HawgBeat - Diamond Hogs run-rule Mississippi State, win series
Arkansas simply overmatched the Bulldogs, clinching the series Saturday with a 14-2 decision in seven innings.
arkansas.rivals.com
STARKVILLE, Miss. — It was another proficient all-around night for the Arkansas Razorbacks.
They scored in more innings than those in which they did not, and the once-stingy Mississippi State Bulldogs simply did not have the means to come close to clawing back into the game. The hosts attempted to stave off a run-rule defeat with a pair of runs in the sixth, but the Hogs’ five-spot in the seventh left them down to their final three outs.
Will McEntire finished off a 15-out save, putting a bow on the 14-2 Arkansas victory, the fifth straight against SEC opponents.
The Razorback righty’s first save of the campaign came on the heels of Brady Tygart’s second start since returning from a UCL sprain, which began with a 12-pitch first inning, featuring a walk and a double play to face the minimum three batters.
"Tygart came out and threw the ball really well for a couple innings," Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said, "then Will came in and really did well the first couple innings. Then they started figuring it out a little bit. He got out of a jam or two. It was just a good night for us."
More than 20 minutes elapsed before he took the mound in the second, as Mississippi State essentially gifted the Razorbacks four runs in the top of the frame.
Arkansas loaded the bases without a hit, bringing right fielder Kendall Diggs to the plate with two outs. The sophomore collected his second hit of the game, a two-run single to open the scoring.
Bulldog starter Landon Gartman’s third walk of the inning loaded the bases again, and designated hitter Ben McLaughlin deposited a bloop shot just under the glove of the sliding Colton Ledbetter in center field for a 4-0 lead.
The lengthy frame appeared not to affect Tygart, who retired another three batters on just eight pitches.
"That’s exactly what you want as a pitcher," Tygart said. "Coach (Matt) Hobbs preaches when we have a big inning, pitchers have got to answer. We’ve got to go right back out there and give them a quick inning, keep the momentum on our side. That’s all I was thinking about after the first."
The quick work allowed him to stay well under his pitch count, but another parade around the bases from his offense gave the coaching staff the confidence to turn things over to right-hander Will McEntire.
Left fielder Mason Neville led off the third inning with an opposite-field double, mere feet away from his first collegiate home run. It only took three more pitches for him to finish the trip home, as second baseman Peyton Holt singled to center and padded the lead to 5-0.
"Everybody chipped in up and down the lineup," Van Horn said. "It was a really good effort up and down the lineup, all nine guys."
Mississippi State reliever Evan Siary, who had to record the final out of the second inning, issued the staff’s fifth walk of the young game, prompting another pitching change. Righty Colby Holcombe did his job, recording one out on a sacrifice bunt and inducing a pair of fly balls, but one went off Ledbetter’s glove on the warning track.
Rather than settling for a sacrifice fly, Diggs checked in to third base on the error, and two more Razorbacks came home for a 7-0 advantage.
"We'll take what they give us," Holt said. "It's not easy getting runs in this league, especially on the road, so them giving us a few runs with that is definitely helpful."
McEntire picked up right where Tygart left off, getting back into the dugout after a perfect inning and waiting patiently to return to the bump.
"I think it honestly helps me," McEntire said. "It kind of lets me reset, catch my breath and go out there again with a clean inning."
Arkansas took advantage of another error in the outfield, and Holt collected his second RBI of the evening, stretching the gap to 8-0.
It took the Bulldogs until the fifth inning for someone other than Ledbetter to record a hit in the series. Catcher Luke Hancock and third baseman Slate Alford singled consecutively with two away, but McEntire induced a weak grounder to keep the shutout intact.
The margin grew to nine runs with a leadoff homer in the sixth. First baseman Brady Slavens lined Holcombe’s 3-1 offering 103 mph over the left field fence for his second dinger in as many days.
Mississippi State left fielder Dakota Jordan returned the favor in the home half of the inning, destroying the first McEntire pitch he saw for a two-run bomb to center field.
"Other than that, he made some good pitches," Van Horn said. "Even the last out of the game, the hitter did a really good job of going down and hitting about a seven, eight, 10 inches off the ground changeup, kind of buggy-whipped it with one arm. It was a great pitch. Really happy for him bouncing back. After Georgia, he's had two really good outings."
Diggs, who hit two fly balls to the warning track his last two times up, finally cleared the fence and extended the lead back to nine runs in the seventh. He drove in himself and shortstop John Bolton, who reached on his fourth base on balls of the series, bringing his RBI count to five and the score to 11-2.
"Just missed one the at-bat before, and then that last at-bat, I think he spun me three or four in a row," Diggs said. "I took a terrible swing at the first one, spit on one and then he ended up hanging that last one."
With two on and two out for Caleb Cali, the Razorback third baseman saw six pitches from left-hander Tyler Davis, the last three of which he fouled away. He did not miss the seventh, squaring it up for a three-run blast, putting the Bulldogs in immediate danger of being run-ruled.
McEntire allowed a pair of one-out baserunners in the seventh, but two lineouts brought the game to its end for Arkansas’ second straight series win.
"I was gassed that last inning," McEntire said. "I was reaching deep down in the barrel that last out."
The two teams will meet again at 1 p.m. Sunday at Dudy Noble Field, where the Razorbacks could improve to 6-0 over the last two trips. Lefty Hunter Hollan is expected to start for Arkansas, opposite Mississippi State switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje. The game will stream on SEC Network Plus.
"Going for an SEC road sweep is always a big deal," McEntire said, "and when you have a loaded bullpen with all the guys we have left, it's huge."
