Louisiana Tech drops series finale to Arkansas

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Louisiana Tech took its first lead of the three-game series against No. 8 Arkansas with a three-run second inning, but in the bottom of the third the Hogs scored nine and rode the monster inning to a 15-6 win and sweep before 9,117 on a cool, overcast Sunday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium.

The Bulldogs (8-7) play Air Force, who they most recently saw in last spring’s NCAA Austin Regional, Tuesday at 6 and Wednesday at 3 at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park. Charlotte comes to The Love Shack to open the C-USA schedule with games scheduled Friday at 6, Saturday at 2 and Sunday at 1.

Arkansas is 13-2, has won eight straight, and plays a couple of midweek games against UNLV before opening its SEC schedule against Auburn.

Tech designated hitter Walker Burchfield was hit by a pitch leading off the second, advanced on a wild pitch, took third on Philip Matulia’s ground ball to short and scored when Karson Evans hit a sharp grounder that Hog third baseman Peyton Holt threw home wildly. The Bulldogs added two more to make it 3-0 as Hog starter Hunter Hollan hit two more batters and surrendered an RBI groundout by Adarius Myers.

Arkansas got one back in the bottom of the second on a leadoff double and groundout, then chased starter Reed Smith (0-2) in the tell-tale third when the Hogs scored nine runs on five hits – including a double, triple, and pair of two-run homers – and six walks.

Hollan (3-0) then settled down to retire the next nine batters before Tech got three in the top of the sixth after a couple of Hog errors and a homer by Evans, a three-run moonshot that just cleared the left field fence.

The brightest spot of the weekend was the debut of Evans, a true freshman from Mississippi who played first base in the first two games and caught Sunday. The 6-2, 210-pounder was 4-for-11 with a double, two home runs, 6 RBI and four runs scored.

It was a tough weekend for Tech pitchers. Dog starting pitchers lasted only 11.1 innings in the three games. The Hogs got their leadoff hitter aboard in 17 of 24 innings, and Arkansas out-homered the Dogs, 7-2.