Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Hogs squeak by Warhawks in 10
ARKANSAS 10, LOUISIANA-MONROE 9 (10)
FAYETTEVILLE — The No. 8 Arkansas Razorbacks overcame a series of defensive failures to rally for a 10-9 victory in 10 innings over Louisiana-Monroe on Tuesday night.
Casey Martin raced home with the winning run on Jordan McFarland’s bases-loaded grounder to shortstop against a drawn-in infield with no outs as Joey Jordan’s throw home went wide of the plate for an error. Heston Kjerstad’s single tied the game moments earlier, scoring Eric Cole, who had led off the inning against ace closer Keegan Curtis (2-1) with an infield single.
Martin hit a come-backer to the pitcher, but second baseman Pierce Khan was ruled not to have touched second base on an attempted force out. After Kjerstad’s single to left, Curtis hit Dominic Fletcher with a pitch to load the bases.
The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville (20-9) committed four errors, its most in
a game since 2016, and had several other lapses and unmade plays on a chilly, windy evening before a crowd of 1,689 at Baum Stadium.
Louisiana-Monroe (15-13), which had three home runs among its seven hits, tied the game with a four-run ninth inning that featured sloppy defense by the Hogs, then took the lead on Johnny DeLaCruz’s perfectly placed squeeze bunt in the 10th inning.
Evan Lee (2-2) picked up the victory and had two hits, including a three-run home run in the sixth inning that gave Arkansas a 6-4 lead.
The Razorbacks errors that led to two unearned runs, and had other defensive lapses, including a mini-meltdown in the Warhawks’ big ninth inning off Kole Ramage.
Lee’s three-run home run against hard-throwing righthander Cole Gray, his second, put the Razorbacks ahead 6-4 in the sixth in support of Jake Reindl, who had struggled in his last few outings. Reindl allowed three hits and no walks or runs and threw 34 strikes among his 47 pitches in three innings.
Barrett Loseke struck out five in two scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth to run his strikeout total to 21 in 141/3 innings.
The Razorbacks took an 8-4 lead into the ninth and Kole Ramage got one out before things went haywire. Ramage struck out Johnny DeLaCruz, but the pitch skipped to the backstop, allowing the runner to reach first base. Turner Francis drew a walk, then pinch-hitter Will Daniels laced a line drive to left field that nicked off Heston Kjerstad’s glove for a run-scoring error. A wild pitch moved both runners up, then Peyton Lacoste smacked a tying three-run homer over the left field wall.
Arkansas starter Jackson Rutledge gave up his first earned run in the Warhawks’ three-run second inning, but the damage included defensive lapses.
Rutledge walked Peyton Lacoste to open the inning, then third baseman Casey Martin booted a sacrifice bunt from Evian Benjamin. Rutledge struck out Pierce Khan, who was trying to bunt with two strikes, on a 96 mph fastball.
Both runners broke with Braedon Barrett at the plate and catcher Casey Opitz had a clear shot at Lacoste at third base, but his throw bounced and took Martin off the bag. Moments later, Barrett sent a shot to right field that caught the wind and sailed over the wall for a 3-0 lead.
The Razorbacks got right back into contention in the bottom of the second as Luke Bonfield led off with a double down the third-base line against Stephen Morrison and Jared Gates plated him with a single to right center field. Morrison hit Carson Shaddy with a pitch, then Gates swiped third base with the pitcher holding the ball as third baseman Peyton Lacoste was playing well up to defend against a bunt. Catcher Casey Opitz followed with a sacrifice fly to bring Gates home.
The Warhawks expanded their lead to 4-2 in the third when clean-up hitter Chad Bell hit an opposite-field home run just inside the leftfield foul pole off Rutledge, who allowed 2 hits, 2 walks and 3 earned runs in 3 innings.
Arkansas got a gift run in the fifth after Lacoste dropped Eric Cole’s pop-up to open the inning. Casey Martin followed with a walk and Heston Kjerstad moved Cole to third on a fielder’s choice. Bonfield’s ground ball to shortstop scored Cole to make it 4-3.
ULM missed on a chance to blow things open in the top of the sixth after loading the bases with one out on singles by Bell, Benjamin and Pierce Khan. However, Reindl rallied to strike out Barrett looking and induced a ground out from pinch hitter Cade Harper to leave the bases full.
Arkansas jumped on reliever Cole Gray in the sixth to take the lead. After Shaddy was hit by a pitch, Opitz grounded into a force out, then nine-hole hitter Jack Kenley drew a walk. Lee met Gray’s first offering with a mighty swing and a laser-like home run into the Warhawks bullpen beyond the right-field fence to put the Hogs on top.