Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Hogs recaptured momentum vs.Tech
FAYETTEVILLE — A Saturday column submitted Friday morning can’t recount the outcome of Friday night’s Arkansas opening of its 3-game SEC baseball series at South Carolina.
But it can amplify on the surprising momentum the Razorbacks took to Columbia, S.C., after losing SEC momentum for the first time this season.
Coach Dave Van Horn’s Razorbacks, 30-5, 12-3 leading the SEC West entering Friday night’s game, had won every SEC series, 2 of 3 at Auburn, and Baum-Walker Stadium 3-game sweeps over Missouri, reigning national champion LSU and Ole Miss, and led the entire SEC at 11-1.
Then the law of averages and Alabama caught up to Arkansas last weekend in Tuscaloosa, Ala. After hanging on 5-3 in the Friday game it led 5-0 behind starter Hagen Smith’s six shutout innings, the Hogs lost 4-3 in 10 innings Saturday and a lackluster 5-0 Sunday.
Seemed Van Horn’s Hogs, dropped nationally from No. 1 to No. 2, needed a midweek home patsy before traveling to 20th-ranked South Carolina, 26-11, 8-7 in the SEC East this weekend.
Instead the Hogs faced Tuesday and Wednesday home games with Big 12 power Texas Tech, 26-13.
Swell timing, huh? Actually “yes” Van Horn replied.
“I think it’s great that we’re playing a good team, a Power Five team, big name, lot of tradition,” Van Horn said. “I think it’s probably the best thing that could happen to us after losing two straight. We got to play good or we’ll get beat again. I think it’s good for this team. They need to play good.
It didn’t look so good Tuesday with the Red Raiders routing starter Ben Bybee with a 6-run second inning and adding another in the fourth to lead, 7-0.
It couldn’t have scripted to be better with Arkansas scoring six in the fifth after scoring one in the fourth to tie it, 7-7. Tech reemerged, 8-7 but Arkansas tied it 8-8 in the eighth. Gifted by Tech’s lone two errors, the Hogs won it, 9-8 on pinch-hitter Nolan Souza’s sacrifice fly, a collective bullpen effort by Gage Wood, Parker Coil, Will McEntire and winning pitcher Gabe Gaeckle and a timely 10-hit attack including Ben McLaughlin’s 3 for 4 with a home run and a double.
“Obviously that was a really good win for our team,” Van Horn said. “Especially the way it finished up in Tuscaloosa after not swinging the bats at all. And then getting down tonight like we did, 6-0.”
And to finish Wednesday with a 5-4 sweep another brilliantly patched collective bullpen effort…
“Today (Wednesday) was the day that we could have just said, ‘OK, we got ours yesterday,” Van Horn said. “Our guys showed up mentally and played super hard. I made the comment a couple days ago that I was glad we were playing a Power 5 school and a team that already has 26 wins.”