No. 1 Arkansas' late homer secures series over No. 17 Auburn

After losing game one 1-0 on Thursday, the No. 17 Auburn Tigers (14-8, 0-5 SEC) looked to prevent the No. 1 Arkansas Razorbacks (19-2, 5-0 SEC) from claiming the series, but Arkansas shut that dream down, claiming game two 6-5 late Friday night. 

Unlike game one, the Tigers' and Razorbacks’ offenses went back and forth at the plate. With a tied game going into the eighth, Arkansas saw its opportunity to steal game two from Auburn with a home run that solidified the match. 

“I thought we had a lot of legitimate chances tonight to do something,” said head coach Butch Thompson. “I think the remedy is to continue to play with effort. Keep being competitive on the mound the way we have been this week, and come up with a timely hit or two. I think that’ll get us going.”

In 34 at-bats, Auburn added five runs, 10 hits – four doubles – and three RBIs to the stat sheet, compared to Arkansas’ six runs, eight hits – two home runs – and six RBIs. 

Auburn commanded the lead early, thanks to Ike Irish’s groundout that sent Cooper Weiss home to score. However, Arkansas first baseman Ben McLaughlin closed the score gap with a home run sent flying over the right-field wall. 

Capitalizing on the Razorbacks’ mistakes, the Tigers added two runs in the third, with Weiss scoring the first, then Irish. Auburn was put in scoring position because of the two crucial errors committed by Arkansas’ defense – a balk and an error by the catcher. 

However, Arkansas’ offense came out swinging, adding three runs at the top of the fourth. With the bases loaded, third baseman Jared Sprague-Lott walked so shortstop Wehiwa Aloy could score. Then, left fielder Will Edmunson’s single to left field sent McLaughlin and right fielder Kendall Diggs home, making it a 4-3 game. 

“Off the top of the fourth was a huge inning,” Thompson said. “We scored a couple of runs and made it 3-1. Then they reel us right back in, and I thought that was huge to the ballgame.”

The Tigers’ offense struck again, but this time, Bobby Peirce scored the tying run on an error committed by the Razorbacks’ catcher, Parker Rowland, in the fifth. 

Keeping Arkansas’ electric offense scoreless through the sixth, Javon Hernandez’s run gave Auburn back the lead 5-4. 

But the Razorbacks’ offense decided they weren’t done. After being hit by a pitch, Edmunson made his way to first, but advanced to third on Caden Green’s error. Then second baseman Peyton Stovall hit a sac fly to left field that sent Edmunson home to tie the game 5-5. 

At the bottom of the eighth, there was a 30-minute delay because the umpire was hit by a foul ball and had to be replaced. After the lengthy delay, Irish flied out to right field, and Peirce struck out swinging. 

Fast forward to the top of the ninth, pinch hitter Ryder Helfrick homered his ball over the green monster in left field, making it a 6-5 game while Auburn’s offense was unable to capitalize on its chances, going three up, three down in the bottom of the ninth to end the game.

Thompson’s bullpen had a solid night on the bump, recording 11 strikeouts with two walks and two hit-by-pitches and allowing eight hits and six runs – four earned. Comparatively, Dave Van Horn’s staff had 12 strikeouts, six walks, one wild pitch, one balk and one hit-by-pitch – allowing 10 hits and five runs – four earned. 

RHP Chase Allsup started on the mound for the Tigers and pitched six innings. Facing 24 total batters, Allsup secured five strikeouts and one walk and allowed four runs – three earned runs – and five hits. 

RHP John Armstrong (0-1) relieved Allsup in the seventh, pitching 2.1 innings. Armstrong recorded four strikeouts, one walk and one hit-by-pitch, allowing three hits and two runs – one earned. 

LHP Tanner Bauman closed out the game, relieving Armstrong in the ninth. Bauman added two strikeouts and one hit-by-pitch to the stat sheet after 0.2 innings pitched. 

The Tigers and the Razorbacks will return to Plainsman Park for the series finale on Saturday, March 23, at 2 p.m. CST. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network+.