Bullpen Slip-Up Costs Hogs Shot at SEC Road Sweep Over Auburn

Six-run sixth dooms Arkansas on the road against Tigers

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Dave Van Horn looks on while contemplating a pitching change. / Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

AUBURN, Ala. — The Auburn Tigers salvaged the final game of a three-game series against No. 1 Arkansas, 8-6. Two late homers propelled the Tigers after the Razorbacks held two separate four-run leads. 

“It’s hard to recover when you give up six in one inning,” coach Dave Van Horn said.   “We had plenty of chances to score today. We left a lot of runners on. We are swinging the bats better in my opinion. We did swing at too many pitches out of the zone. We’ve got to clean that up a little bit before this week.”

The Razorbacks were held to just one single the first time through the order as Christian Gonzalez pitched three clean innings. However, the Razorbacks broke through in the fourth when Jared Sprague-Lott hit a 3-run homer off the scoreboard in left field. The Richmond transfer had been 2-for-17 to start SEC play. Kendall Diggs tacked on another run with a double into the left-field corner.

Mason Molina started his outing firing on all cylinders, retiring six of the first seven in the first two innings, but loaded the bases in the fourth with one out on two walks and a hit batter. However, like so many times throughout the weekend, the pitching staff worked out of trouble. An infield fly pop-up and a flyout to right kept Auburn off the scoreboard. Diggs added a run with an RBI triple into the right-field corner for Arkansas’ fifth run. 

Cooper McMurray, who struck out seven times in the first two games, was Auburn’s hero. McMurray reached his first four at-bats, including an RBI single in the fifth, Arkansas avoided more trouble after Ty Wimsmeyer fired a one-hop strike to third to gun down Cooper Weiss. 

In the sixth, Cooper Dossett came on in relief and immediately gave up a lead-off homer to Mason Maners. Gabe Gaeckle then came in and didn’t fare any better, giving up a double and two walks, including a bases-loaded walk to cut the lead to 5-3. Ike Irish scratched another run on a fielder’s choice off Colin Fisher, then McMurray whacked a go-ahead 3-run homer. 

The Razorbacks cut the lead in half in the seventh and had the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position, but a grounder right back to the mound off the bat of Wilmsmeyer got Sprague-Lott caught in a rundown attempting to score at home.

“Just too many little missed opportunities to get one here, maybe two there,” Van Horn said. “Runners at first and second or second and third, one out, things like that. We just didn’t drive people in all the time. Credit to Auburn. They fought back after we had them on the ropes.”

Arkansas clinched the series Friday night, but will look to regroup against Arkansas-Little Rock at Baum-Walker Stadium Tuesday 6:30 p.m. The game will be streamed on SEC Network+.