The No. 7 Arkansas Razorbacks (40-11, 17-9 SEC) dropped the series Saturday against the No. 3 LSU Tigers (40-11, 17-9 SEC) with a 13-3 run-rule loss at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Starter Gage Wood only made it through two innings — in which he allowed four hits, four earned runs and walked two batters with two strikeouts — before getting pulled after throwing 60 pitches.
Arkansas' offense was horrific, going 8-for-28 at the plate with 12 punchouts to only two walks. The Razorbacks left seven men on base and were 0-for-2 with the bases loaded.
Five Hog pitchers combined for 4.2 innings out of the bullpen, with them totaling seven hits, eight earned runs, seven walks and six strikeouts.
RECAP
Top 1st:
LSU starter Anthony Eyanson welcomed Arkansas' top three batters — Charles Davalan, Wehiwa Aloy and Logan Maxwell — to the game with a strikeout and two groundouts in the top of the first.
Bottom 1st:
Gage Wood's no-hitter was broken up by the first batter, a full-count single up the middle. He bounced back with a strikeout before walking the Tigers' three-hole. That free pass came back to bite Wood, who then allowed a three-run blast to give LSU a 3-0 lead. Wood was tagged with another single, but got out of the inning with a fielder's choice groundout.
Top 2nd:
Kuhio Aloy swung at the first pitch he saw and fouled out to the catcher behind home plate. Cam Kozeal worked the count full but struckout and Brent Iredale swung and missed for the final out.
Bottom 2nd:
Pitching coach Matt Hobbs made a quick mound visit once Wood gave up a solo homerun and a walk to start his second frame. Down 4-0 to the Tigers, Wood used a strikeout, lineout and flyout to get out of the jam.
Top 3rd:
Ryder Helfrick gave Arkansas its first leadoff baserunner by bunting his way on for a single. Reese Robinett made it two straight men on base with a four-pitch walk, and after Justin Thomas Jr. struckout, Davalan singled to load the bases. However, back-to-back Ks by Wehiwa Aloy and Maxwell stranded the runners on base.
Bottom 3rd:
Bullpen righty Ben Bybee took the mound in the third and was greeted with a solo moonshot to right field. He followed that up with a walk before drawing two straight flyouts and a strikeout.
Top 4th:
Kuhio Aloy singled through the right side to give the Hogs another leadoff man on base, but he too was stranded after a Kozeal groundout and punchouts by Iredale and Helfrick.
Bottom 4th:
Things started to unravel for Bybee in the fourth, as an error by Iredale, LSU single and walk loaded the bases for the Tigers with no outs. After a quick mound visit, Bybee recorded a foulout. Arkansas called upon Colin Fisher to escape the jam, and he mostly did that with two outs and a walk that drove in a run. The Tigers led 6-0 after the inning.
Top 5th:
The Hogs went down in order in the fifth behind two strikeouts and a flyout to left field.
Bottom 5th:
More bad news came for Arkansas in the bottom of the fifth, as Fisher walked the leadoff man, allowed a single and then tossed a wild pitch that advanced both runners. A sac-fly made it 7-0, LSU, and the Hogs brought on Tate McGuire from the pen, and he also got his day started with a walk. A fielder's choice RBI groundout and single made it 9-0. A three-run bomb then made it 12-0, LSU.
Top 6th:
Wehiwa Aloy flied out to start the sixth. Maxwell singled, Kuhio Aloy popped up and Kozeal singled to give Arkansas two men on base. Iredale struck out to end the Hogs' comeback threat.
Bottom 6th:
Freshman bullpen arm Steele Eaves stormed out of the pen to begin the frame and he provided one of the cleanest innings of the day, relatively speaking. He allowed two baserunners on a single and walk, but stranded them with a flyout and strikeout.
Top 7th:
Helfrick led off with a double and Robinett walked. Thomas singled to right to score Arkansas' first run. The Tigers changed pitchers to DJ Primeaux, who gave up an RBI single to Davalan that made it 12-2, Tigers. With two on and no outs, LSU called upon Jaden Noot to get out of the jam. Wehiwa Aloy struck out, but a wild pitch advanced both runners.
A Maxwell sac-fly scored a run to break up the run-rule, and a Kuhio Aloy groundout ended the frame.
Bottom 7th:
Arkansas lefty Hunter Dietz made his season debut and was flashing his high velo early. He worked around an early single with a groundout and a strikeout, but a wild pitch on another strikeout allowed the runner to score from second and win the game.
