Arkansas Razorbacks 14, Mississippi Valley State 0: Easy Wins, Finally

Arkansas desperately needed to take care of business against lowly Mississippi Valley State in this midweek series, and they did just that, completing the 2-game sweep with an easy 14-0 victory Wednesday afternoon.

The Razorbacks put three runs on the board before their first out. Clark Eagan, Joe Serrano, and Andrew Benintendi all reached base to load the bases for Tyler Spoon, who doubled to left field and drove all three runners home. Spoon then scored on a two-out single by Bobby Wernes to give the Hogs a 4-0 lead after the first frame and it was smooth sailing from that point on.

Arkansas tacked on another run in the 3rd off an inside-the-park home run from Benintendi. The wind was swirling throughout the day and on this hit, the outfielders misplayed it, one of whom actually ran into the wall and fell down as the ball hit the wall and rolled away from them. Benintendi scored standing up. In the 4th inning, Delta Devils pitchers combined to walk in a couple of runs while the bases were loaded, and Wernes knocked in another run to push the lead to 8-0.

In the 5th, Dave Van Horn subbed in Carson Shaddy to pinch hit for Spoon, and he promptly hit a grand slam to left center. Benintendi crushed a pitch in the 6th for another couple of runs to end the scoring for Arkansas.

Mississippi Valley State only really threatened in the 7th inning when they loaded the bases on three straight singles, but Alex Bravo grounded into a double play to kill the rally and keep Arkansas' shutout in tact.

The Razorbacks are finally a few games over .500 for what seems like the first time in forever as they prepare for a big series this weekend in Fayetteville vs Kentucky. The Wildcats have an RPI of 23, which means this is a major opportunity for Arkansas pick up some steam heading into the stretch run of the season.