The No. 6 Arkansas Razorbacks parlayed a pair of two-run home runs from Jace Bohrofen and Brady Slavens, and solid pitching into a 6-2 win over Mississippi State to open a three-game SEC West series in Starkville, Miss., on Friday.
The University of Arkansas (34-12, 15-7 SEC) never trailed to win its fourth consecutive SEC game and stay 1 1/2 games behind LSU, which downed Auburn 3-0 in the SEC West.
Arkansas improved to 4-7 in true road games and won on the road for the first time since a 6-4 decision at Ole Miss on April 8 in the rubber game of that series.
The Bulldogs (24-21, 6-16) dropped to 1-7 in SEC openers before a crowd of 10,871 at Dudy Noble Field. Arkansas is 10-1 against Mississippi State Coach Chris Lemonis.
Hagen Smith (7-1) and relievers Cody Adcock and Gage Wood combined on a two-hitter, though the Bulldogs drew 8 walks and left 9 runners on base.
Smith, who has had trouble pitching efficiently this season, made it through five innings, but it took him 112 pitches, with 62 strikes and 50 balls. The lefty, making his seventh start of the year and his third against an SEC team, allowed 2 runs, 1 earned, on 2 hits, 5 walks and struck out 8. But he also hit two batters.
“His stuff was amazing early,” Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said. “Almost too good. You could tell he was exerting way too much energy for a starter. The first inning I think he might’ve touched 98, like 95, 96, 98 on the gun. It was incredible. Obviously, he got a little tired. He did what he always does. He worked out of a couple of jams.”
Van Horn said Smith was overhyped after the first inning.
“He came off the field and he was in the dugout and I was like, ‘Wow, we’ve got to calm him down a little bit.’ His body … his adrenaline. He looked like a caged lion to be honest with you. He was just so pumped up.”
Arkansas third baseman Caleb Cali went 3 for 4 to account for almost half of the Hogs’ seven hits. Cali has a hit in 14 of the last 15 games after his 13-game hitting streak was snapped on Tuesday.
The Razorbacks padded their two-run lead with a pair of runs in the ninth to help Wood notch his fifth save, all against SEC competition.
The Razorbacks did not have a plate appearance with a runner in scoring position until Cali led off the ninth inning with an opposite-field double into the right-field corner off Cole Cheatham. Mason Neville bunted him over to third base and Cali scampered home on a wild pitch to increase the Hogs’ lead to 5-2.
After Parker Rowland and John Bolton drew successive walks, Kendall Diggs greeted reliever KC Hunt with a scorching line drive that ticked off the glove of first baseman Luke Hancock and into shallow right field to score Rowland.
Wood combined with Adcock to throw four hitless innings. The freshman right-hander from Batesville retired seven consecutive Bulldogs through two outs in the ninth inning before walking pinch hitter Bryce Chance and leadoff man David Mershon, who drew four walks.
Wood rallied to strike out Colton Ledbetter looking with those two runners on board to close out the game.
The Hogs wasted little time in jumping on right-hander Cade Smith (1-2). Diggs worked a full count and drew a walk, then Bohrofen hammered a 1-2 pitch over the wall in right field for his 12th home run and his first away from Baum-Walker Stadium this year.
Diggs would be the only Arkansas leadoff hitter to reach base until Cali’s double in the ninth.
Cade Smith, working swiftly, mowed the Razorbacks down for four consecutive innings to give his team a chance to rally for a 2-2 tie.
“We barreled up a lot of balls, just right at people,” Slavens said. “We felt pretty good. He was mixing his pitches well, throwing a lot of strikes. When you throw strikes, get ahead and don’t walk people, it makes it harder to hit.”
The Hogs’ power game came into play again in the sixth. After Ben McLaughlin’s one-out single, Slavens sent the first pitch he saw over the right field wall to push Arkansas’ lead back to 4-2.
Hagen Smith retired the first seven Bulldogs before he began to struggle with his location. He hit Amani Larry with a pitch with one out in the third. After striking out nine-hole hitter Ross Highfill, Mershon drew a walk and then Ledbetter stroked an RBI single through the right side to make it 2-1.
He left two Bulldogs on in the fourth inning, but had to throw a lot of pitches in the fifth as Mississippi State drew into a tie. Highfill drew a leadoff walk and Mershon fought back from an 0-2 count to walk. Parker Rowland threw out Highfill trying to steal third, then Ledbetter singled up the middle. Mershon scored the tying run on a passed ball by Rowland, his first of the year.
Van Horn said right-hander Brady Tygart (1-0, 4.91) would very likely start today’s 6 p.m. game and that lefty Hunter Hollan (6-2, 3.79), who has been dealing with shin splints, was on track to pitch in Sunday’s finale.