BY DUDLEY E. DAWSON
Arkansas may want to make its fourth trip to the College World Series in the last five opportunities, but that didn’t keep it from roughing up the host city’s college baseball team on Tuesday night.
Tavian Josenberger’s homer was one of his team’s 14 hits and extended Arkansas’ streak to 21 games in a row with a blast as the No. 6 Razorbacks (21-4) won their 15th straight home game by routing the Mavericks 16-3 at Baum Walker Stadium.
It also gave Arkansas a chance to put in the rear view mirror – at least some – of the memory of Saturday’s doubleheader at No. 1 LSU in which it was outscored 26-7 after winning 9-3 in the Friday’s series opener between the two.
“It was really good just to get out here and play after that doubleheader on Saturday,” Razorback head coach Dave Van Horn said. “…We didn’t get back until 2 in the morning and so we gave them Sunday off and yesterday we had some voluntary work and pretty much everybody showed up and that was good to see.
“I thought that came out with a great attitude. We knew that Omaha was kind of down in their pitching a little bit and they got some injuries kind of like we do.”
The 15th straight home is the longest in-season streak under Van Horn, who took over the Razorbacks in 2003 and one shy of the program record in 1996.
Omaha (7-11) used eight pitchers, who walked nine – including four in a seven-run third inning that forced in runs – and hit a batter that also plated a run.
Kendall Diggs (3 for 3), Jace Bohrofen (2 for 3) and Josenberger (2 for 3) all had 3 RBIs.
“I think it’s pretty cool,” Josenberger said of his homer keeping the streak alive. “I don’t think any of the guys go up there trying to hit the ball out of the park, it just happens. We have a lot of guys in the lineup that are super competitive and just great hitters all-around.”
Arkansas scored a run in the first, five in the second and 7 in the third in the run-rule shortened seven-inning win while freshman pitcher Gage Wood (1-0) got his first college victory.
“On the offensive side, what I like from our team is that we didn’t go out of the zone much,” Van Horn said. “We didn’t chase and that set up some big innings for us.
“When they did throw it over the plate, we hit it pretty good. Just really unselfish by the offense tonight. I thought they did a great job of just letting the next guy work, taking the walk and that is what we did. Now we have got to get ready for Alabama.”
The Razorbacks – 4-2 and tied with LSU for the SEC Western Division lead – will indeed return to action Friday night at 6:30 when they take on the Crimson Tide (20-6, 2-4).
Alabama downed Middle Tennessee 10-4 on Tuesday in Madison, Ala. at Toyota Field, home of the Los Angeles Angel’ Double-A Rocket City Trash Pandas.
Arkansas used five pitchers on Tuesday night with Ben Bybee starting for the third straight midweek contest and pitching int the third inning while allowing three runs on three hits with three walks and a strikeout.
He was followed to the mound by Wood, infielder/pitcher Ben McLaughlin – who was making his first pitching appearance – and freshman Christian Foutch and Parker Coil.
“Bybee was wild so I went and got him,” Van Horn said. I thought would came in and did a great job and it was good to see Ben get out there and pitch.
“He (Bybee) couldn’t command his fast ball (in the second inning) and the third inning he tried to throw his breaking ball and it was going chin high so we already had somebody getting loose and I said ‘let’s just go get him.’
“He threw Saturday, but he didn’t throw a lot. He had a couple of days, but maybe he was a little tired.”
Alabama has opened the SEC season by dropping two of three at at Florida and two of three home contests to Kentucky.
Photo by John D. James
