Pregame
The wind is out of the south, but it's hardly bringing any warmth to Baum Stadium on Sunday afternoon as Arkansas goes for the sweep against Bryant. It's 48 degrees just ahead of the first pitch. Carson Shaddy is back at second base a day after playing both third and catcher. Kevin Kopps gets the Sunday start for Hogs for the second straight week. He's 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA. Bryant will throw Ross Reiner, a righthander with no record. He started last week at New Mexico State but didn't figure in the decision. He gave up five hits and three runs, walking one.
Scoreless, after one
Both pitchers faced the minimum through one inning. Arkansas' Luke Bonfield gave it a ride to deep left center for the final out of the inning. The center fielder caught the towering fly one step in front of the warning track.
Arkansas 1, Bryant 1, after two
Bryant shortstop Jimmy Titus cracked a solo home run to left in the top of the second inning to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead. It was his first official homer of the season. He did hit one out at New Mexico State, but was called out after sprinting past a runner at first waiting to see if the ball was caught.
In the Arkansas second, Grant Koch and Dominic Fletcher opened the inning with singles. Carson Shaddy and Chad Spanberger reached on fielder's choice ground outs. The bases were full after Jax Biggers was hit by a pitch. Hunter Wilson reached on an infield single when no one covered first base on a grounder to second, scoring Fletcher. Spanberger, who was on second, rounded third on the play and was caught in a rundown for the final out.
Bryant 2, Arkansas 1, after 3 innings
Bryant took a 2-1 lead in the third. Kopps hit James Ciliento with a pitch, then lead-off man Cole Fabio executed a hit-and-run single through the hole at shortstop with Ciliento motoring to third. Nick Angelini walked to load the bases.
Kopps got Ryan Ward on a called third strike for the first out of the inning. Mickey Gasper singled sharply to right field to score Ciliento, but Jake Arledge through a strike to the plate where Koch tagged out Fabio, out by five feet. Tyler Panno popped to right to end the inning.
The Hogs got a two-out infield single by Luke Bonfield. He hit a shot off the chest of the third baseman. It bounced to the shortstop, who threw high at first. Koch lined a single to left, tipped by a lunging third baseman. Dominic Fletcher hit a soft liner to center for the third out.
Bryant 2, Arkansas 1, after 4 innings
Releiver Barrett Loeske put out a fire to hold the Bulldogs scoreless in the fourth, striking out two with the bases loaded. Kopps retired the leadoff batter in the fourth, a grounder to Biggers at shortstop. Chris Wright singled to right, then Jacob Marotta put down a sacrifice bunt near the third base line. Kopps got to the ball in time, but threw high at first, pulling Spanberger off the bag for an error. Dave Van Horn went to the bullpen with Barrett Loeske to pitch. Ciliento walked to load the bases, but then Loeske began to throw strikes. Fabio struckout swinging for the second out. Angelini was called out on a hard breaker after fouling off two 1-2 pitches.
The Hogs went down in order in the fourth. Shaddy and Biggers popped out, Spanberger went down swinging.
Bryant 2, Arkansas 1, after 5 innings
Bryant went down in order in the fifth, all on ground outs. Biggers handled the last two at shortstop after Shaddy made a clean play on a smash to second.
For the Hogs, Arledge reached on a one-out walk. He moved to second on a wild pickoff throw by the pitcher. Evan Lee lifted a deep fly to center for the second out, with Arledge moving to third. Bonfield scorched one that somehow found the pitcher's glove near his waist band for the final out.
Arkansas 6, Bryant 5, after 6 innings
In the Bryant sixth, Titus led off with a line single to left. Chris Wright followed with a two-run homer. He lined a 3-2 pitch into the Bryant bullpen. Loeske gave up a walk and two more singles before Dominic Tacolini relieved. The Hogs saved a run when Arledge gunned down Ciliento at third after Fabio's single. Ward's single off of Tacolini plated Fabio.
Arkansas took the lead with five in the sixth, the big blow a two-run homer by Arledge. Koch led off with an infield single, when the shortstop couldn't make a clean scoop on a dive in the hole to his left. That ended the day for Bryant starter Ross Weiner. Lefty freshman reliever Vito Morgese got Dominic Fletcher on a pop up to shortstop. Shaddy lined a single to left. Jordan McFarland hit for Spanberger, cranking a foul ball with home run distance on the second pitch. He reached on a fielder's choice grounder to first, with Koch moving to third. Biggers hit a grounder to the left of second baseman Fabio who threw wildly to first for an error with Koch scoring. McFarland and Biggers both moved up a base. Both scored when pinch-hitter when Jaxon Williams stroked a liner into right. Arledge followed with a line drive into the Hog Pen in left to give the Hogs a 6-5 lead.
Arkansas 11, Bryant 6, after 7 innings
Taccolini walked Pano to leadoff the seventh. Titus singled to left. Wright was out on a sacrifice bunt, with the runners moving into scoring position. Pano scored on Marotta's ground-out to shortstop. Shaddy, moved to third, ended the inning with a nice play on a soft bouncer. He had to charge and go far to his left to throw out Ciliento.
The Hogs took advantage of three errors to score five on one hit in the seventh. Koch singled to lead off the seventh. Bryant designated hitter Chris Wright relieved Morgese. Fletcher and Shaddy walked to load the bases. Nathan Wrighter relieved and McFarland tapped to the shortstop, scoring Koch for the lead run. Williams lined to deep center for a sacrifice, scoring Fletcher. Arledge bounced to the shortstop. Titus was trying to toss to second for a force, but it squirted out of his hand short of the bag for an error with Shady scoring. Titus booted a bouncer by Lee to score Biggers. Titus booted another bouncer allowing Bonfield to reach for the third error of the inning. Arledge scored on a wild pitch.
Arkansas 16, Bryant 6 (final)
Arkansas freshman Evan Lee relieved to get the final three outs of the game in the top of the ninth.