Slavens, Stovall Power #8 Arkansas to Run-Rule Win in Series Opener against Wright State
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Brady Slavens and Peyton Stovall each homered and drove in four runs, single-handedly outscoring Wright State (2-6) and powering No. 8 Arkansas (7-2) to a 12-2 run-rule win on Friday at Baum-Walker Stadium.
The Razorbacks put the game away early, jumping out to a five-run lead after three innings of play. Slavens swatted a three-run homer, his first of the season, before Stovall followed up with a solo shot to right, Arkansas’ second back-to-back homer in as many games, in an explosive four-run third inning.
Caleb Cali also continued to find his groove offensively, leaving the yard for the second time in as many games. The junior college transfer, who hit a solo homer in the second, finished 2-for-4 with two extra-base hits and two RBI.
On the mound, left-hander Hagen Smith dazzled with 4 2/3 innings of three-hit, one-run ball. The sophomore, who allowed his first run of the season on a solo home run in the top of the fifth, struck out seven while walking five.
Through three starts, Smith owns a 2-0 record with a 0.63 ERA over 14 1/3 innings. The lefty has struck out 21 on the year and limited opposing hitters to a .146 batting average.
The Hogs’ offense, led by Slavens and Stovall, was humming all night long. Arkansas extended its advantage with two runs in the fifth and four more in the seventh, as Slavens collected his fourth RBI on a two-out single in the bottom of the fifth and scored on Stovall’s two-out RBI double to right in the very next at-bat.
In the seventh, Stovall earned his third and fourth RBI of the ballgame on single to center. The Razorback second baseman finished with a team-high three hits, falling a triple shy of the cycle.
In relief of Smith, Dylan Carter was impressive out of the bullpen for the second game in a row. The right-hander from Bentonville, Ark., threw 2 1/3 innings of one-run ball with three strikeouts to prevent Wright State from rallying.
Freshman left-hander Parker Coil threw a scoreless top of the eighth with one strikeout, setting the table for Jared Wegner’s walk-off heroics in the bottom half of the frame.
The Hogs’ hottest hitter hammered a game-winning, two-out home run to center, which pushed the lead to 12-2 and invoked the run rule. For the season, Wegner is slashing a team-leading .424/.535/.909 with four homers and 16 RBI.
Arkansas looks to clinch its second weekend series win in tomorrow’s game two against Wright State. First pitch from inside Baum-Walker Stadium is set for 3 p.m. on SEC Network+.
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