Small-Ball, Outs on Basepaths Hand Razorbacks First Loss
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The James Madison Dukes' small ball and pitching handed Arkansas its first loss of the season, 7-3. With the game tied 2-2 in the seventh, the Dukes loaded the bases without a ball leaving the infield.
"They have to get corrected," Razorbacks coach Dave Van Horn said. "You practice one way and you have communication and verbals and different things on cutoffs and relays and that’s what you gotta go with, whether it’s right or wrong. Yeah, they’ve gotta get corrected."
The Dukes employed perfect small ball to load the bases with no outs off freshman pitcher Gabe Gaeckle. Gaeckle had been solid in his first two innings of relief, but two bunt singles sandwiched between a walk brought Fenwick Trimble to the plate. Van Horn called on Jake Faherty to put out the fire. The move backfired, Trimble hit a jam-shot single to give James Madison its first late-inning lead of the series, 3-2. Dooley then followed with a sac fly and an errant throw from Jack Wagner to third on the relay throw allowed an additional run to score. Brendan O'Donnell capped off James Madison's second straight day with a four-run inning with an RBI groundout
Texas Tech transfer Mason Molina came out all guns blazing in his Razorback debut and struck out six batters the first time through the order. He worked around a first and third situation with one out to keep the Dukes off the scoreboard.
An extra out in the bottom of the first gave the Hogs an early boost. Ryan Dooley attempted to make a sliding catch in left field for the third out but missed allowing the first run to score on a Ben McLaughlin double. Wagner followed with an RBI single for a 2-0 lead.
Kendall Diggs led off the third with a double down the left field line, but Jack Wagner grounded into a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play.
Molina continued to shove but got yanked after 3 2/3 innings and nine strikeouts, Wyatt Peifer roped a game-tying two-run double into the left field corner on Molina's 72nd and final pitch. Stone Hewlett came in relief and got the final out of the inning.
The Razorbacks made numerous errors on the basepaths, hindering its ability to score. Hudson White got picked off second base in the first inning. Wilmsmeyer got caught stealing second on a strike them out, throw them out double play in the second. Ross Lovich got thrown out at second trying to stretch a single in the fourth. The Hogs stranded the bases loaded in the inning when Kendall Diggs flew out to right.
James Madison's Joe Vogatsky, a 14th-round pick by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2023 pitched 4 1/3 sparkling innings. He continued to give the Razorbacks fits until back-to-back two-out doubles from Kendall Diggs and Wehiva Aloy into the right-center field gap to get a run back. A McLaughlin walk followed by a Jack Wagner hit-by-pitch put the tying run on first base, but Ross Lovich popped up to second to strand the bases loaded for the second time.
The Dukes returned the favor in the seventh stranding two walks and a hit batsmen with a 6-4 fielder's choice to hold the deficit at 6-3, but applied coup de grâce with a solo homer in the top of the ninth off the bat of Brendan O'Donnell for his first hit of the series.
"I think the fastest way to get to the next day is to flush it," Molina said. "[It's] easier said than don't but I think if we can get passed this and get our heads down early tonight and have us bounce back tomorrow, we'll be in a good spot to compete."
The series finishes 12 p.m. Feb. 18 against James Madison. The game will be streamed on SEC Network+.
Game Note: James Madison will not start an inning after 3 p.m. due to a commercial flight.
HOGS SHOW OFF FIELDING ABILITY AND BATS IN GETTING SECOND STRAIGHT WIN, DOWNING JAMES MADISON
WILLMSMEYER GIVES ARKANSAS A SECOND LEADOFF MAN OUT OF THE NINE-SPOT
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