FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas left-hander Hagen Smith turned in a solid outing Thursday in his final start of the preseason.
Smith unofficially allowed 1 earned run, 2 hits and 2 walks, and struck out 6 in 4 1/3 innings of a scrimmage at Baum-Walker Stadium. He took a no-decision as his Gray team lost 10-3 in seven innings.
The lineups were balanced as each consisted of some projected starters and backups.
It has not been announced which team Smith will start against when the sixth-ranked Razorbacks open the season with games against No. 24 Texas, No. 17 TCU and No. 8 Oklahoma State at the College Baseball Showdown in Arlington, Texas, next week, but his start Thursday suggests he might get the ball for the season opener against the Longhorns next Friday at 7 p.m.
Arkansas’ team is not scheduled to scrimmage again until Saturday, meaning other potential starting pitchers would have less than a full week to recover before the season opener. Thursday’s scrimmage was played a day early due to forecasted snow and cold temperatures Friday.
“It makes a difference in recovery,” Smith said of having an extra day to prepare for his first start.
Smith received loud encouragement from pitching coach Matt Hobbs throughout his outing, which lasted roughly 55 to 60 pitches.
“Outstanding, Hagen!” Hobbs shouted on multiple occasions.
The only earned run scored against Smith came in the second at-bat of the scrimmage when Harold Coll pulled a home run to left field on the first pitch he saw.
Smith responded by striking out Caleb Cali swinging at a full-count fastball low in the zone for the first of six consecutive outs. Smith responded to a one-out walk in the third inning with another strikeout on a slider to lead-off hitter Tavian Josenberger.
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Smith pitched with a lead after Jace Bohrofen hit an opposite-field home run to the left-field bullpen against Red team starter Ben Bybee in the second inning, and two runs scored against Bybee in the third.
Kendall Diggs and Peyton Stovall had consecutive one-out hits in the third against Bybee. Diggs scored on an error by Coll at shortstop and Brady Slavens added a sacrifice fly to give the Gray team a 3-1 lead.
An unearned run scored against Smith in the fourth inning when catcher Hudson Polk committed a throwing error trying to nab Jared Wegner stealing second base. Wegner scored from third base when Hunter Grimes singled with two outs.
The inning ended with a great defensive play by Stovall, the second baseman, who fielded a grounder off the bat of Peyton Holt and threw against his body toward first base.
“I didn’t have everything working, but the defense behind me helped get some outs,” Smith said.
Smith struck out Parker Rowland to lead off the fifth inning, then gave way to right-handed reliever Christian Foutch.
“He was really good,” Josenberger said of Smith. “I hit against him and didn’t get on base. I think if he throws like that next Friday — or pretty much any Friday — we’re going to win most games.
“His fastball is electric, but I would also say he’s versatile as well. He hits his spots and has good offspeed. He’s just added a (cutter) that’s pretty much unhittable, in my opinion. He’s super competitive.”
After Smith sat, things unraveled for the Gray pitching staff. Foutch hit Josenberger with a pitch with two outs in the fifth inning. A runner was put at first base for Josenberger, who remained in the box and hit a two-run home run to the video scoreboard in right-center field on the next pitch to give the Red team a 4-3 lead.
“Foutch is pretty much a two-pitch guy — I feel like he has an unhittable splitter and a fastball,” Josenberger said. “He threw me two splitters, so I figured I would take my chances against the next fastball and I was on time.”
The Red team extended its lead to 8-3 in the sixth inning after sophomore right-hander Jake Faherty walked three batters without recording an out. Holt doubled on a 0-2 pitch in the first at-bat against freshman left-hander Jordan Huskey, and Cal Kilgore added a two-run single against Huskey.
Huskey struck out three-hole hitter Cali looking at a breaking pitch to strand two runners in the inning.
The Red team tacked on its final two runs against freshman right-hander Gage Wood in the top of the seventh inning. Wood issued consecutive two-out walks to Grimes and Holt, and they scored on a double by Rowland.
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Koty Frank, a right-handed transfer from Nebraska, pitched wonderfully for the Red team for the final three innings. Frank allowed one hit and struck out two in regulation.
Frank faced four additional batters after the seventh inning ended in order to see more live hitting. Three runners reached during that time on an error by Josenberger in center field and back-to-back singles by Diggs and Stovall.
Bybee, a freshman right-hander, allowed 2 earned runs on 4 hits and 1 walk in his 3-inning start for the Red team. Freshman left-hander Sean Fitzpatrick struck out a batter in his only inning of work.
Grimes, a right fielder, made the scrimmage’s best defensive play while Fitzpatrick was on the mound. He robbed Polk of an opposite-field hit with a leaping catch at the fence for the final out of the fourth inning.
“It was super impressive,” Josenberger said of the catch. “In my mind it was either a home run or a sure double, and Grimes went back and made a great play up against the wall.”