The Diamond Hogs improved to 10-1 after completing a three-game sweep over the Charlotte 49ers. Charlotte gave Arkansas a scare a few times, but the Razorbacks were able to prevail and continue their strong start to the season.
Game One
Charlotte came out swinging Friday night, scoring five runs in the first inning and adding four more in the fourth. Arkansas trailed 9-1 going into the bottom of the fourth inning but responded with 16 batters coming to the plate and bringing in 10 runs to take the lead. The Hogs stayed on top the rest of the way to win 11-10 and open the series.
Game Two
The 49ers once again got going early with two runs in the first inning. Kuhio Aloy got Arkansas on the board in the second with an RBI to score Brent Iredale. Still down 2-1 in the inning, Logan Maxwell crushed a two-run homer to put the Hogs on top 3-2. After Charlotte retook the lead with a two-run sixth inning, Arkansas answered with two runs of its own to reclaim the lead and held on for an 8-5 win to secure the series.
Game Three
The final game of the series saw the least amount of offense from both teams. Aloy got the Hogs on the board with an RBI single in the third inning, and in the sixth, Rocco Peppi drove in Iredale with a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0. Up 3-1 in the ninth, Arkansas gave up two runs to Charlotte, but Maxwell sealed the sweep with a walk-off RBI single to left field for a 4-3 win.
Who Stood Out for the Hogs
Aloy has been seeing the ball well at the plate, leading the Hogs with a .556 batting average, 16 RBIs and four home runs this season. He played a big role in the sweep, going 6 for 11 from the plate with seven RBIs.
Maxwell also had a strong weekend, going 6 for 14 with five RBIs, including two home runs. He is now fourth on the team with a .323 batting average in 31 at-bats.
Parker Coil continued his scoreless streak with his sixth appearance of the season. He has now pitched eight innings, allowing five hits and zero earned runs. He pitched 1.2 innings in the series finale, striking out four batters.
Landon Beidelschies started Sunday in place of the injured Gage Wood and delivered on the mound, throwing 6.1 innings while allowing four hits and one run.
Looking Ahead for the Hogs
Arkansas will host Louisiana-Monroe for a two-game midweek series on March 4-5 at Baum-Walker Stadium.