Pair of Short Homers Extends Program Record at Home For Razorbacks Over Ole Miss

Wehiwa Aloy's team leading seventh homer provides offense to power Hogs to ninth SEC win

Arkansas Razorbacks' Jared Sprague-Lott gets to plate after homer on Thursday night against the Ole Miss Rebels at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. / Craven Whitlow-allHOGS Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas picked up its fourth straight SEC win and sixth overall with a 5-2 series-opener against the Ole Miss Rebels. It also extended a program record 19th straight win at Baum-Walker Stadium.

With the Hogs down 2-1, Peyton Stovall and Ben McLaughlin led off the bottom of the sixth with back-to-back walks. It set the table for Wehiwa Aloy to sneak a 347-foot homer over the right field wall to give the Razorbacks its first lead of the day. Jared Sprague-Lott, who came into the day batting under .200 in SEC play, hit a 342-foot solo homer down the left field line two batters later to tack on another run.

"Hitting Coach (Nate) Thompson came up to me before the at-bat and we came up with a plan," Sprague-Lott said. "He threw that curveball, hung it a little bit, and I just tried to put a good swing on it."

The Razorbacks were on the wrong end of a pitcher's duel early. Ole Miss starter Riley Maddox, despite coming into the game with a season ERA of 4.02 kept the Hogs off balance through the first five innings. He recorded 11 groundouts and needed just 55 pitches to get through five innings.

Hagen Smith, usually unhittable, still managed 11 strikeouts in six innings despite struggling with command at times. This is the fourth straight start and sixth out of the last seven that Smith has reached double-digits in punchouts.

"Hagen came out in the sixth and we were down a run and he got through the sixth," Van Horn said. "I think it really motivated our team. It was just a 15, 16-pitch inning and we came in and we got two walks and a home run and we had the lead. It was just big. It’s like he saved our bullpen if we didn’t come back and win but he just did a tremendous job fighting."

Ole Miss took an early 2-0 lead in the third when four straight Rebels reached with one out. Three straight singles including a bunt for a hit and an infield single loaded the bases. Smith forced home a run after walking Jackson Ross with the bases loaded. Ethan Groff doubled the Rebel lead with a sac fly to the warning track.

The Razorbacks ace still turned in a quality start walking a season-high four batters which ran up his pitch count. Smith turned the ball over to Will McEntire after 105 pitches with a season ERA of 1.76.

Van Horn once again opted to bring Will McEntire as his first arm out of the bullpen. His "rubber arm" delivered once again, retiring eight of the 10 batters he faced. Lefty specialist Stone Hewlett got the final out of the game against lefty Andrew Fischer to seal the win against the Rebels and picked up his second save of the season.

The Razorbacks will look for its fourth straight SEC series win to open conference play 6:30 p.m. Friday. The game will be streamed on SEC Network+.

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