Arkansas erases seven-run deficit to walk off Texas Tech
FAYETTEVILLE — The No. 1 Arkansas Razorbacks (31-5, 12-3 SEC) erased a 7-0 deficit to secure a 9-8 walk-off win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders (26-12, 9-9 Big 12) Tuesday at Baum-Walker Stadium.
Texas Tech scored six runs on seven hits in the top of the second inning to quickly take a big lead early, but Arkansas erased that completely by tying the game at 7-7 with a six-run bottom of the fifth later on.
After trading runs to make it an 8-8 game in the ninth, the Razorbacks won in walk-off fashion via a pinch-hit RBI sacrifice fly out from freshman Nolan Souza that helped the Hogs to their 24th straight win at home.
"Just proud of our guys," Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said. "They rallied and just kept going and found a way to win against a team that can really hit. We’ve got our hands full again tomorrow."
Arkansas starting pitcher Ben Bybee gave up six runs on six hits in the start, but five relievers combined for 7.2 innings of two-run ball with just one combined walk and 12 combined strikeouts.
"The bullpen was amazing tonight, and they just did a great job, everyone we brought in there," Van Horn said.
Both squads went three up, three down at the plate in the first inning, and then the Red Raiders managed to strike first with a one-out, two-run homer from third baseman Cade McGee in the top of the second inning.
Arkansas stating pitcher Ben Bybee gave up four straight singles — two that scored runs — after the homer to give the Red Raiders a 4-0 lead and end his outing with just one out in the top of the second.
Right-hander Christian Foutch came in and picked up the second out, but he was tagged with a two-RBI double to right that made it 6-0 before he was able to end the frame after the Red Raiders plated six runs on seven hits.
"We really didn’t give them anything," Van Horn said. "They just got after Bybee. I mean, bottom line, they hit everything he threw in the second inning."
The Razorbacks put two runners on with a pair of singles in the bottom half of the second, but they were both stranded. Foutch picked up two outs and put two runners on in the top of the third before sophomore right-hander Gage Wood relieved him and ended the frame with a strikeout.
Texas Tech added another run via a two-out RBI single in the top of the fourth inning that gave it a 7-0 lead over the Hogs. Arkansas scored in similar fashion in the bottom of the fourth to get on the board with an RBI single to third from Jack Wagner — the first run in 14 innings for the Razorbacks to make it 7-1.
Arkansas' Jayson Jones led the bottom of the fifth inning off with a 110 mile per hour double to center and he ended the frame with strikeout. Between those two at bats, the Hogs plated six runs with five RBI swings, highlighted by a 377-foot two-run homer to left field by McLaughlin and an RBI double from Hudson White that tied things up at 7-7 after five innings.
"It’s really rare to have a 6-run inning," Van Horn said. "But to have each team one, and that team that had theirs second ended up winning the game. It’s kind of unusual. A lot of clutch hits, a lot of two-out hits. We only put them only one walk and maybe one hit by pitch. They did the rest themselves."
In the top of the seventh inning, sophomore left-hander Parker Coil worked Arkansas' first 1-2-3 frame since the top of the first. Texas Tech reliever Isaiah Rhodes followed suit with a three up, three down bottom half of the seventh.
Red Raiders' right fielder Austin Green drove his fourth hit of the night 337 feet to right field for a go-ahead leadoff solo home run off Arkansas reliever Will McEntire in the top of the seventh. The Hogs' veteran responded with three straight outs to limit the damage to one run. Three different Texas Tech pitchers earned one out each in a scoreless bottom of the seventh for Arkansas.
McEntire allowed a one-out single in the top of the eighth and the Hogs then turned to freshman closer Gabe Gaeckle, who picked up two straight outs to strand the runner.
Arkansas tied the game at 8-8 in the bottom of the half of the eighth via an RBI fielder's choice from Peyton Stovall, who was then thrown out trying to steal second to end the inning.
Gaeckle worked a scoreless top of the ninth and the Red Raiders turned to right-hander Parker Hutyra in the bottom of the ninth. Back-to-back errors to start the frame gave the Hogs two runners on and then they loaded the bases after McLaughlin was hit by a pitch. Van Horn elected to pinch hit Souza for Wagner, and it paid off with a swing that went deep enough to right to score the game-winning run.
"When the coaches told me there might be a chance to go up and hit right there I was very excited to get up there and walk it off for all of us, our fans and our teammates," Souza said postgame. "Whenever I got out of the pen they told me, ‘Yeah, this is your guy. Go up there and hit.’ I was really pumped and really happy they would leave me in and go get the job done."
Up next, the Razorbacks and Red Raiders will meet again at Baum-Walker Stadium on Wednesday at 4 p.m. CT. The game will be nationally televised on SEC Network.
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