All Hogs

Live Blog: Arkansas vs. LSU Game 3

The Hogs and Tigers split the first two games, so keep up live to see who pulls out this series of Top 5 SEC teams

Kent Smith

Arkansas pitcher Hunter Hollan applies the tag at the plate in a Game 1 win against LSU in Baton Rouge. (Arkansas Communications)
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BATON ROUGE, La. –Welcome to south Louisiana where it's been a beautiful day. 

Earlier today the Hogs and Tigers played under beautiful weather as a warm clear day gave way to some clouds that moved in late.

As we get ready for Game 3 to determine who wins the series, it will continue to be perfectly warm and partly cloudy. There will just enough breeze to affect borderline home runs, but nothing like we've seen at Baum-Walker lately where routine pop-ups end up in the bullpen or blowing almost back to the infield.

As one might expect in a series between a pair of Top 5 clubs, this one's had a little bit of everything. There's been a pitcher's duel, extra innings, lots of home runs, brilliant plays in the field and uncharacteristic errors.

The good news for Arkansas is Van Horn figured out early on in Game 2 that the LSU bats were overly hot, so he did all he could to get out of the game using only two pitchers. 

He did end up having to call on Gage Wood to throw 10 pitches to finish the blow-out, bringing his total number of pitchers to five over two games. 

That means the Razorbacks have about as many cards available to play in a Game 3 as they've had all season as far as pitching is concerned.

CATCH UP ON WHAT YOU MISSED SO FAR

Arkansas couldn't keep winning forever, but for a little over 11 1/2 innings against No. 1 LSU, it certainly looked like it. 

The Hogs had a huge outburst of offense in extra innings Friday night to win 9-3 in what was a masterful pitcher's duel in regulation. However, the power of LSU isn't going to be held down forever.

Once Sunday afternoon rolled around, the Tigers got the bats heated up again, riding their power to a 12-2 run rule game in the seventh. However, finishing that game up early may actually help Arkansas in the long run when it comes to getting out of Baton Rouge with another SEC series win.

Here's how it happened.

STORY: Game 1 Breakdown, Game 2 Breakdown

Dave Van Horn on last night's extra innings win

Players on last night's extra innings win

STARTING PITCHER

Arkansas Logo

Cody Adcock, RHP 
6-4, 210 
Texarkana, Ark.

LSU Logo

Thatcher Hurd, RHP
6-4, 214
Manhattan Beach, Calif. [UCLA]

Arkansas Starting Line-Up

LSU Starting Line-Up

1st inning (Top)

Josenberger with a pop up to shallow left and we're off and running here in Baton Rouge. The shadows are long at first pitch. The ball will be moving in and out of the shadows.

Stovall comes up second as Wegner moves back down the line-up a little. He swings so hard his heel buried in the dirt at home plate and he stumbled. It was a screamer to first that is snagged and Stovall is out No. 2 with the unassisted force.

Wegner swings like he's got an axe in his hand and it rockets off the end of the bat. It gets up high and just clears the fence in right. The Arkansas Mountain Monster has his third home run of the season as the Hogs jump out 1-0.

Slavens turns on the first pitch he sees and it's got a chance. It short hops the wall in right before ricocheting into foul territory and Slavens is in at second with a double. He really saw that ball. It looked like an easy batting practice swing for him.

Hatcher is a tall pitcher, but he throws a lot of off-speed and breaking pitches that don't look like they have a lot of movement. 

Buhrofen walks on four consecutive as Hurd is starting to lose confidence.

Diggs is up and the first two pitches aren't even close. Hurd has thrown five straight balls. Diggs fouls off several pitches, including one that barely missed being a home run to get to a full count. The pitch is outside and the bases are loaded for Caleb Cali.

Hurd misses way high on the first two and the third is outside. LSU is trying to get pitchers to the dugout, but because of the pitch clock, he's stuck out there with nowhere to go. Pitch is outside and Slavens walks in to put the Hogs up 2-0.

The catcher Rowland comes up and battles his way to a 2-2 count that was extended with a couple of fouls. However, he goes down looking at a pitch that looked low and inside. 

The Hogs get out to a 2-0 lead for a second consecutive game. However, this one feels a lot different than Game 2.

Mid-Inning break

WHAT DAVE VAN HORN HAS DONE THIS SEASON IS NOTHING SHORT OF MAGIC

1st inning (Bottom)

Cody Adcock takes the mound for the Razorbacks. Adcock got his season off to a rough start in Arlington, but has settled in as a consistent hand since. 

Boy does he throw a nasty inside pitch that turns Gavin Dugas into an absolute pretzel to record a strikeout for the first out of the game.

Tre Morgan got down 1-2 to Adcock and managed to battle back to draw a walk.

Dylan Crews just went all Captain America on the Hogs. He got the fat part of the bat on a 95 mph fast ball that was up at the letters and absolutely crushed it. It went over the 405 sign, cleared the three-story camera tower that's several feet out behind it and landed out in the parking lot. What a monster shot.

That's his fourth home run in four games.

Just like that, we're tied, 2-2. in Baton Rouge. When these guys hit it, it sounds like the ball will explode.

Tommy White comes up and gives the very next pitch a ride. It sounded like a home run off the bat and if it had been to any other area of the park it would have been. Thank goodness it's so deep in center because there's nowhere else Josenberger would have had room to come down with the catch.

Cade Beloso hits a ground single up the middle for another hit. However, Adcock keeps his composure, getting Pearson to pop out to short to get out of the inning without giving up the home run. 

Buckle your seat belts everyone. This is going to be a wild ride.

ARKANSAS 2, LSU 2

2nd inning (Top)

Hurd makes quick work of the first of Bolton and Josenberger as he strikes them both out. He's hitting low 90s on the fast ball and has a good mix of pitches. He's doing a good job of keeping it low and on the edges of the plate.

He's now struck out three consecutive Razorbacks.

Stovall watches a borderline pitch on a full count. Not sure how he laid off that one, but he draws a walk to bring up Wegner. Hurd didn't want to face Wegner with a runner on. He will be careful here. Look for him to work every edge of the plate possible.

Wegner battles back from a 1-2 count and he's got a walk also. It won't matter though. Slavens hits a high fly ball deep to right and the threat is over.

The good news for Arkansas is Hurd is nearing 60 on the pitch count after only two innings.

Mid-Inning break

AS SEASON NEARED ITS FINAL MINUTES,
HOGS FOUND HOPE FOR NEXT SEASON FROM UNLIKELY PLACE

2nd inning (Bottom)

Adcock throws a filthy breaking pitch that just dove out of the zone as Jordan Thompson is way out in front swinging for the first out of the inning.

Adcock then gets Brayden Joebert to fly out to Wegner on the warning track in let and it's two up, two down for the Tigers here in the bottom of the second. Brady Neal hits a deep fly ball that is tailing foul. Wegner is on the run. He slams into the foul territory wall, but holds onto it and LSU is held scoreless in the second.

ARKANSAS 2, LSU 2

3rd inning (Top)

Bohrofen hits one off the bag that takes an awkward hop and the Razorbacks have a lead-off runner. 

That brings up Diggs who turns on one and if it hadn't gone foul, it might have challenged the LSU home run for length, which is just mind-bending. Now Diggs appears to have been hit on the elbow, but the umpire didn't send him to first. Van Horn is out to appeal. There will be a review.

After a little bit of a break, the call is changed to hit-by-pitch and Arkansas now has runners at first and second with no outs. Hurd has now reached the 70s on his pitch count.

Cali turns on one and it sounds like a rifle went off in the stadium. This thing leaves the stadium and nearly makes its way to a ballpark back behind the baseball field. It went so far over the fence down the line that it was an almost impossible call for the umpires to accurately make without standing under the foul pole as it exited. That is the third ball today that has easily exceeded 450 feet. 

Cali turns on another one that has a lot of top spin on it. It lands just barely to the left of the chalk in left field and we'll reset them again. 

For a third straight pitch Cali lays into it. This one is off the barrel as it shoots out off the wall in the gap in right-center. It bounces off to let Cali get into second with a double while Diggs and Bohrofen score to put the Hogs up 4-2.

That will bring on a new pitcher. Freshman Griffin Herring will take the mound.

Rowland strikes out swinging, but the ball gets away from the catcher. The throw down to first gets away from the first baseman. However, the umpires say Rowland was inside the baseline and interfered with the throw, so he is called out.

Josenberger hits one deep to left, but somehow the ballpark holds it and the Hogs rae done here in the top of the third, but not before the Razorbacks do more damage to go up 4-2.

Mid-Inning break

THE RAZORBACK WOMEN'S TEAM CONTINUES TO CRUISE THROUGH THE WNIT

3rd inning (Bottom)

Adcock plunks Dugas in the shoulder to lead off the inning. However, he gets Morgan to line a rocket directly at Bolton on the first pitch he sees. Bolton tries to double up Dugas, but the throw is late.

That brings up the power hitter Crews. Adcock gets him to hit a grounder, but it gets through the infield. Dugas turns third and there will be a play at the plate. The throw floats a little too much and LSU cuts it to a single run at 4-3. 

That will do it for Adcock. He gives way to Zack Morris while leaving Crews on second.

The book on Morris is inconsistency. Hitters struggle against him because they never know where the ball is going to be. The problem for Morris is he often doesn't know where it's going to be either.

He gets White to pop out to right and the Hogs are an out away from escaping the inning without giving up the lead.

That's not going to happen. Beloso hits a hard liner up the middle that is going to burn the Razorbacks. Van Horn positioned Josenberger back, conceding the run if the ball didn't carry deep into the outfield. Because of this, there won't be a throw and we're tied in Baton Rouge.

Morris forces a grounder to second and once again these two teams begin an inning tied.

ARKANSAS 4, LSU 4

4th inning (Top)

Stovall pops up to first for the first out of the inning, bringing up Wegner. 

From the sound off the bat this one sounds like it's gone. Wegner thinks it is too as he hesitates at the plate. However, the line drive spins down and it hits off the middle of the wall. Pearson fields it cleanly on one hop, wheels and fires a perfect shot to gun down Wegner sliding into second. That is an energy killer right there and might end up being the play of the game. 

Slavens flies out and an inning that had promise gets flipped quickly.

Mid-Inning break

THIS IS WHY CASINOS DON'T LET KIDS BET ON COLLEGE BASKETBALL

4th inning (Bottom)

The pace feels considerably slower in the bottom of the fourth. Morris is going to push the pitch clock often. 

Thompson hits a monster of a shot that has no doubt. Wait. That hit off the top of the wall. Josenberger had turned to watch it go out and it hit off the top part of the wall and bounced over his head. No one thought this one was staying in. Had Josenberger, he could have made the catch on the wall in center. 

That will be a triple for Thompson and LSU is in position to take the lead.

Hard line drive to Bolton at short. This should be a double play. He dropped it. The ball came on a rope and it was too hot for Bolton to hold onto. The Razorbacks pay on that one as Thompson ends up scoring from third. 

Dugas hits a home run that just gets over the left field wall for a 2-run shot and it's 7-4 now. Morris follows that with a walk of Morgan and that will be it. 

Van Horn goes to the bullpen and Dylan Carter comes in with the unenviable task of getting Crews out. 

He gets Crews to ground to third, but it will be the second error of the inning by the left side fo the infield. 

White isn't one to waste an opportunity. He unloads on a ball deep into the parking lot behind the stadium for a 3-run homer that extends the lead to 10-4.

The pitchers are doing their part, but there's no confidence in the support behind him. 

Here's another grounder that squirts through the infield at second and the Tigers are looking to keep kick the Razorbacks while they're down with only one out. This stadium is electric at the moment.

Carter strikes out Pearson and Rowland comes up throwing to gun down Beloso at second and the bleeding is mercifully stopped.

LSU 10, ARKANSAS 4

5th inning (Top)

Quite possibly the only team in America that can come back against LSU with the Tigers hitting like this is Arkansas. This game isn't over.

Bohrofen hits a rope to right field that hits off the shin of the right fielder. He's going to try for second and the throw is going to make it close. It looks like he's in, but LSU says he came off the bag.

The play has been reviewed and the call of safe stands to give Bohrofen the double.

Diggs is patient, drawing the walk to put runners at first and second for Cali. If he is seeing the ball like he was earlier in the game, this deficit is about to shrink pretty fast.

He will face a fresh pitcher as Edwards comes in for Herring.

Edwards sets Cali down in three pitches as he came out on fire for the strikeout. 

Rowland hits a hard grounder through the gap on the left side of the infield off the end of the bat that will load the bases with one out.

Robinett hits into a fielder's choice to bring in a run to make it 10-5. That's where it will end though as Josenberger strikes out swinging.

Mid-Inning break

5th inning (Bottom)

Van Horn brings in Coll to play shortstop in place of Bolton who had the error that got things going for LSU last inning.

Carter is doing a great job of mixing up his pitches. He strikes out Thompson to begin the inning, making him look lost on a breaking ball. He then goes 0-2 to Jobert, utilizing the change-up. He gets Jobert swinging at a soft hook and that's three straight Tigers struck out by Carter.

He gets Neal to ground to second as it's bobbled by Slavens. He recovers to get the out at first, swinging just a little bit of momentum the Razorbacks' way.

LSU 10, ARKANSAS 5

6th inning (Top)

Stovall pops one up down the line in left for the first out. Wegner then pops up the first things he sees gently to second base. Slavens turns hard on one, but it's directly to first base for an easy out and the Razorbacks are starting to run out of at-bats.

Mid-Inning break

AS THE SEASON NEARED ITS END,
THERE WAS STILL REASON TO BE THANKFUL FOR KAMANI JOHNSON

6th inning (Bottom)

Carter goes 0-2 to Dugas, but ends up giving up the walk. Then Morgan lines a single to left to put two on the table with the dangerous Crews coming to the plate. Crews has reached all three times at the plate with a home run, a single and a hit where he reached on an error.

Crews walks to load the bases with no outs and this one is on the verge of getting out of hand.

That brings White to the plate who just killed the ball lat time. 

Carter hangs a breaking ball and that one has a chance. It's deep to right and that one is gone. Bohrofen made an effort to go up and get it, but that's a grand slam for White.

That's the fourth home run given up to LSU and it's now 14-5. 

That will bring Ben Bybee to the mound to try to keep this from getting absurd.

Bybee immediately gets Thomspon to fly out to center on an 0-2 pitch and then strikes out Thompson swinging to get things back under control.

Jobert singles to center to put runners at the corners. Bybee gets Neal to foul out behind third to end the inning.

LSU 14, ARKANSAS 5

7th inning (Top)

Bohrofen is able to hold off on swinging on ball four and the Hogs have the lead-off on. There's a wild pitch and Bohrofen advances to second. There's another wild pitch and he's on third now. 

Diggs goes down looking after fouling off three pitches in a nine pitch at-bat.

The next two Razorbacks strike out and getting Bohrofen to third means nothing. This means if LSU scores a single run in the bottom half of the inning, it's over.

7th inning (Bottom)

Bybee walks the lead-off, but gets a fly-out and two ground-outs, including one that ended the streak of consecutive homers by White to keep this game going another inning.

LSU 14, ARKANSAS 5

8th inning (Top)

Coll grounds out, but Josenberger hits a hard liner to left for a single. Stovall smashes one deep to center. It's back to the warning track, but Crews sprints back to make the out at the wall.

Wegner strikes out and LSU gets another chance to put the Hogs out of their misery.

8th inning (Bottom)

Freshman Christian Foutch comes in for Bybee. He's able to get Beloso to fly out to deep straight away center. Pearson then flies out to right. He then hits Thompson on an 0-2 pitch. Foutch gets Kling to fly out to center and we'll decide this one in the ninth.

 LSU 14, ARKANSAS 5

9th inning (Top)

The first two Razorbacks ground back to the pitcher before Diggs ropes a single to right with two outs. Cali follows with a pop-up high to right and it's over. LSU gets their first series win over Arkansas since 2018.

 LSU 14, ARKANSAS 5

Published
Kent Smith
KENT SMITH

Kent Smith has been in the world of media and film for nearly 30 years. From Nolan Richardson's final seasons, former Razorback quarterback Clint Stoerner trying to throw to anyone and anything in the blazing heat of Cowboys training camp in Wichita Falls, the first high school and college games after 9/11, to Troy Aikman's retirement and Alex Rodriguez's signing of his quarter billion dollar contract, Smith has been there to report on some of the region's biggest moments. 

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