Hogs win series, look for sweep
STARKVILLE, Miss. — A home run derby broke out between two of the nation’s top teams Saturday at Dudy Noble Field.
No. 2 Arkansas launched four homers for the second game in a row, blasting its way past No. 4 Mississippi State 11-5. The Razorbacks (18-3, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) won the best-of-three series and will go for a sweep Sunday at 2 p.m.
Christian Franklin’s 3-run no-doubter in the top of the fifth put the Razorbacks on top 5-4 after trailing 4-1, and the Hogs stretched their lead to 8-5 in the sixth on home runs by Cullen Smith and Matt Goodheart.
It was a timely offensive outburst for the visitors after Zebulon Vermillion struggled on the mound. The Bulldogs tagged the senior right hander for 4 earned runs on seven hits in 3 1/3 innings the week after Vermillion held Alabama to one hit in eight innings.
Mississippi State (17-6, 2-2) grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first inning, returning the favor after Arkansas scored three in the opening frame Friday.
Bulldogs center fielder Rowdey Jordan lined Vermillion’s second pitch of the game into the right-field corner for a double and Tanner Allen followed him with a single up the middle to put the hosts on top 1-0.
Luke Hancock added another RBI single two batters later before Logan Tanner doubled off the wall along the left field line. Vermillion threw 50 pitches, struck out three and walked one.
The Razorbacks failed to answer in the first four frames — save for a third-inning Bulldogs error on a deep fly to center from Goodheart that brought Jalen Battles around to score from first base — before scoring four runs against starter Will Bednar in the fifth.
Bednar, who struck out 10, gave up a towering solo shot to Webb to pull the Razorbacks within 4-2, and Franklin’s three-run homer to left-center field to put Arkansas ahead 5-4.
The four runs were the first earned runs allowed this season by Bednar, who threw
16 scoreless innings to start the season. The Razorbacks attacked Mississippi State reliever Brandon Smith in the sixth with a leadoff home run the opposite way by Smith and a two-run homer by Goodheart to give Arkansas an 8-5 lead.
The Razorbacks loaded the bases with a single, a double and a walk to start the seventh before a 75-minute rain delay put a brief halt to their offensive outburst.
Once Mother Nature’s thunder dissipated, Arkansas was lightning quick to build on its lead.
Smith lined the second pitch he saw into deep right for a sacrifice fly, bringing Brady Slavens in to score. Battles then used his speed two pitches later to beat out a would-be 5-4-3 double play. That allowed Franklin to come home for his second run of the afternoon and make it a
10-5 Razorback lead.
The Hogs’ bullpen once again turned in a strong showing thanks to the trio of Caleb Bolden, Caden Monke and Kevin Kopps. They combined to shut the Bulldogs out over the game’s final 5 2/3 innings, scattering three hits as Kopps pitched the last four innings and struck out seven.
Saturday’s victory gave Arkansas its first series win in Starkville since 2012.