HawgBeat - Arkansas opens NCAA Tournament with 17-9 onslaught over SEMO
HawgBeat provides a game recap and box score from Arkansas' 17-9 win over SEMO on Friday.
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The 5-seed Arkansas Razorbacks (44-14) opened up NCAA Tournament play with a 17-9 win over the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks (34-26) on Friday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium.
Rain clouds and overcast weather weren't enough to stop the Diamond Hogs from scoring, as Arkansas racked up six home runs and three doubles to score 17 runs against the Redhawks. The Razorbacks finished 16-for-40 at the plate (.400), 9-for-19 with runners on base (.474) and 6-for-16 with runners in scoring position (.375).
Ben McLaughlin and Hudson White led the offensive outburst with two home runs each and a combined 11 RBIs. Wehiwa Aloy and Peyton Holt each collected two hits while Aloy and Kendall Diggs also added home runs. The unexpected hero was Ty Wilmsmeyer, who reached base all five times he came to the plate.
Left-handed starter Mason Molina only made his way through 2.2 innings pitched and allowed four earned runs off of four hits in that span. He also struck out four batters and walked four Redhawks.
Head coach Dave Van Horn and the Razorbacks likely used more reliable pitching that they would have liked, as right-handers Will McEntire, Christian Foutch, Gabe Gaeckle and Jake Faherty all made appeances from the bullpen.
Top 1 (SEMO) - Arkansas 0, SEMO 0
Arkansas left-handed starting pitcher Mason Molina started the game with a 4-0 walk with several high misses to give the Redhawks a leadoff baserunner. His next at-bat went the complete opposite direction, as he tossed three pitches for a swinging strikeout. The southpaw continued to dominate with another swing and a miss before retiring the final Redhawk via fly out.
Bottom 1 (Arkansas) - Arkansas 1, SEMO 0
Second baseman Peyton Stovall led off the bottom half of the first with a ground out to second base after getting ahead 3-0 in the count. Red-hot catcher Hudson White blasted a solo home run to right field for a 1-0 lead before Jared Sprague-Lott fouled out down the left field line. Ben McLaughlin appeared to drop a right field basehit down the line but it was called foul. He eventually ended the inning on a groundout to first base.
Top 2 (SEMO) - Arkansas 1, SEMO 0
Molina drew a first-pitch infield popup to start the second before collecting his second out on a shallow fly ball to left center. He capped off quick frame with a full-count strikeout to bring the Hogs back to the dish.
Bottom 2 (Arkansas) - Arkansas 8, SEMO 0
Designated hitter Ryder Helfrick worked to a full-count in his first at-bat of the game but was sent back to the dugout after striking out. Wehiwa Aloy smoked a ground ball straight past the shortstop and ended up at second base after hustling around first. Kendall Diggs found himself down 1-2 but was hit by a pitch to give the Hogs two runners on base.
Peyton Holt extended Arkansas' lead to 2-0 after hitting a single through the right side, and that lead jumped to 3-0 after a should-be double play ground ball by Ty Wilmsmeyer resulted in an error. Stovall flew out to shallow center field but White drew a walk to load the bases. SEMO turned to RHP Collin Wilma out of the bullpen to escape the jam, but he allowed a left-field single by Sprague-Lott to hand the Hogs a 5-0 advantage. Benny "Boomstick" McLaughlin pounded one to right field for a 8-0 lead and Helfrick struck out looking to end the damage.
Top 3 (SEMO) - Arkansas 8, SEMO 4
After an offensive onpour by the Razorbacks, Molina started his third frame with a nine-pitch walk to SEMO's Bryce Cannon. He responded with a strikeout looking before walking another batter on four pitches to give SEMO two baserunners. The Redhawks make Molina pay after a three-run blast to left center claws SEMO back into the game. Molina follows up with another walk before allowing a double to right field. A Josh Cameron sac-fly tacks on another run for SEMO, and Dave Van Horn turned to RHP Will McEntire out of the bullpen, who retired the final batter via popup.
Bottom 3 (Arkansas) - Arkansas 8, SEMO 4
Aloy grounded out to short stop to start the latter half of the third, and Diggs hit a sharp liner straight to second base for two quick outs. Holt finished the seven-pitch frame with a fly out to center field.
Top 4 (SEMO) - Arkansas 8, SEMO 4
McEntire's second pitch of the fourth is hit right to Stovall at second for an out. McEntire draws a popup to shortstop and finishes off an impressive inning with a strike out swinging.
Bottom 4 (Arkansas) - Arkansas 8, SEMO 4
Wilmsmeyer reached first base via error and then advanced to second after a wild pitch to set up Stovall, who struck out swinging. White reached and poked one into shallow right field for the second out, and Sprague-Lott ended the inning on a groundout to second base.
Top 5 (SEMO) - Arkansas 8, SEMO 8
SEMO drew a full-count walk to start the fifth off McEntire, and the Redhawks quickly had something going after a single to left field. A swinging bunt went into nomansland in the infield to load the bases, and Mugan hit an RBI-fielder's choice to bring it within 8-5. With two runners on base, Josh Cameron tied the game with a three-run shot to right field. RHP Christian Foutch was called upon out of the bullpen, and he struck out his first batter of the game. He walked the next Redhawk, who stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Another Foutch walk gave SEMO runners on first and third, but a sweet play by Stovall got the Razorbacks out of the frame.
Bottom 5 (Arkansas) - Arkansas 10, SEMO 8
In need of some offensive momentum, McLaughlin grounded out to second base for a quick out. Helfrick failed to get anything going either, as he grounded out to third for out No. 2. With a 1-2-3 frame on the horizon, Aloy decided to flip the switch with a left-field bomb to give the Hogs a 9-8 lead. SEMO brought in LHP Logan Katen out of the pen in relief, who was touched for a left-field oppo-taco blast by Diggs. Holt hit a first-pitch single by the shortstop for another Razorback baserunner, and he made his way to third base after a blooper by Wilmsmeyer finds grass in center. Stovall loads the bases with a walk to bring White to the plate, who struck out swinging to end the threat.
Top 6 (SEMO) - Arkansas 10, SEMO 8
Right-handed freshman closer Gabe Gaeckle was called upon in the sixth, and he started his outing with a four-pitch walk. Gaecke fought back for a high-swinging strikeout but a single up the middle gave the Redhawks two baserunners. Both Redhawks moved up a base on a passed ball, but Gaeckle escaped the frame after a lineout to right field.
Bottom 6 (Arkansas) - Arkansas 10, SEMO 8
Sprague-Lott led off the bottom of the sixth with a full-count walk, and McLaughlin pushed him to third with a rocket to right field for a double. Ross Lovich came on to pinch hit for Helfrick, but the lefty swung and missed on a high heater. Aloy followed that up with a one-pitch popup to first base to set up Diggs. The Arkansas RF worked a beautiful at-bat and loaded the bases on a walk, but Holt struckout swinging to strand the Hogs on base.
Top 7 (SEMO) - Arkansas 10, SEMO 9
Will Edmunson replaced Holt in left field for an apparent cramp injury. Gaeckle drew a groundout from the first Redhawk before allowing a double down the left field line. That runner came around to score after another double. Gaeckle collects a strikeout on a pinch hitter for SEMO and gets ahead on the next batter before walking him in a full-count. Gaeckle retires the final batter on a foulout to first base.
Bottom 7 (Arkansas) - Arkansas 14, SEMO 9
Wilmsmeyer reached base thanks to an error, and Stovall backed him up with a smokeshow single through the right side to give the Hogs runners on first and third and no outs. SEMO turned to RHP Kyler Miller from the pen, and White hit a sac-fly to right field for another run. Sprague-Lott worked a walk to give Arkansas two baserunners, and McLaughlin blasted his second bomb of the game off the scoreboard in right for a 14-9 lead. Lovich stingled to first base but was caught stealing on a steal attempt to second, and Aloy grounded out to end the frame.
Top 8 (SEMO) - Arkansas 14, SEMO 9
Gaeckle began the eighth with a five-pitch walk, but responded with three straight strikeouts to halt any Redhawk momentum.
Bottom 8 (Arkansas) - Arkansas 17, SEMO 9
Bullpen lefty Alex Hayes attacked the Razorback lineup in the eighth, but failed to retire Arkansas' leadoff man as Diggs stroked a single into right field. Edmunson planted a picture-perfect bunt down the right field line to move Diggs over to second base. Wilmsmeyer smacked a left-field double to give the Hogs two runners in scoring position, but Stovall struckout on a low and away pitch for the second out of the frame. For the second time of the day, White crushed a three-run homer to left field to extend Arkansas' lead to 17-9.
Top 9 (SEMO) - Arkansas 17, SEMO 9
Righy flamethrower Jake Faherty relieved Gaeckle in the ninth, and he struck out his first batter in a full-count. Pinch-hitter Baldwin singled and advanced to second, but a fly out and a dandy play by Stovall ended the game for the Razorbacks.
Up next, the Razorbacks will face the winner of 2-seed Louisiana Tech and 3-seed Kansas State in the Fayetteville Regional on Saturday at Baum-Walker Stadium.
