It was an opening series letdown for the baseball team. The University of Arkansas swept the series by scores of 7-0, 5-1 and 11-1 in Fayetteville, AR.
Redshirt junior infielder Ross Haffey provided the only spark of the three-game set with his solo home run to left-center field. It came at the top of the fourth inning during the sandwich game on Saturday.
Miami scored two runs in the series, all of which came in the fourth inning. Freshman catcher Cal Elvers singled to left field in the ultimate affair of the three-game set. Arkansas had an offensive explosion, scoring 23 runs in the series' span.
The series kicked off with a bang. Arkansas, batting for the first time all season, poured it on for six runs in the bottom of the first. This set the tone for the rest of the series and Arkansas would shutout the 'Hawks 7-0 in the first game.
Sophomore pitcher Cole Gnetz was victim to the opening day barrage by the Razorbacks. He was replaced by senior Brad Schwartz after 0.2 innings of work. Spearheading the offensive explosion for the Razorbacks in the maiden game were sophomore and freshmen outfielders Eric Cole and Dominic Fletcher. The out-fielding duo combined for four hits and four runs batted in.
On Saturday, Miami's sophomore pitcher Zach Spears completed three innings. The left hander struck out three, giving up four earned runs and six hits while only walking one batter.
Miami's only run of the contest came courtesy of Redshirt junior infielder Ross Haffey's solo shot. The Razorbacks were led offensively by catcher Grant Koch. The sophomore went one for four, with his only hit being a two-run double to right center in the bottom of the third. Arkansas, staying the course, wound up victorious with a score of 5-1 for the Saturday game.
UA came into the finale game looking for a sweep. That's exactly what the ball club came away with and in dominant fashion, no less.
RedHawks pitcher Grant Hartwig started the game. The freshman pitched 4.1 innings, giving up four runs on five hits. The right-hander added four strikeouts and two walks for his troubles. Miami only scored one run with a fourth-inning single from Elvers.
Setting the pace for UA at the plate was Koch and junior outfielder Luke Bonfield. The pair chipped in with six RBI's, while going for a combined four for nine.
In a game that was indicative to how the teams stacked up all series, Arkansas routed Miami by a score of 11-1.
It was the big inning that caused problems for MU all weekend. The Razorbacks scored at least three runs in four innings throughout the series. Two of those run-filled frames came in the last two contests as the Red and White couldn't find an answer to Arkansas' offense.
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When the 'Hawks opened the 2015-16 season with a three-game set against Campbell University, they fell short in two out of the three games.
Next time Miami takes the field, they do battle with the University of South Florida in Tampa, FL. The series begins on Friday February 24 as they look to right the ship following their 0-3 start.
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