but, hey, at least they scored
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Behind another shutdown pitching performance and its best offensive effort of the weekend, No. 1 Arkansas completed a three-game Southeastern Conference opening series sweep of University of Missouri baseball with a 9-1 victory over the Tigers Sunday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium.
Mason Molina (3-0) held the Tigers hitless through five innings, striking out 10 batters over 5 1/3 frames, before four relievers combined to limit Mizzou to a single run on two hits over the final 3.2 innings.
Wehiwa Aloy led the Razorbacks’ 10-hit attack, logging a 2-for-3 day while driving in three runs, and Ben McClaughlin homered and reached safely in four of his five trips to the plate.
The top-ranked Razorbacks started the game with a two-run rally in the first after Peyton Stovall’s leadoff single sparked the early scoring opportunity. Kendall Diggs followed with an RBI double, and a wild pitch by Mizzou starter Carter Rustad (3-2) brought in the second Arkansas run of the day.
McLaughlin went deep for a two-out solo shot in the third, before Stovall’s RBI double and Aloy’s sacrifice fly added two more tallies in the fifth for a 5-0 Arkansas lead.
Given the early cushion, Molina cruised through the first five innings. The left-hander faced just one batter over the minimum, before Jeric Curtis led off the sixth with a base hit to left-center.
From there Koty Frank logged a pair of strikeouts to end the sixth, before Thomas Curry’s solo shot started the seventh and gave the Tigers their first — and only — run of the weekend. Gage Wood and Gabe Gaeckle each recorded a scoreless inning of relief to close out the victory and the series sweep for Arkansas.
TIGER NOTEBOOK
UP NEXT
Mizzou concludes its five-game road swing Tuesday (March 19) with a neutral-field matchup with Kansas at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. Tickets for the 6 p.m. nonconference contest are available through MLB.com/Royals.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Behind another shutdown pitching performance and its best offensive effort of the weekend, No. 1 Arkansas completed a three-game Southeastern Conference opening series sweep of University of Missouri baseball with a 9-1 victory over the Tigers Sunday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium.
Mason Molina (3-0) held the Tigers hitless through five innings, striking out 10 batters over 5 1/3 frames, before four relievers combined to limit Mizzou to a single run on two hits over the final 3.2 innings.
Wehiwa Aloy led the Razorbacks’ 10-hit attack, logging a 2-for-3 day while driving in three runs, and Ben McClaughlin homered and reached safely in four of his five trips to the plate.
The top-ranked Razorbacks started the game with a two-run rally in the first after Peyton Stovall’s leadoff single sparked the early scoring opportunity. Kendall Diggs followed with an RBI double, and a wild pitch by Mizzou starter Carter Rustad (3-2) brought in the second Arkansas run of the day.
McLaughlin went deep for a two-out solo shot in the third, before Stovall’s RBI double and Aloy’s sacrifice fly added two more tallies in the fifth for a 5-0 Arkansas lead.
Given the early cushion, Molina cruised through the first five innings. The left-hander faced just one batter over the minimum, before Jeric Curtis led off the sixth with a base hit to left-center.
From there Koty Frank logged a pair of strikeouts to end the sixth, before Thomas Curry’s solo shot started the seventh and gave the Tigers their first — and only — run of the weekend. Gage Wood and Gabe Gaeckle each recorded a scoreless inning of relief to close out the victory and the series sweep for Arkansas.
TIGER NOTEBOOK
- With the setback, Mizzou falls to 33-36-1 all-time vs. Arkansas.
- Curry’s home run is his third of the season and the first by a Tiger since Jackson Lovich’s solo shot vs. Purdue Fort Wayne on March 10.
- Curry’s homer also snapped a 24-inning scoreless drought for the Tigers, who had been shut out in each of the first two contests of the series.
- Rustad dropped just his fifth career mound decision in 41 overall appearances.
- The Tigers were limited to eight total hits in the series.
UP NEXT
Mizzou concludes its five-game road swing Tuesday (March 19) with a neutral-field matchup with Kansas at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. Tickets for the 6 p.m. nonconference contest are available through MLB.com/Royals.
