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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Top-ranked Arkansas used a trio of home runs and a shutdown pitching performance from Hagen Smith to knock off University of Missouri baseball, 8-0, in the Southeastern Conference season opener for both clubs Friday evening at Baum-Walker Stadium.
Smith (3-0) turned in a dominant mound effort, striking out 10 while permitting just a Trevor Austin double in the fourth inning and a Jedier Hernandez leadoff single in the sixth.
At the plate, freshman designated hitter Nolan Souza led the way with a 3-for-4 night that included a pair of home runs and three RBIs.
Arkansas (15-2, 1-0 SEC) did all of its damage on four swings, as three different Razorbacks connected on multi-run home runs in three consecutive innings and Souza went deep for his second round-tripper in the eighth.
Souza opened the scoring with a two-run shot to right following a hit batsman to start the inning. Former Tiger Ross Lovich added to the lead in the fourth with a three-run blast, before Kendall Diggs made it a 7-0 game with his two-out, two-run homer in the fifth.
Souza, who also singled in the sixth, put the finishing touches on the evening with a one-out solo homer to right in the eighth.
Smith would need little offensive help, as the left-hander faced just two hitters over the minimum before yielding to his bullpen to start the seventh. He fanned two Mizzou hitters in four different innings, including each of his final three frames. Christian Foutch picked up where he left off, retiring six of the seven hitters he faced, and Cooper Dossett closed out the victory with a perfect ninth inning.
Mizzou (9-9, 0-1 SEC) received a lift from Jacob Peaden out of the bullpen, as the graduate transfer turned in three consecutive scoreless innings in relief of Logan Lunceford (1-1), before permitting the final Arkansas run of the game in the eighth. In all, Peaden struck out three and scattered three hits in his 4.1 innings—a Mizzou career high for the right-hander.
TIGER NOTEBOOK
- With the setback, Mizzou falls to 4-7 in SEC openers and 33-34-1 all-time vs. Arkansas.
- Mizzou’s four hits matched a season low (March 1 vs. Northern Kentucky).
- Jackson Lovich extended his career-best hit streak to 13 games with his seventh-inning single.
- Lovich is now hitting .388 (19-for-49) over the course of his hit streak which dates back to February 24.
- Peaden’s 4.1 innings marks the fourth-longest outing of his collegiate career, spanning 55 total appearances.
- The Tigers were shut out for the first time since May 19, 2023, when they dropped a 4-0 contest at Auburn.
UP NEXT
The Tigers and Razorbacks continue their weekend series Saturday with a 2 p.m. (CDT) contest.
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