FAYETTEVILLE — The third-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks (11-1, 0-0 SEC) wrapped up a 14-1 run-rule win in seven innings against the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (5-6, 0-0 Sun Belt) on Wednesday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium.
It took two days to finish the contest, as the teams played up until the bottom of the seventh inning Tuesday before a weather delay led to unplayable field conditions and a postponement of the game. Designated hitter Kuhio Aloy walked it off with a grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning five minutes after play resumed Wednesday afternoon.
Sophomore left-hander Colin Fisher pitched three dominant, scoreless innings with six strikeouts and one walk in the start. After plating one run per frame in each of the first three innings, the Razorbacks scored six runs on five hits — including home runs from catcher Ryder Helfrick and third baseman Brent Iredale — in a massive bottom of the fourth inning.
Kuhio Aloy led the Hogs with six runs batted in on the afternoon, while shortstop Wehiwa Aloy had a three-hit day, Iredale drove in three runs and first baseman Cam Kozeal had a solo homer of his own and two RBI. Arkansas had 15 hits, eight of which came with runners in scoring position. The Diamond Hogs were a perfect 6-for-6 in getting the leadoff man aboard.
Fisher's second pitch of the game was hit back to him for a single, but he erased the runner by retiring the next three in a row, two of which went down on strikes. The Razorbacks loaded the bases before recording an out in the bottom of the first inning, but a 105 mile per hour RBI sacrifice lineout to left field from Iredale was all they had to show for it.
After Fisher earned two more punchouts and worked around a two-out walk in the top of the second inning, first baseman Cam Kozeal hit a 401-foot opposite field solo home run to the Hog Pen in left field to leadoff the bottom half. Kozeal's big swing, which was his first at Arkansas, made it a 2-0 game after two innings.
The first perfect frame of the game occurred in the top of the third, when Fisher went 1-2-3 and added two more strikeouts to his name. Arkansas kept the trend of one-run frames going in the bottom half after Wehiwa Aloy hit a leadoff double and his younger brother, Kuhio Aloy, drove him in with an RBI single for the only scoring in the third inning.
Sixth-year right-hander Dylan Carter relieved Fisher and faced the minimum on just 12 pitches in a scoreless top of the fourth inning. With ULM reliever Zach Shaw on the mound, Helfrick tallied the team's second leadoff homer in the bottom half with a 380-foot solo shot to left field that made the lead 4-0.
The floodgates opened for the Arkansas offense after Helfrick's homer. Nolan Souza doubled, Wehiwa Aloy singled, a run scored on a balk, Kuhio Aloy had an RBI knock and Iredale hit a 427-foot two-run homer to left field to make it a 9-0 lead for the Razorbacks.
Carter worked around a leadoff walk in the top of the fifth inning, and the Warhawks managed to do the same in the bottom half after Helfrick drew a leadoff base on balls.
Oregon State transfer righty Aiden Jimenez gave up a back-to-back singles to leadoff the top of the sixth, but he immediately erased them via a 6-4 lineout double play and a three-pitch strikeout.
Kozeal tallied another RBI knock in the bottom of the sixth with two outs to make it a 10-0 lead and put the run rule in effect with just three more outs needed for the Hogs. Freshman left-hander Cole Gibler was down to one strike left in the top of the seventh before giving up a two-out RBI double to require another inning and spoil the shutout.
Arkansas quickly put two runners in scoring position in the bottom of the seventh just for the game to go into a weather delay (at roughly 5:14 p.m. CT) with one run needed for the run-rule.
Play resumed at 2 p.m. CT Wednesday and an intentional walk to Logan Maxwell loaded the bases with one out for Kuhio Aloy, who drove a grand slam to left field to walk it off in run rule fashion.
Up next, Game 2 will begin shortly after the first game concludes. The game will be streamed on SEC Network+.
