RUSTON, La. -- The No. 20 Arkansas Razorbacks trailed 10-1 after two innings on the road, so things became really simple.
"I told the guys we've got to swing our way back into it," Coach Dave Van Horn said after his team had scored 12 consecutive runs to earn a 13-10 victory over Louisiana Tech on Wednesday. "We weren't taking pitches; we were going up there swinging."
Did You Know?
Arkansas' win snapped Louisiana Tech's 15-game home win streak, which was the nation's longest current streak in college baseball.
With a 15 mph wind blowing out at Pat Patterson Park, the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville amassed 15 hits and five home runs, the program's most in a game since 2010. Eight players had hits, led by Jax Biggers with four and Grant Koch with three. Biggers, Koch, Luke Bonfield, Dominic Fletcher and Jordan McFarland each homered.
Louisiana Tech (8-1) hadn't given up more than four runs in a game this season, but Arkansas (7-1) hacked away with two runs in the fourth and five in the third. Down 10-8, Arkansas took the lead with a four-run seventh for a 12-10 advantage.
Bonfield homered on a 3-2 pitch from reliever Matt Miller to lead off the inning to pull Arkansas within one run at 10-9. Zack Hamilton (1-1) emerged from the bullpen, and Koch continued the rally with a double. After Fletcher was retired, Carson Shaddy singled in Koch to tie the game at 10-10.
After Shaddy was caught trying to steal second, Biggers walked to reach base for the fourth time in four plate appearances. McFarland, a freshman, completed the comeback with his first home run as a Razorback.
"The seniors were trying to keep us up," McFarland said. "Since we'd tied it right before I was up, I could be a little looser, and I got a good fastball to hit."
Barrett Loseke (1-0), who entered in the bottom of the sixth inning, struck out six batters in the final three innings to preserve the victory for the Hogs.
The Bulldogs, taking advantage of freshman starter Evan Lee, homered twice in the first inning for a 3-0 advantage. It was Lee's only inning of work.
Biggers scored Arkansas' first run in the top of the second inning on first baseman Chris Daigle's error, but the momentum was short-lived.
Senior Dominic Taccolini relieved Lee and allowed two extra-base hits, two singles, two walks, a hit batsman and a wild pitch while recording only two outs. Cody Scroggins relieved Taccolini with runners on first and second and the score 8-1, but Louisiana Tech right fielder Jonathan Washam greeted him with a two-run triple for a 10-1 lead.
"With the way that wind was blowing out, I wasn't real sure nine runs would be enough," Louisiana Tech Coach Lane Burroughs said. "Plus, they're pretty good."
"When you're behind by that much that early," McFarland said, "it's just a series of one-inning battles from there on out."
Arkansas got two runs back in the fourth on RBI singles from Biggers and McFarland off Louisiana Tech starter Tyler Follis.
Tim Jordan relieved in the fifth, and Eric Cole led off with a double for Arkansas. Jake Arledge singled to left field to drive him in, and Bonfield walked before Miller relieved Jordan. Koch greeted Miller with a three-run home run to left-center field to cut the lead to 10-7, and Biggers hit a solo shot three batters later.
Louisiana Tech attempted to regain momentum in the bottom of the sixth by putting runners at the corners with nobody out against Jake Reindl. In came the sophomore Loseke, who retired the Bulldogs' 3-4-5 hitters with a popup, strikeout and fly ball to keep the score 10-8.
"Going through the middle of the order like that, that was some kind of a job," Van Horn said. "Seven zeroes in a row from the bullpen. And that's a veteran Tech team, a bunch of mature kids."
Sports on 03/02/2017