(Walt Beazley / Arkansas Communications)
Van Horn Gets Win No. 1,400 as Head Coach
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas Razorbacks used a sixth inning where they batted all the way around without giving up a single out to turn a tight game into a run-rule win, 12-2, in what is win No. 1,400 for Dave Van Horn as a head coach.
The victory makes 14 straight for the Hogs, who now travel to Baton Rouge where they will take on No. 1 LSU in a battle of Top 5 teams over the weekend.
Here's how it all went down.
Good afternoon and welcome to another day of Razorback baseball.
Today Arkansas hosts Southeast Missouri State following a wildly successful three-game sweep of Auburn. It's been a nasty day with cold wet winds blowing, making a brisk 48 degrees feel like 41 degrees at Baum-Walker.
The winds are puffing pretty hard today, which will mean a high effect on the game, as is the norm in March.
About SEMO...
The Redhawks are coming off a three-game sweep of Western Illinois and have won six of their last eight with additional series coming against Missouri State and Butler.
SEMO was an NCAA Tournament team last season, although their run only lasted two games.
The Redhawks hitting coach is former Arkansas Razorback Trevor Ezell.
Who's going to pitch?
The starting line-up
1st INNING (Top)
Bybee gets the batter swinging on the first pitch and he's off to a great start with an easy grounder over to Cali at third base.
The second SEMO hitter goes down swinging at a breaking pitch that simply bottomed out of the zone for a nasty strikeout. He looks really good up there today.
Bybee walks Resetich, but before the next hitter can get a good warm-up swing, Polk guns him down trying to steal second. That was a laser throw that was perfectly placed. Resetich had a good lead, but it didn't matter.
1st INNING (Bottom)
Van Horn has switched up the line-up today to give some guys who don't normally get a chance to play some playing experience. That's why Grimes will lead it off for the Hogs instead of Josenberger.
Grimes goes down on a high fast ball and there's one away. That brings up Wegner, who has just been tearing the cover off the ball.
Wegner hits a rocket to left that short hops the fence with tremendous force.
Cali follows by ripping a hard shot to opposite field in right and the Hogs now have runners at the corners as the Hogs are seeing the ball well.
Coll hits a grounder to the infield gap between short and third. The shortstop Peyton Leeper is able to track it down, flips to second to get Cali, but the Redhawks can't catch up to Coll. The hustle lets Wegner score and the Hogs are up 1-0.
Jones comes up and quickly ropes a hard liner up the middle to center and Arkansas has runners in scoring position again with Coll standing on second.
Robinett strikes out swinging, so we head to the second with the Hogs leading, 1-0.
ARKANSAS 1, SEMO 0
2nd INNING (Top)
Bybee gets Cameron swinging to begin the first with another strikeout. He has been getting better with each outing. He had a strong six innings the last time we saw him, but he wasn't as dominant as he looks on the mound today.
Bybee walks Nolan Ackerman, but starts Brett Graber 0-2. He blows a fastball just off the plate right by Graber who took a cut at it. That's two Ks this inning and three for the game. That's a 60% strikeout ratio right now.
Bybee gets out 1-2 on Leeper, but lets it get away and the pitching coach is headed to the mound to discuss mechanics. The talk works. Bybee gets Pulaski Academy's Caleb Rogers to ground out on a chopper that is cut off by a charging Cali for the throw to first.
MID-INNING BREAK:
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2nd INNING (Bottom)
The Hogs will face a new pitcher this inning. Esteban Hernandez takes the hill for SEMO. Hernandez gives off 1980s middle-aged pitcher vibes while rocking a solid mustache on the mound. Well manicured.
He has a powerful overhand fastball. He paints the corners with low 90s fastballs for a pair of strikes before getting Holt to ground out.
Hernandez then gets Polk to swing after a couple of pitches and it's a soft grounder right back at him that catches enough of his glove to keep from getting out to second or short, but not enough for a catch and Polk is on with a single.
Now here's a bad throw on the pick-off to first that goes over Polk's back as he dives back in. He's able to get back up and scoot in to second to give the Hogs a runner in scoring position.
Hernandez gets Neville to strike out looking after a tough battle at the plate, so there are now two outs.
Grimes pops up the second pitch he sees into foul territory over by first base. Doyle squeezes it and Hernandez is out of the inning without giving up a run.
ARKANSAS 1, SEMO 0
3rd INNING (Top)
Bybee dominates the third. He gets his fourth strikeout of the game to lead things off. then forces a grounder and an easy fly ball to left for his first perfect inning of the day. He looks in full control as he's in autopilot at this point.
MID-INNING BREAK:
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3rd INNING (Bottom)
Wegner is just behind on a fastball that was either going to be a home run or a strikeout as Hernandez wins that battle for a K to lead off the inning.
Cali grounds out on the first pitch he sees and Coll hits it solid on the barrel shortly afterward, but the line goes directly to Cameron out in left field.
Hogs go down in order as this one has settle down and is moving along at a brisk pace all of the sudden.
ARKANSAS 1, SEMO 0
4th INNING (Top)
Bybee gets Resetich to ground out on a full count to start the inning, but makes a mistake out over the plate against Cameron on a 1-2 pitch.
Cameron gets all of it as the line drive hits high off the Jones Family building in right and we're tied 1-1.
Despite giving up the home run, Bybee looks unphased. He strikes out Ackerman on the next at-bat and gets Graber to line out to left to end the inning without giving up the lead.
MID-INNING BREAK:
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4th INNING (Bottom)
After giving up that home run to tie it, it will be interesting to see how the Razorback hitters respond this inning. Hernandez has been bringing quality stuff from the mound for SEMO.
He strikes out Jones on three straight pitches, and there's a little reason to start worrying if you're Dave Van Horn.
Robinett gets the bat on one that doesn't look like much, but the wind carries it and carries it. It creeps over the fence in left and the Hogs have the lead once more.
Hernandez comes back strong to get Holt and Polk though to kill the rally, but not before Arkansas regains the lead heading into the fifth.
ARKANSAS 2, SEMO 1
5th INNING (Top)
Zack Morris comes in to replace Bybee. Last time he took the mound he got the job done, but made it look difficult in doing so. Lots of long at-bats as he was all over the place.
Well, the consistency still isn't there, but Morris starts things off with a strikeout of Leeper to begin the inning. Got him swinging on three pitches. That's one thing about Morris. Because he doesn't have a set place the ball is going to go, hitters swing at pitches they wouldn't normally cut at when facing other pitchers.
Rogers misses three pitches to go down swinging for the second out and Morris has the Redhawks really guessing.
Palmer reaches on a bunt to give SEMO a little life.
Controversy now at Baum-Walker. Aranda took a pitch in the dirt and took off for first as if he was hit by the pitch. We saw the umpire get fooled by a confident walk to first on a hit-by-pitch that wasn't called against Auburn over the weekend and it looks like it will happen again. That ball hit the dirt and never touched Aranda.
Nevertheless, Morris works with a pair of runners on now.
Doyle walks on five pitches and the bases are loaded. It looks like Van Horn is willing to see if Morris can dig his way out.
Resetich hammers one that is slicing hard to center. If this gets down the Redhawks will plate three. Neville is on his horse. What a catch. He fought the wind on a dead sprint as that ball just kept carrying away from him, but he was able to get to it just in time to save Morris.
MID-INNING BREAK:
5th INNING (Bottom)
Hernandez still has the Hogs' number as momentum has swung in favor of the Redhawks. He puts Neville on the bench in a single pitch, strikes out Grimes and then goes after Wegner with no fear as he gets the power hitter to pop out on a full count.
ARKANSAS 2, SEMO 1
6th INNING (Top)
Morris gets Cameron swinging to bring a little more stable feel to the bottom of the inning with a quick out.
Ackerman turns hard on one and it's a screamer down the third base side. Cali makes a huge play. He lays out on the dive, knocks it down and fires a perfect throw to first in time to save Morris from what might have been a double.
Cali looks like he hurt his hand on the play, but it looks like he's going to fight through it instead of giving up valuable playing time.
Graber hits a full count pitch for a hard liner to right field, but Grimes runs it down in the outfield gap while sprinting to his right.
Morris gives up a pair of hard contact balls, but the defense bails him out. That's the difference between elite teams and good teams.
6th INNING (Bottom)
Cali will lead it off and we will get a chance to see how much that hand is bothering him.
Really hard swing as he turns on one that goes foul along the left side and he seems OK as far as the hand goes.
Cali drives one into the ground just out front of the plate that bounces way over third to the edge of the grass. Palmer was playing deep, so he's got the ball, but he's unable to make the long throw in time.
Cali is in with a single to start off the bottom of the sixth.
Coll paints the third base line as he hops it over the bag and into the left field corner. The third base coach is signaling for Cali to keep going even if there's a throw. The ball gets stuck in the corner and is bobbled before the throw is made.
Cali decides to stay at third and his base coach is beside himself. The hogs could have extended the lead if the two had been on the same page.
Jones bloops a single off the end of the bat into centerfield that will bring in Cali. And the ball got by the centerfielder. Graber didn't get his glove down Coll is going to score too. It's 4-2 Arkansas.
The Redhawks are reeling now. Whatever momentum they had from the pitching of Hernandez is long gone.
That will bring up Robinett who put one over the wall last time he came to the plate. He's got a well-hit single that is going to get down in center. That will move Jones to third and the Razorbacks have runners at the corners with no one out, looking to put this one out of reach.
SEMO will head to the bullpen for the fifth pitcher of the day. That puts Holt at the plate looking to either load the bases or drive a few runs in.
He fouls one off on the left side to run the count to full as he twisted himself up. Holt watches ball four come in just barely below the strike zone and bases are loaded.
Finally the Hog fans get to break out their beer hats to keep their heads warm on this cold Tuesday afternoon.
That brings up Polk and he barely tips a pitch to avoid striking out on a 1-2 pitch.
That turns out to be huge. The next pitch sails to the backstop and Jones beats the throw as he slides in under the play to put the Hogs up 5-1 with no outs.
Polk fouls off three more as he battles back to draw the walk to load the bases again in a nine-pitch at-bat. That's now six consecutive Razorbacks who have reached base this inning.
Neville draws a walk to bring in Robinett and the Redhawks will call on their fourth pitcher of the inning.
Grimes with a soft liner to left that will get down to bring in Holt and the runs keep coming. How now up 7-1.
Wegner hits a single to left to bring in Polk and the Razorbacks have now batted all the way around without giving up an out. What was a 2-1 game to start the inning is now 9-1 as two more come in.
Finally, SEMO gets an out as Cali goes down swinging for the first out of the inning.
But that doesn't become a trend. Coll perfectly mirrors his double from earlier this inning only this time the runners are paying attention to their third base coach. Two runs score to make it 11-1 and we're now in run-rule territory here at Baum-Walker.
Jones reaches on an error from a wild throw by the third baseman and another run will score as everyone advances except for Wegner. He's gunned down at second.
The Hogs have a dozen and don't look to be slowing down. This one could get ugly quick, although fans might want to see this inning come to an end so Arkansas can wrap this up in the top half of the 7th.
Robinett strikes out on three straight and the Hogs will move to the 7th with a chance to bring this affair to an end.
ARKANSAS 12, SEMO 1
7th INNING (Top)
Morris is quick to get the first out as he sets down Leeper on three pitches.
Rodgers singles through the left side to get SEMO started. Then Sperling lines a single to center that gets down. That brings the extending run to the plate.
Aranda hits a grounder to third that Cali whips over to second for the out. The throw is slow coming from second to first and we're going to have to wait to see if this game is over.
Rodgers scored on the play to make it 12-2, so the Hogs can't afford to give up another run. The umpire has come back from the review area and it looks like we're going to get more baseball.
Doyle comes up with a chance to keep this game going on a 2-out rally.
Morris gets out in front 0-2 before giving up a pair of balls. However, he drops a crazy hook over the plate and Doyle is turned into a pretzel on the swing.
It's all over here in Fayetteville as the Hogs pick up consecutive win No. 14 while sending Dave Van Horn into a showdown with No. 1 LSU with his 1,400th win as a head coach.
Final Box Score
