The No. 7 Arkansas Razorbacks (40-10, 17-8 SEC) dropped a 5-4 heartbreaker to the No. 3 LSU Tigers (39-11, 16-9 SEC) on Friday night at Alex Box Stadium in a game that was delayed over three hours and lasted well into Saturday.
The Razorbacks took their first lead in the sixth inning and plated another run in the seventh to gain a 4-2 advantage, but the Tigers tied the game on a two-RBI single by Derek Curiel and then a sacrifice fly to center field by Ethan Frey in the bottom of the 10th scored Jared Jones to take Game One of the three-game series.
Kuhio Aloy and Cam Kozeal each hit a solo home run, while Justin Thomas Jr. finished 3-for-4 and Ryder Helfrick and Wehiwa Aloy also recorded multiple hits. Friday starter Zach Root posted six innings of five-hit ball and surrendered two earned runs while striking out six batters. Gabe Gaeckle, who was tagged with the loss, was impressive, striking out eight of his first nine batters faced in 3.1 innings of relief with five strikeouts, but it was not enough as the Hogs left the bases loaded in the top of the 10th before the Tigers closed it out at the bottom of the frame.
RECAP
Top 1st:
LF Charles Davalan led off the game with double down the left field line on a 2-2 count, then LSU lefty Kade Anderson got Wehiwa Aloy swinging for the first out on the ensuing at-bat. RF Logan Maxwell, who is back in the lineup for the first time since Game One of the Florida series, was initially ruled safe but the call was reversed upon review but Davalan advanced to third. DH Kuhio Aloy drew a two-out, full count walk on an outside pitch to put runners on the corners before Anderson recorded his second strikeout of the inning against 2B Cam Kozeal to leave Davalan and Kuhio stranded.
Bottom 1st:
Reigning SEC Pitcher of the Week Zach Root picked right back up from his career night against Texas, opening the frame a three-pitch strikeout against Derek Curiel before punching out Jared Jones. Kozeal ended the inning on a flyout to second despite a scary three-way collision between Kozeal, Maxwell and CF Brian Thomas Jr.
Top 2nd:
Anderson worked back-to-back strikeouts against 3B Brent Iredale and 1B Reese Robinett for his third-straight strikeout on a 96-MPH fastball at the top of the zone. C Ryder Helfrick battled on a 2-2 pitch and smoked one past Anderson that rolled into shallow center field. Anderson worked around Helfrick's one-out single to get out of the inning with a strikeout against Thomas Jr., Anderson's fifth of the evening.
Bottom 2nd:
DH Ethan Frey ripped a leadoff line drive down the left field line past Iredale for a standup double. A sacrifice bunt by RF Josh Pearson advanced Frey 90-feet from home plate and C Luis Hernandez jogged to first on a one-out hit-by-pitch to put Tigers on the corners. A squeeze bunt by 3B Michael Braswell III was scooped up by Root, who dove at the plate to tag Frey out at home on a fielder's choice. A chopper to second was gathered by Kozeal, who flipped the ball to Wehiwa Aloy to complete to 4-6 fielder's choice.
Top 3rd:
2B Daniel Dickenson got the third started with a bang, gobbling up a chopper from Davalan and spun around on a web gem play as he tossed to Jones at first for the first out. Wehiwa Aloy reached first on a single to left, but LSU completed the 5-6-3 double play on a groundout by Maxwell.
Bottom 3rd:
CF Chris Stanfield hit a rocket down the left field line for LSU's second straight leadoff, standup double and advanced to third on a groundout to Root. Jones lifted a changeup off of the end of the barrel into no man's land in shallow right field that was out of Kozeal's and Maxwell's reach to score Stanfield from third and give LSU a 1-0 advantage. The Razorbacks avoided further damage, though, turning a 6-3 double play on the ensuing at-bat.
Top 4th:
After Kuhio Aloy grounded out to short to start the inning, Kozeal smacked his 12th long ball of the season against the wind to nod it up at 1-1. Anderson rebounded to get Iredale swinging on the 12th pitch of the at-bat with a fastball, then punched out Robinett on a full count.
Bottom 4th:
LSU immediately responded with a homer as Frey went opposite field on a first-pitch fastball to take a 2-1 advantage. Root bounced back, working a three-pitch strikeout against Pearson on a down and away curveball. Wehiwa Aloy ended the frame by snagging a grounder to throw Hernandez out at first, then Root got Braswell swinging.
Top 5th:
Helfrick hit a laser past Braswell at third that rolled all the way to the left field wall for a standup double and Thomas Jr. followed that up with a chopper to left to put runners on the corners with no outs.
LSU head coach Jay Johnson gathered his infield for a mound visit after the Hogs quickly got two on. With the top of the order due up, Davalan hit a sacrifice fly to center to tie the game a two before Anderson got Wehiwa Aloy looking on a three-pitch strikeout for the second out. Anderson rebounded from 0-2 and worked a full count to Maxwell, who grounded out softly to short.
Bottom 5th:
Root recorded his fifth punchout, sitting SS Steven Milam down on three strikes on a filthy breaking ball down in the zone and consecutive groundouts to third by Stanfield and Curiel capped the inning for Root, who threw just 11 pitches in the frame.
Top 6th:
Kuhio Aloy gave the Razorbacks their first lead, 3-2, launching a first-pitch changeup over the left field wall. Anderson worked around the leadoff bomb to post consecutive strikeouts against Kozeal and Iredale. However, that would end Anderson's night after experiencing evident discomfort in his throwing wrist.
The Tigers brought 6-foot-8 righty Chase Shores out of the bullpen to relieve Anderson, who finished with 10 strikeouts in 5.2 innings. Robinett notched his first hit of the night against Shores on a two-out single to center, but Braswell gloved a hard hit liner by Helfrick to end the inning.
Bottom 6th:
Working with a lead for the first time, Root punched out Jones on a curveball and Dickinson drilled a one-out single to left on an 0-1 count. Root and Frey went toe-to-toe on an 11-pitch at bat that resulted in a 4-3 groundout and Dickinson advanced to second.
With Dickinson in scoring position with two outs, Arkansas pitching coach Matt Hobbs called a quick meeting at the mound and the Hogs got out of the frame soon after on an unassisted groundout to first.
Top 7th:
Thomas Jr. started the inning with a single to center, then darted to second when Davalan grounded out to Dickinson at second base. A wild pitch moved Thomas Jr. 90-feet over to third, then a soft-hit groundout to third by Wehiwa Aloy sent Thomas Jr. home to plate another run for the Hogs.
Bottom 7th:
After stretch time, righty Aiden Jimenez took the mound in place of Root, who posted six strikeouts in as many innings of five-hit ball, and Jimenez notched his first punchout against leadoff batter Hernandez on cutter low and away. Pinch hitter Jake Brown reached first after Wehiwa Aloy was unable to gather a 2-2 pitch that was hit to short, then LSU put runners on first and second after Milam trotted to first on a four-pitch walk, prompting Hobbs to come back out.
There was a break in the action following Jimenez's sixth-straight pitch out of the zone to deal with a PitchCom issue. Once play resumed, Stanfield drew a 3-1 walk to load the bases and Curiel followed that with a single down the middle to score two, tying the game at four. Helfrick initially tagged the second runner out at home – or so it appeared – but the call was reversed once it was clear Helfrick missed the tag and a frustrated Dave Van Horn exited the dugout to get Jimenez, then called Gabe Gaeckle out of the bullpen.
Gaeckle inherited runners at second and third with one out and Jones at the plate, but he got Jones looking with a 95-MPH heater. Stanfield swiped third without a throw by Helfrick, but Gaeckle came through and recorded the final out getting Dickinson swinging on a full count.
Top 8th:
Kuhio Aloy drew a full count leadoff walk off junior righty Zac Cowan, who replaced Shores in the eighth, but the Tigers turned two on a 3-6-3 play via a Kozeal groundout. Iredale hit a chopper to third, who threw to first on the run to retire the junior Australia native.
Bottom 8th:
Now well past midnight, Frey got the home half started with a groundout to short, then Gaeckle got Pearson swinging on a 96-MPH fastball. The inning came to a prompt close when Hernandez fouled out to Helfrick.
Top 9th:
Robinett smacked a high fly ball to center on a 3-2 count that Stanfield sprinted to his left gather. Helfrick barely went on a check swing to give Cowan his first strikeout, but Thomas Jr. followed that up with a two-out single for his third hit of the evening. The Hogs were unable to do anything with Thomas Jr. on after Davalan was tagged out at first on a hard hit groundout to second.
Bottom 9th:
Gaeckle continued to deal with his fourth punchout using a mix of pitches. Gaeckle surrendered his first hit on a single through the right side by Milam. Ashton Larson came to the plate to pinch hit for Stanfield with one out. Larson went down swinging on a 2-2 count and Curiel came close to ending Game One on a deep fly ball to center, but Thomas Jr. got under it to send it to extra innings.
Top 10:
For the sixth time, Arkansas led off with a base hit as Wehiwa Aloy singled up the middle. Veteran Kendall Diggs came up to pinch hit for Logan Maxwell and laid down a great bunt, but Cowan hustled to get the throw to a leaping Jones who put his foot on the bag right on time. Cowan froze Kuhio Aloy on a 2-seam fastball down the middle to post his second strikeout and then Cowan intentionally walked Kozeal to put runners on first and second with two outs.
LSU pitching coach Nate Yeskie made his way to the mound to talk things over with Cowan as Iredale walked up to the plate and Iredale was plunked on his elbow guard to load the bases with Razorbacks. Arkansas missed the opportunity to re-take the lead when Robinett went on a check swing.
Bottom 10th:
Now past 1:00 a.m., Jones led off the inning by ripping a single to left field and then advanced to second on a wild pitch that Helfrick could not dig out of the dirt. The Hogs recorded their first out of the frame on a groundout to first by Dickinson, however that advanced Jones to third and only 90-feet away from scoring the winning run.
With Arkansas' back against the wall, Hobbs called another meeting at the mound with one out. Ethan Frey walked it off with a sacrifice fly to center that Thomas gathered and rocketed to Helfrick, who was not able to tag Jones at home in time after review. LSU takes Game One 5-4.
