No. 8 Kentucky Wildcats on Sunday, 7-4, but both second baseman Peyton Stovall and catcher Hudson White kept their hot bats going in the losing effort in Lexington.
The two batters finished Sunday's game with five combined hits, one RBI and four runs scored — three from Stovall and one from White.
"I mean, we had two guys have a good series, and that was Stovall and White," Arkansas head coach Dave Van horn said postgame. "If you’re just looking for offense, those guys were tough outs. They hit the ball hard. They got hits.
Stovall has been white hot every time he's been in the lineup. After missing the beginning of the season with a broken foot, Stovall returned on March 9 and has been raking since.
So far this season, Stovall has slashed .354/.421/.558 with seven home runs and 34 RBI. One of those home runs came in Sunday's contest in the ninth inning.
White, on the other hand, has had a slow go of it, slashing just .254/.358/.395 with two home runs and 16 RBI.
The first of the Texas Tech transfer’s two hits on Sunday came from an infield single and was the first hit of the game for Arkansas. It was close and went under review as he dove to beat the throw, but the call stood.
Stovall recorded three hits in Sunday's contest with a single, double and home run. His first hit came on a bunt single that moved White up to second base in the fifth.
White would come around to score on a single to right field by Wehiwa Aloy to bring in the first run of the game for the Razorbacks after falling behind 6-0.
White's second hit of the game came in his second at bat, and was a single up the middle with two outs in the sixth inning. Will Edmunson struck out one batter later to leave White on base.
In the following seventh inning, Stovall led off with a double into the left center gap, hammering a fastball. He moved up to third base on a flyout and scored with two outs on a single by Kendall Diggs to cut the lead to 6-3.
Stovall's final hit of the game came in the top of the ninth with no one out. The Haughton, Louisiana, native took a breaking ball straight into the visiting bullpen to give the Hogs a fighting chance at a comeback.
That comeback never materialized, though, as the Hogs left two on base in the top of the ninth and lost the series to the Wildcats.
Up next, the Hogs will return home and play host to Mississippi State on Friday night. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. and will stream on the SEC Network+.