Hogs rock Alabama
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Carson Shaddy’s opposite way single in the top of the ninth inning broke a 5-5 tie with Alabama Sunday afternoon at Sewell-Thomas Stadium, leading the 17th-ranked Arkansas baseball team to an 8-5 win over the Crimson Tide and its third-straight Southeastern Conference series win.
Shaddy, who had struggled at the plate all weekend, came into his ninth inning at-bat just 1-for-12 (.083) in the series. The Tide intentionally walked freshman Dominic Fletcher to load the bases before Shaddy came up, but the redshirt junior made them pay with his clutch hit to bring in what were the game winning runs.
Even with just one hit in the game, Shaddy still turned in a team-high three RBIs as he had a sacrifice fly to give Arkansas its first run of the game in the second inning.
With the win, Arkansas (22-6, 7-2 SEC) has won seven of its first nine conference games and clinched its
first three SEC series for the first time since 2009. Alabama drops its third conference series in a row, falling to 13-15 overall and 2-7 in SEC play.
Every Razorback starter recorded at least one hit in Sunday’s game, part of a 13 hit outburst. It’s the second game of the series that Arkansas recorded 10 or more hits in a game and 14th this season.
Junior Chad Spanberger came away with the big day at the plate as he went 4-for5 (.800), all singles, with two runs scored and two RBIs. The four hits for the Illinois native is a career-high and he is the third player with a fourhit game this year.
Fletcher was the only other multi-hit performer for the Hogs, as he went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and one run scored. It’s his fourth multi-RBI game this year, as he now has 16 runs batted in through 25 games.