Cardinal makes it three straight

FAYETTEVILLE – Senior Ben Tschepikow scored three runs and sophomore Andy Wilkins pounded three hits to lead the Arkansas Baseball team’s Cardinal squad to a 7-4 victory on Saturday at Baum Stadium. The win for Cardinal is its third in a row and gives it a 3-2 lead in the series with White.

Using a balanced and sustained attack, the Cardinal squad seven runs on 11 hits and took advantage of two White errors to score runs in five of eight innings. Getting solid pitching from the trio of junior TJ Forrest, freshman Zack Hall and junior Mike Bolsinger, Cardinal held White to just four runs and only two after the first inning.

White was paced by junior Thomas Hauskey and sophomore Jacob House but despite 10 hits on the day, one fewer than its opponent, could only push four across the plate in support of starter Bryan Bingham and relievers Jim Youngblood and Stephen Richards.

White, looking to stop the momentum of two straight Cardinal wins, jumped out early on Cardinal with two runs in the top of the first inning. Back-to-back leadoff doubles by senior Chase Leavitt and Hauskey and a two-out single by House out White on the positive end early. Cardinal would come back with one in the bottom half of the inning when Tschepikow hit a one-out double to left center and scored on a sacrifice fly by sophomore Brett Eibner.

Cardinal would take the lead in the contest in the bottom of the third. Redshirt freshman Houston Slemp opened the frame with a walk and scored on a double by Tschepikow. Tschepikow would score two batters later on another sacrifice fly, this one by Wilkins. Once they assumed the lead, Cardinal never looked back.

A leadoff error led to another Cardinal run in the bottom of the fifth and the two squads would trade runs in the sixth, but White would not come any closer. White used a leadoff walk by Hauskey to push a run across the plate while Cardinal received the services of a long ball by Ryan Cisterna who crushed one over the right field wall.

Four Cardinal players would get at least two hits. Tschepikow and Wilkins each got three while senior Andrew Darr and Cisterna each had two. Eibner had the only other Cardinal hit. White’s hits came from Hauskey and House with two each and one hit a piece by five other players.

Game six of the Cardinal-White series, a potential series ending game, is scheduled for Monday afternoon at 3 p.m. at Baum Stadium. For more information regarding Razorback baseball or University of Arkansas athletics please visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com.

Download: Game 5.pdf