HawgBeat - Diamond Hogs drop series to Vandy, win share of SEC title
The Razorbacks fell 7-6 to the Commodores on Saturday but still left Hawkins Field as SEC co-champions.
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The month of May treated the Diamond Hogs better than most other college baseball teams until Friday’s collapse in the eighth inning.
No. 12 Vanderbilt’s come-from-behind victory in the middle game led to another Saturday afternoon, denying No. 2 Arkansas the series victory and the outright Southeastern Conference championship.
Despite the 7-6 defeat, the Razorbacks clinched the SEC Western Division crown and a share of the conference title by virtue of No. 5 LSU’s loss at Georgia. It is their second in three years and the third under head coach Dave Van Horn.
"Just really excited to be SEC champs," Van Horn said. "It’s so hard to do."
The scoring began the same way it did Thursday evening — courtesy of a Vanderbilt defensive miscue. With two on and one out in the second inning, Arkansas second baseman Peyton Holt hit a tailor-made 6-4-3 double play ball, but Jonathan Vastine threw it into right field, allowing the first run to score.
Making a start at shortstop in place of John Bolton, who sprained his ankle Friday night in a collision with Holt, Harold Coll made his mark on the game with a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
Even after a scoreless bottom of the first for Razorback starter Hunter Hollan, the writing was on the wall that it was not his day. There were three hard-hit balls, the third of which center fielder Tavian Josenberger hauled in on the run to begin an 8-4-3 double play.
A quick first out in the bottom of the second gave way to three consecutive hits, including another three-run bomb off the bat of designated hitter Troy LaNeve, who hit the eventual game-winning shot Friday.
The Hogs had no answers for Commodore starter Ryan Ginther after the two unearned runs in the second, leaving three men aboard in the third and fourth innings. Likewise, Hollan was ineffective once again in the third, allowing a fourth run and an eighth hit, prompting a change to Will McEntire.
"(Hollan) made good pitches and they just found holes," Van Horn said. "You’re kind of going, ‘Wow.’ He was a little frustrated with it. And he pitched out of a jam or two. So this will give him an opportunity to rest a little bit."
That move seemed to change the Hogs’ fortune, as the right-hander recorded four outs against the first four batters he faced. When Vanderbilt went away from Ginther to start the fifth, the Razorback bats followed suit.
It was around then that the Tigers officially fell to 19-10, clinching the division championship and a share of the league's best record for the Hogs. Right fielder and team captain Jace Bohrofen said after the game that he was unaware they had won those titles before the game ended.
"(Van Horn) was just saying, 'Look, it sucks we just lost, but I want to congratulate y'all on being SEC West champions and co-champions overall,' Bohrofen said, "so it was kind of a weird way to put it, and it feels weird because we lost, but overall, we're still champions."
Josenberger led off against right-hander Thomas Schultz with his first hit to land in the outfield since returning from his hamstring strain last weekend. After swiping second, he scored the third Arkansas run on designated hitter Kendall Diggs’ RBI single.
Left fielder Jared Wegner collected his first knock since returning from injury as well. He barely missed a homer, settling instead for a double. Third baseman Caleb Cali, first baseman Brady Slavens continued their big weekends at the plate, driving in a run apiece to tie, take and double the lead with two outs in the fifth.
"That was really good to see those two-out base hits, stolen bases," Van Horn said. "It was good baseball right there."
Things took a turn for the worse when McEntire departed after seven outs against eight hitters. Lefty Parker Coil inherited a 6-4 lead to start the sixth, but it disappeared with three straight hits.
"I think if we would have known that LSU would have beat Georgia, we definitely would have pitched differently going into that sixth inning," Van Horn said.
Fellow freshman Gage Wood got another shot after the disastrous eighth inning the night before. The right-hander got out of the frame without giving up a hit, but he was called for the second balk with a runner on third, and the Commodores took a 7-6 lead.
Right-hander Cody Adcock gave the Hogs a chance to get back in it with two scoreless innings, but the bats could not push the tying run across, despite a chance to do so with two on and nobody out in the eighth.
Arkansas finished the regular season with a 20-10 SEC record, marking the third time in four full years it has achieved at least that number of wins.
"It’s amazing to be able to say you’re an SEC champ," McEntire said. "We fought hard all season long, but I think it’s kind of a good thing. I think this might leave a salty taste in our mouth and have us coming out fired up for the postseason."
Next up for the Razorbacks is the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama, where they are scheduled to begin double-elimination play as the No. 2 seed on Wednesday. They will learn their NCAA Tournament draw during the May 29 selection show.
"I think we don't really realize what we've done right now with this loss being so present on our mind, but we'll definitely take time to enjoy it, for sure," Bohrofen said.
