Auburn got out in front early but could not hang on, dropping game two to Arkansas 3-2, setting up a massive game three tomorrow afternoon.
Auburn led 2-1 going into the eighth inning, but a two-run home run from Arkansas catcher Ryder Helfrick gave the Razorbacks the lead, which they never gave back.
“You just know as you go through the ballgame you want to extend it one more time,” Auburn head coach Butch Thompson said. “The more I reflect on it, it just felt like a Friday night ballgame.
Helfrick accounted for all of Arkansas’ runs in the game, hitting two home runs in the sixth and eighth innings.
Pitching dominated the storyline in the game, with both starters going seven innings deep. Auburn lefty Jake Marciano was dominant from the jump, giving up only four hits, one walk and one run to go along with eight strikeouts. Marciano is now down to a 1.28 ERA on the year.
Jake Marciano delivers home against Arkansas at Plainsman Park on April 3, 2026.
“The focus for me was on the batter, just making sure I made my pitches and almost competed even more than I needed to make sure that run didn't come in,” Marciano said of escaping the second inning. “Right there, I was just trying to mix my pitches well, make sure they went to the location I wanted and really trust my defense.”
Marciano got into some early trouble in the top of the second, allowing the first two runners to reach base. The sophomore gave up a single after striking a batter out to load the bases with one out. He then got out of the jam and settled in nicely for the rest of his outing.
On the other side, Arkansas starter Hunter Dietz was just as dominant, allowing six hits and one earned run with 11 strikeouts. After grabbing the lead in the top of the eighth, southpaw Ethan McElvain was lights out, closing the game without allowing a runner to reach base while striking out three batters in the final two innings.
“Credit to those guys,” Thompson said. “I do think we competed offensively. We scratched and competed hard. They got a bunch of strikeouts because that was pretty good stuff. I wish we could’ve come back or expanded in the middle innings to give us a better chance, but it didn’t happen. We wound up just on the short end of this one.”
Auburn started the game strong, striking early in the first on a Chris Rembert single that scored Bristol Carter, who reached on an error. Auburn came back in the second inning with an Ethin Bingaman single that scored Eric Guevara, who led off the inning with a double.
Bristol Carter comes home to score Auburn's first run of the game against Arkansas at Plainsman Park on April 3, 2026.
The Tigers mustered only six hits total, including three in the final six innings, after a strong performance at the plate in game one.
“Yeah, it's huge that tomorrow we have our entire staff (ready),” Marciano said. “We can really go out there and have confidence that we're going to win.”
The Tigers’ pitching staff has been nothing short of amazing so far this year, and with only four pitchers used, Auburn could go any direction in game three.
The game three rubber match between the Tigers and Razorbacks is set for 2 p.m. CDT Saturday on SEC Network+.
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