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TCU's Tre Richardson drills back-to-back grand slams to jump on Arkansas early in regional showdown

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby: Grant Grubbs06/04/23grant_grubbs_
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Photo by Ben Ludeman/Texas Rangers/Getty Images

The Arkansas-TCU game got off to a surprising start. With the bases loaded, TCU’s Tre Richardson cracked a grand slam to take an early, commanding 4-0 lead. One inning later, the TCU infielder repeated history to stun the Razorbacks and boost his team to an 11-1 lead two innings into the game.

Richardson is batting a respectable .310 with 44 RBIs this season. However, the Baylor transfer entered Sunday’s game with a mere two home runs this season. In half an hour, he equaled his season total, stepping up when his team needed it most.

The biggest surprise wasn’t Richardson’s power, but instead, No. 5 Arkansas allowing him to use it. Richardson’s first grand slam came against star pitcher Hagen Smith on the mound. Smith was on the 2022 All-SEC Freshman Team. Moreover, Smith was a Perfect Game Freshman All-American (Second Team).

Smith has been just as stellar this season. The 6-foot-3 sophomore entered Sunday’s outing with a 2.69 ERA and 102 strikeouts, ranking top 40 in the nation.

The Horned Frogs made Smith look like a slow-pitch softball player, and they didn’t relent after the grand slam. Instead, the team continued to apply pressure on the Razorbacks, running up six runs total in the first inning. Arkansas took Smith out of the game after just a few pitches in the second inning.

The ice-cold move did nothing to cool off the red-hot Horned Frogs. Propelled forward by Richardson’s second grand slam and an additional run, TCU was ahead 11-1 before Arkansas could blink. For reference, TCU’s game-high this season is 18 runs.

Richardson brought his team within two runs of that season-high when he went yard for the third time in the game. In the sixth inning, the Texas native barely cleared the right-field fence for his third homer, totaling 10 RBIs.

Richardson’s three home runs tie the most homers in a game in Baum-Walker Stadium history. Moreover, the 5-foot-10 junior is one of only four players in NCAA history to drive in 10 runs. The game’s not over yet, either.

Arkansas must recover unless they want to face a potential elimination game. The Razorbacks showed no signs of weakness previously when they defeated Santa Clara 13-6 in Game 1 of the Fayetteville Regional. Arkansas has three innings to fight for its season.