Baseball suffers first loss of season
FAYETTEVILLE – Seth Granger went 2-for-4 with three RBI, while Phil Parcell threw 7.1 strong innings to lead McNeese State past Arkansas 8-6 on Tuesday afternoon at Baum Stadium.
"I think that we got outplayed early," Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said. "You have to give credit to McNeese. They came out from the get go. They were swinging the bat and using the whole field. They ran the bases well."
The Razorbacks drop to 6-1 on the season with the loss, while McNeese State improves to 4-5 with the victory.
Parcell earned his first win of the season on the mound, giving up five runs on seven hits in 7.1 innings. Jordan Legros picked up his second save, throwing 1.1 perfect innings with a strikeout.
Geoffrey Davenport suffered the loss for Arkansas, allowing five runs on seven hits in 2.2 innings.
Barrett Astin and Nolan Sanburn each had scoreless outings out of the bullpen. Astin threw 3.1 shutout innings with three strikeouts, while Sanburn retired all eight batters he faced, recording three strikeouts.
Kyle Robinson had a perfect day at the plate, going 4-for-4 with two RBI. The four hits were a career high for Robinson and marked the first Razorback to record four hits in a game this season. Dominic Ficociello added two hits and three RBI, while Matt Reynolds went 2-for-3 with three runs scored.
Jace Peterson had a team-high three hits with three runs scored for McNeese State. Three different McNeese State players had two hits each. Granger with 2-for-4 with three RBI, while Taylor Drake and Renny Weber each added two hits and a RBI.
The Cowboys struck first, plating a run in the top of the first. With one out, Jace Peterson singled up the middle and moved to second with a two-out stolen base. Granger lined an RBI single to left field to score Peterson from second to put McNeese State in front 1-0.
Arkansas answered right back with two runs in the home half of the opening frame. Jacob Morris and Reynolds drew back-to-back walks with one out. Robinson tied the game with a RBI single to right-center field, scoring Morris from second and sending Reynolds to third. Ficociello singled up the middle to score the go-ahead run, but he was tagged out at second trying to advance. Jarrod McKinney grounded out to first to end the threat.
McNeese State grabbed the lead right back with two runs in the top of the second. Weber singled to center to start the inning and moved to second on a walk to Shea Daly. A sacrifice bunt by Matt Henry moved the runners to second and third with one out. Trey Rickrode singled down the left field line to score both runners and put the Cowboys back in front, 3-2.
McNeese added on to its lead with two runs in the top of the third. Peterson singled to lead off the inning and then stole second with one out. A ground out to first by Granger advanced Peterson to third. Drake singled through the left side of the infield to score Peterson from third. Weber placed a double just inside the right field foul line, scoring Drake all the way from first for McNeese’s fifth run of the contest.
The Razorbacks got a run back in the bottom of the third with a two-out rally. Reynolds hit a ground-rule double to left-center field to start the rally and then crossed the plate on a single to left-center field for Robinson.
The Cowboys grabbed their largest lead of the game in the top of the seventh, scoring three times to extend the lead to five. With one out, Blake Ellender walked and moved to second on an opposite field single to left by Peterson. Lee Orr walked to load the bases with one out. Granger brought home two runs with a single to right field. Granger crossed home plate after a wild pitch by Sanburn to put McNeese in front 8-3.
Arkansas tried to claw back in the bottom of the eighth inning. Collin Kuhn reached on an infield single to lead off the inning and moved to second on a one-out base hit by Reynolds. Robinson recorded his fourth hit of the game, singling into left field to put a runner on every base with one out. Ficociello hit a towering double to the right-center field alley, scoring Kuhn and Reynolds on the plate. However, Ficociello was caught in a rundown between second and third and was retired for the second out of the inning. McKinney walked to put runners on the corners with two out. Legros threw high to first on a pickoff attempt, allowing Robinson to score from third and moving McKinney to third base. The Hogs were unable to capitalize any further as Matt Vinson flied out to the center fielder to end the threat and leave the score at 8-6.
The Razorbacks were unable to get anything going in the ninth inning as the Cowboys held on for the 8-6 win.
The two-game midweek series with McNeese State concludes on Wednesday with first pitch scheduled for 3:05 p.m. Neither team has announced a starter for the contest. Reserved tickets for Wednesday’s game are available for $10 and can be purchased by calling 1-800-982-HOGS (4647), by visiting the online ticket center at ArkansasRazorbacks.com or on game day at Baum Stadium, while supplies last.
