Fletcher’s near cycle powers Hogs past Memphis, 16-7
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas tied a season-high in runs scored and became the first Southeastern Conference baseball team to reach 30 wins in overpowering Memphis 16-7 Tuesday night at Baum Stadium.
Arkansas (30-8) sought its 11th consecutive midweek victory in Wednesday’s rematch with Memphis at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock. The Razorbacks have a weekend series at Auburn with games at 6 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday.
Arkansas freshman Dominic Fletcher nearly hit for the cycle with a single, double and triple in his first three at-bats. He lacked the home run for the first cycle by a Razorback since Kyle Harris in 1994 against Tennessee.
Fletcher set season highs of four RBI and three runs scored. His bases-loaded triple in the third made it 7-3. “Any time you’re in the box with runners in scoring position, you’re just trying to get the job done for the team,” Fletcher said, “and I happened to be lucky enough to get those two hits tonight.”
Jax Biggers had three hits, his fifth straight multi-hat game, with two runs scored and two RBI. Chad Spanberger had two hits and drove in four Arkansas runs, Jake Arledge scoring three times.
On the mound, freshman Matt Cronin earned his second victory after throwing 1
1/3 scoreless innings at the end of the fifth and through the sixth. Arkansas went up
11-7 with four runs on six hits in the fifth and added five runs in the sixth on just three hits.
Tyler Webb and Nick Bowman homered for Memphis (21-16), which scored three in the first inning and tied the game with four runs in the fifth.