Diggs Applies Finishing Touch to Smith's Latest Master Class in LSU Series Opener

Razorbacks dispose of Tigers with late homer, Smith's strong start in 7-4 win

Arkansas Razorbacks' Kendall Diggs coming home after a three-run homer in the eighth inning of a 7-4 win over the LSU Tigers on Thursday night at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. / Craven Whitlow-allHOGS Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — No. 1 Arkansas used a late jolt of power to pull away from No. 8 LSU in the series opener Thursday, 7-4. The Razorbacks were set up once again with six strong innings from ace Hagen Smith.

"On the offensive end it was some clutch hitting," coach Dave Van Horn said. "We took our walks. We were patient. We never let them get the momentum back."

With the Hogs embroiled in a 4-3 game in the bottom of the eighth and having left 12 runners on base through the first seven innings, Kendall Diggs hit a three-run homer to right field to seal the game in following a pair of walks.

"It felt really good coming through for the guys," Diggs said. "The past couple of series and games, I wasn’t super happy with how I was producing for the team, but that’s how it goes. Just got to keep moving on to that next at-bat. You get a lot of them. He went the same exact sequence to McLaughlin and it’s really nice to have really good hitters like Ben and Peyton (Stovall) who are similar to me."

Smith wasted no time getting fully amped up, hitting 98 miles an hour with the fastball and striking out the first two hitters he faced en route to a 1-2-3 inning. Smith passed Scott Tabor for fourth place on the Arkansas all-time strikeout list.

LSU opted to start lefty Javen Coleman instead of SEC ERA leader Luke Holman, saving the ace for Saturday's game. A one-out bloop single to nine-hole hitter Ty Wilmsmeyer and a four-pitch walk to Peyton Stovall chased Coleman from the game in the third inning.

Fidel Ulloa came out of the bullpen only to walk Wehiwa Aloy to load the bases for Ben McLaughlin. McLaughlin came feet away from hitting the team's fourth grand slam, but the ball fell harmlessly into center fielder Paxton Cling's glove a step shy of the wall, so the Hogs settled for a loud, long sac fly and a 1-0 lead.

LSU took full advantage of good fortune in the top of the fourth. Tommy White tied the game with a solo homer to left. On the next pitch, Hayden Travinski gave the Tigers a 2-1 lead with a shot to right. The two runs were the first earned runs Smith has given up in nearly a month (March 1 against Murray State).

Jack Wagner, earning his second start in as many games after not starting for three weeks, tied the game with a solo homer to left-center. Wagner now has back-to-back games with a homer and looks to secure more time in the line-up. Peyton Stovall's RBI got both runs back and restored the Razorbacks' lead, 3-2 .

Arkansas looked to doubled its lead in the fifth when Hudson White hit a ground ball up the middle into center with runners on first and second and two outs, but Wagner was thrown out trying to go first to third before McLaughlin crossed the plate, ending the inning and keeping the lead at just one.

Meanwhile, Smith returned to form, retiring eight of the 10 batters he faced after the back-to-back homers, turning in his fifth double digit strikeout performance of the season. He passed the game Will McEntire in the top of the seventh.

"The amazing thing is he keeps his stuff," Van Horn said. "The last inning he was still pumping 95, 96. He could have gone out another inning. We’re just trying to take care of him a little bit. That pitch count’s built up. But his stuff was real good. I’ve seen him great. Today he was real, real good."

McEntire continued to thrive in his role as a bridge to the closer, working around a one-out double to send the game to the seventh-inning stretch with the Razorbacks still in front. While the Hogs' staff didn't walk anyone for the first seven innings, LSU pitchers flirted with eight walks, yet remained largely unscathed. However, a bases-loaded walk by Wilmsmeyer with Cam Johnson on the mound forced home an insurance run to put the Hogs up, 4-2.

That run would prove to be vital, as LSU's 3-4-5 strung together a two-out rally culminating in a Jared Jones RBI single to left , getting that run right back in the top of the eighth. McEntire rebounded to strike out Michael Braswell III to strand the tying run at third.

Van Horn opted to stick with McEntire in the top of the ninth even with a four-run lead. McEntire gave up a one-out walk and a double down the right field line to put the tying run on-deck. LSU got one run back in the ninth on a wild pitch before Van Horn called on Stone Hewlett to get the final out. Hewlett battled back from a 3-0 count to strike out lefty Josh Pearson to end the game.

Game two of the series will feature Holman and Mason Molina as the pitching matchup. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. Friday and will be broadcast on SEC Network.

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