Razorbacks Take Advantage of Free Passes In Final SEC Tuneup

No. 1 Arkansas picks up first win as top team despite only getting six hits

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas took down the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles, 4-2, despite getting outhit 9-6. The Razorbacks used seven walks and a hit batter to garner most of the offense, including two free passes in a three-run second inning. 

Oral Roberts starter Caleb Issacs worked around a pair of one-out walks to keep the Razorbacks off the board in the bottom of the first. Braydon Sanford relieved Issacs after just one inning and was not as fortunate. Two walks and a hit batsman loaded the bases in the second. Arkansas' first hit from Peyton Stovall knocked in two runs with a single up the middle. Wehiwa Aloy followed with an RBI single to left.

"He [Stovall] looks really confident and he looks like a polished player," coach Dave Van Horn said. "Really pretty swing. I think you can probably tell it’s a lot more powerful than it was a year ago. He’s a lot stronger from just growing up and all the rehab and all the work he did. The lower half is super strong. The swing is just as good as ever."

Aloy showed the leather in the third. With two on and two out, the Sacramento State transfer ranged towards the third base bag deep in the hole to save a run and keep Colin Fisher's outing scoreless. Will McEntire took over in the fourth after 51 pitches. 

The Bryant native faced the minimum in his two innings of work thanks to a 3-6-3 double play started by Ben McLaughlin. Meanwhile, the Razorbacks were held to just one single since its three-run second inning until Kendall Diggs hit a solo homer off the video board in the bottom of the fifth.

"I guess early this season I was just maybe trying to do a little bit too much," Diggs said. "Taking a deep breath and doing this our whole life. Just going out there and trying to hit the ball hard on the line and good things will happen."

Stone Hewlett and Dylan Carter combined for a scoreless sixth before Carter ran into trouble in the seventh. Ross Lovich looked to have made a great catch at the wall in left on a liner off the bat of David Herring, ending up with a leadoff double. Alex Rogers followed with a single to put runners at the corners. Sam Thompson got the Golden Eagles on the board with a sac fly. With Koty Frank on the mound, the Hogs got out of the seventh with another double play. McLaughlin picked a clean long hop to end the inning, 6-4-3. 

Arkansas failed to cash in back-to-back four-pitch walks to lead off the bottom of the seventh. Strikeouts of Peyton Holt and Lovich held the lead at three, 4-1. 

Oral Roberts scratched across a run back in the eighth, a bloop single and a walk brought the tying run to the plate. Dalton Stahlt hit a dribbler perfectly placed between the shortstop and the second baseman, trickled into left center field for an RBI single. Gabe Gaeckle was once again called upon to get out of a mess. The Aptos, Calif. native stranded two more inherited runners, keeping his perfect streak alive. No inherited runners have scored off Gaeckle this year. He also pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his fourth save of the year. 

The Razorbacks begin conference play against Missouri inside Baum-Walker Friday 6:30 p.m. The game will be streamed on SEC Network+. 

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