It took him eight at bats, but Heston Kjerstad’s first hit in Friday’s nightcap was the biggest swing of the day for Arkansas.
After going hitless in his first seven trips, he launched a solo home run to help the No. 12 Razorbacks end a 15-inning marathon that they won 9-6 to salvage a doubleheader split at No. 17 Auburn, snapping their four-game losing streak. They gave up six unanswered runs to lose Game 1 by a score of 6-3.
The homer gave Arkansas a one-run lead and Matt Goodheart provided the insurance runs with a two-run double off the left field wall. That proved to be plenty of support for Kevin Kopps.
A few hours after giving up the go-ahead runs to earn his third loss in Arkansas’ last four games, the right-hander came out of the bullpen with the bases loaded in the 14th and struck out Judd Ward to keep the game going. He then retired the Tigers in order, capped by a diving catch by Dominic Fletcher, to secure the win.
Those were the last three of 16 runners left on base by Auburn, while the Razorbacks stranded 18 - one shy of tying the single-game school record. That helped extend the game, which was Arkansas’ longest since a 16-inning loss to Missouri State in 2004. The longest game in UA history was a 17-inning loss to Auburn in the 1994 SEC Western Division Tournament.
It looked like the Razorbacks might win the game in the 12th when Trevor Ezell hit a two-run home run, but the Tigers answered in the bottom half of the inning.
A throwing error by Casey Martin put leadoff man Edouard Julien on and he eventually scored on a passed ball. That play also moved Everett Lau, who reached on a walk, to third and set up the game-tying sacrifice fly by Ryan Bliss.
Although neither run was earned, both were charged to Kole Ramage, who matched his career high with 4 2/3 innings - all of which came in extras. Those were the only runs he allowed despite walking five and hitting two batters with pitches, as he also threw a career-high 75 pitches.
Auburn actually did momentarily win in walk-off fashion in the 10th, as Matt Scheffler’s two-out single seemingly scored Steven Williams from second. The umpires had to break up a dog pile and get the Tigers back in the dugout so the play could be reviewed and replays showed that catcher Casey Opitz received a perfect throw from left fielder Christian Franklin and tagged Williams’ elbow before his hand touched the plate.
There was more drama packed into the six extra innings than most normal weekends for an entire three-game series and that came after an intense nine innings of regulation.
Just as they did in the first game of the doubleheader, the Razorbacks jumped out to a 3-0 lead, scoring one run in three of the first four innings.
Fletcher followed Martin’s two-out triple in the first with a single up the middle that Will Holland, Auburn’s star shortstop, couldn’t quite handle. In the second and fourth innings, Arkansas loaded the bases with one out and the top of its lineup coming to the plate, but managed just one run.
Ezell notched both RBIs, first via a sacrifice fly and then on a fielder’s choice ground out. The latter likely would have driven in two runs and possibly led to more, but Holland made a diving stop up the middle and flipped to second for an out.
That lead was quickly erased against Arkansas starter Connor Noland, who had faced the minimum on only 29 pitches through the third. He gave up a leadoff double to Ward in the fourth and he scored on a ground out by Rankin Woley.
Then the freshman right-hander ran into his typical fifth-inning troubles, allowing another leadoff double - this time by Williams - before Holland crushed a two-run homer to tie the game. For the fourth time in eight starts, Noland was removed after exactly 4 2/3 innings. He was charged with three earned runs on five hits while walking none and striking out two.
Making every effort to win the game and with Jacob Kostyshock out with an injury, head coach Dave Van Horn brought usual Game 3 starter Cody Scroggins in out of the bullpen.
Scroggins mostly worked himself in and out of danger in 2 2/3 innings, but did give up a go-ahead RBI double to Bliss, who actually failed to lay down a sacrifice bunt earlier in the at bat, in the seventh.
Arkansas responded the very next inning, hitting three straight singles to start the eighth. The last of those hits was a game-tying RBI for Franklin. Opitz nearly gave the Razorbacks some insurance, but Julien made a diving stop on a sharp grounder down the third base line to rob him of extra bases and at least one RBI.
When Scroggins issued a one-out walk in the home half of the inning and then gave up a double that put two runners in scoring position, Van Horn called on closer Matt Cronin.
It wasn’t a save situation, but he got back-to-back strikeouts to escape the jam. He got into a self-made jam in the bottom of the ninth by giving up a two-out single and consecutive walks to load the bases, but he struck out Julien to send the game to extras.
Both teams struggled to come up with clutch hits throughout the game. The Razorbacks went 3 for 19 (.158) with runners in scoring position, while the Tigers were an even worse 2 for 18 (.111) in those situations. Neither team managed in hit with the bases loaded, either, as each went 0 for 2.
First pitch of the rubber match between Arkansas and Auburn has been moved up an hour to 1 p.m. Saturday, but the forecast does not look encouraging. There is at least a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms for most of the afternoon and evening. Because the series was scheduled to start Thursday, the game can’t be moved to Sunday.
The Razorbacks have not officially announced their starter, but freshman left-hander Patrick Wicklander (2-1, 4.50 ERA) would be the most likely option. The Tigers will counter with freshman right-hander Richard Fitts (2-0, 3.50), who will be making his first career start.
Game 1: Auburn 6, Arkansas 3
With its ace cruising on the mound, Arkansas seemed like it had a comfortable 3-0 lead thanks to a two-run home run by Kjerstad in the fifth.
However, Isaiah Campbell was an out away from an easy sixth inning when Jacob Nesbit didn’t make a clean transition from his glove to his hand on a slow grounder by Rankin Woley, allowing him to reach on an infield single.
That sparked a two-out rally by Auburn. Five straight batters reached, with Conor Davis getting the Tigers on the board with an RBI single and Bliss tying it up on a bases-loaded single that scored two.
By extending that inning, Auburn was able to get Campbell’s pitch count up and get to Arkansas’ floundering bullpen even quicker. He was pulled after 6 2/3 innings, allowing three earned runs on seven hits and three walks.
Kopps was the first pitcher called upon and he got out of the seventh with a strikeout, but gave up back-to-back doubles to Edouard Julien and Conor Davis to start the eighth inning. That gave Auburn its first lead and it eventually tacked on two more before Zebulon Vermillion recorded the third out.
The result was Kopps’ third loss in as many appearances. He allowed six earned runs in 2 1/3 innings over that span after giving up just one in his first 13 innings. That ballooned his ERA from 0.69 to 4.11, but his 1 1/3 scoreless innings in Game 2 lowered it back down to 3.78.
Arkansas managed to chase Auburn ace Tanner Burns after just six innings by getting his pitch count up to 106. All three of the Razorbacks’ runs were earned off him, coming on seven hits and two walks, but Burns did strike out 10.
It was the Tigers’ bullpen that proved to give Arkansas more fits. Three relievers combined to allow only one base runner over the final three innings, with Elliott Anderson earning the win to improve to 5-0 and Cody Greenhill notching his seventh save.
The Razorbacks had plenty of chances to add to their early lead, but went just 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position. The lone hit was Kjerstad’s homer and - other than a sacrifice fly by Jacob Nesbit - that was it for Arkansas. By comparison, Auburn went 5 for 10 in those situations.
BOX SCORE (Game 1)
BOX SCORE (Game 2)
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