Hogs take series from Aggies in 1 day

Arkansas first baseman Brady Slavens (17) is congratulated at the plate Saturday, April 17, 2021, by right fielder Cayden Wallace (7) and center fielder Christian Franklin after hitting a two-run home run scoring Wallace during the inning of the Razorbacks’ 13-0 win over Texas A&M at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville. Visit nwaonline.com/210418Daily/ for the photo gallery.

FAYETTEVILLE — The last time the University of Arkansas baseball team swept a doubleheader from Texas A&M had been 1987 in College Station, Texas, back in the teams’ Southwest Conference days.

Razorbacks Coach Dave Van Horn was in the dugout back then, too, as a graduate assistant coach for Norm DeBriyn.

Van Horn and the No. 1 Razorbacks swept the Aggies again Saturday, winning the opener 13-0 and the nightcap 2-1 in 10 innings at Baum-Walker Stadium.

“When you’re winning games, a lot of times you just find ways to win,” Van Horn said. “We’ve done that throughout the season.

Today's game

No. 1 Arkansas vs. Texas A&M

WHEN 2 p.m.

WHERE Baum-Walker Stadium, Fayetteville

RECORDS Texas A&M 20-17, 3-11; Arkansas 30-5, 11-3

STARTING PITCHERS Texas A&M: RHP Nathan Dettmer (3-1, 2.43 ERA); Arkansas: LHP Lael Lockhart (1-1, 4.25 ERA)

TV SEC Network-Plus

RADIO Razorback Sports Network

SHORT HOPS Arkansas’ sweep on Saturday clinched the Razorbacks’ fifth SEC series victory. They haven’t lost a series yet. … Matt Goodheart and Brady Slavens each have 10 home runs to lead the Razorbacks. Goodheart hit one home run in each of Saturday’s games, while Slavens homered in the opener. … Arkansas’ pitchers combined for 26 strikeouts with five walks in the doubleheader. … The Razorbacks’ 13-0 victory in the opener matched their most-lopsided victory ever over the Aggies along with a 19-6 victory in 1981 in College Station, Texas. … Texas A&M has lost seven consecutive SEC games.

“We’ve played 35 games already and we’ve won a bunch of games different ways. Tonight, we won on an error, but we put some pressure on them.”

Arkansas (30-5, 11-3 SEC) took the nightcap when Robert Moore scored the winning run on a throwing error by second baseman Ty Coleman while he was trying to complete a double play on a ground ball by Cayden Wallace.

Moore and Matt Goodheart started the rally with singles off Chandler Jozwiak to put runners on first and second base.

“They knew how fast [Wallace] was [going down the first-base line],” Van Horn said. “When he gets out of the box and he’s underway, he can go.

“Obviously he got out front a little bit on that ground ball to short, so his momentum was already taking him toward first base and he was flying. I think the second baseman knew that he had to hurry.”

Brett Minnich led off the seventh inning with a home run on an 0-2 pitch from Arkansas closer Kevin Kopps, who had just entered the game for starter Peyton Pallette, to tie the score 1-1.

The Aggies had gone 15 innings without scoring Saturday before Minnich hit his first home run of the season.

“It was a mistake,” Van Horn said of Kopps’ 0-2 pitch. “The ball was supposed to be down, but he left it up and [Minnich] put a good swing on it and drove it out of the park.

“But Kevin being a veteran, he handled it. He didn’t let it rattle him too much. He got us back in the dugout tied up and kept getting through it.”

The Aggies got the go-ahead run to third base in the ninth, but Kopps (5-0) left pinch runner Jordan Thompson stranded when Logan Britt flew out. Kopps then retired Texas A&M in order in the 10th inning.

“Kevin didn’t have his best stuff,” Van Horn said. “That’s just the way it works. But he had just enough.”

Goodheart, who went 4 for 8 in the doubleheader, hit his second home run of the day to give Arkansas a 1-0 lead in the first inning of the nightcap against Aggies starter Bryce Miller.

It was the only run Miller allowed in six innings. He had 10 strikeouts, 1 walk and allowed 2 hits.

Pallette was even better, pitching six shutout innings. He held the Aggies to 3 hits without a walk and had 7 strikeouts.

“Pallette’s start was really good,” Van Horn said. “It was an efficient six innings. Pallette gave us an opportunity. Him and Miller were going at it pitch for pitch.”

The Razorbacks’ last doubleheader sweep of the Aggies had been on March 21, 1987, when Arkansas won 8-2 and 7-3.

In Saturday’s opener, the Razorbacks got their first home shutout victory over Texas A&M since 1988 — when they won 5-0 at George Cole Field — and had 13 hits with home runs from Goodheart, Moore and Brady Slavens.

Goodheart has hit four home runs in the last three games, including two in Arkansas’ 26-1 victory over the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Wednesday.

“When Matt gets hot, he can hit with anybody in the league,” Van Horn said.

Arkansas pitchers Patrick Wicklander, Caden Monke and Heston Tole combined on a three-hit shutout with 14 strikeouts.

Slavens went 3 for 4 with 4 RBI and 3 runs; Wallace 3 for 4 with 2 RBI and 2 runs; Moore 2 for 4 with 2 RBI and 2 runs; and Goodheart 2 for 4 with 1 RBI and 3 runs.

The Aggies (20-17, 3-11) lost their seventh consecutive SEC game since beating Missouri 16-2 on April 1.

The 13-run final margin matched the Razorbacks’ most-lopsided victory over the Aggies. Arkansas also beat Texas A&M by 13 runs in a 19-6 victory on April 4, 1981 in College Station.

The Razorbacks scored their most runs against the Aggies since Arkansas’ 13-4 victory on May 6, 1990, at George Cole Field.

Wicklander retired 12 consecutive batters before the Aggies loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth inning on a double by Logan Sartori, and walks by Trevor Werner and Kalae Harrison.

Monke replaced Wicklander and struck out Bryce Blaum swinging to keep the Razorbacks’ lead at 5-0.

Wicklander allowed 1 hit and 2 walks with 7 strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings. He threw 65 pitches.

“I thought Wicklander was the best he’s been all year,” Van Horn said. “Just kind of went away with two outs in the fifth. Third time through the lineup so we pulled him. Monke came in and got a really big strikeout, so we kept it 5-0.”

Monke (4-0) held the Aggies to 1 hit and 1 walk with 5 strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings. Tole pitched the ninth inning and had two strikeouts.

Aggies starter Dustin Saenz went 5 innings and allowed 6 hits, 6 runs and 4 walks with 2 strikeouts as he threw 103 pitches.

“We did a good job of making him throw strikes and when he made some mistakes, we got him,” Van Horn said.

He said he knew the second game was going to be tight.

“Whenever you score that many runs against a good team that can pitch, you just know it’s going to be 3-2, 2-1, and that’s what we got,” Van Horn said. “We hung in there. We pitched really well. We got just enough hits. We played good defense all day.

“We didn’t make an error in two ballgames. Ultimately, that might have ended up being the difference.”

In the 10th inning of the nightcap, Van Horn could have had Wallace attempt a bunt to advance the runners.

“There’s always that thought,” Van Horn said. “But if I bunt Wallace — if he gets it down — and they advance, you’ve got one out. Obviously they’re going to put Slavens on, and you’ve got the bases loaded and you still have an opportunity to hit into a double play.

“That’s the middle of the order. I didn’t want to bunt the middle of the order tonight. It worked out.”