Cowboy Small Ball Crushes Hogs In Marathon Arlington Classic

Four hours, 14-innings later, Cowboys pick up win on suicide squeeze over Arkansas

ARLINGTON, Texas — Arkansas lost a 4-hour, two-minute marathon pitcher's duel with Oklahoma State, 2-1. 

In a 1-1 game with runners on second and third and one out in the bottom of the 14th, Shortstop Layne Forsythe laid down the perfect suicide squeeze on a two-strike count. It brought to a conclusion a game in which the two teams stranded 25 baserunners. 

In what felt like ages ago, starter Brady Tygart mirrored Hagen Smith's start from yesterday, with six scoreless innings on 78 pitches. Even though Smith had 17 strikeouts compared to Tygart's six, each was equally as effective. 

The Razorbacks controlled the game all the way until the bottom of the ninth, but never added any insurance, stranding 10 runners in regulation.  Cowboys acting as the home team, scored the tying run in the ninth of Jake Faherty, who pitched for the second straight day. Two walks to the first three batters allowed Aiden Meola to rope a game-tying double into the right-center field gap. Later in the inning, with the bases loaded  Forsythe had a chance to end the game in regulation, but the home plate umpire called a pitch low and wide to extend the game.

Both teams traded uneventful tenth innings. The Hogs wasted a two-out double from Jared Sprague-Lott in the 11th. In the top of the 12th, Hudson White looked to have given the Razorbacks the lead with a drive to the power alley in left-center, but Kollin Ritchie timed his jump at the wall to take away at least extra bases. The Cowboys returned the favor and stranded the winning run at second in the bottom of the frame with two strikeouts from Colin Fisher.

The teams continued to trade scoreless innings, Fisher stuck out the side in the bottom of the thirteenth to keep the game going. 

When the game started, it looked like it would be over in no time. Oklahoma State starter Brian Holiday matched Tygart pitch for pitch. 

Both teams were unable to take advantage of infield errors in the first inning. Arkansas turned an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play to keep the game scoreless heading to the second. 

Tygart got some help in the second with an outfield assist to end the inning. Left fielder Jayson Jones cut a ball off in the left-center gap and gunned the ball to a waiting Peyton Holt at second. 

The Razorbacks got more help from the Cowboy defense with a throwing error from Tyler Wulfert that skated wide of the bag and gave the Hogs a runner in scoring position with one out, but once again did not capitalize. 

Tygart got plenty of help from his defense. Sprague-Lott made a barehanded play ranging towards the second base bag to get the Razorbacks scoreless to the bottom of the fourth. 

Arkansas finally cracked the scoring with a leadoff double to start the fifth off the bat of Sprague-Lott into the left-center gap. Nine-hole hitter Ty Willmsmeyer sacrificed the runner to third. Kendall Diggs broke the scoreless tie with an RBI single to right to give the Hogs a 1-0 lead heading to the bottom of the frame. 

Tygart continued to work efficiently needing just 78 pitches to get through six innings, recording four first-pitch outs before getting replaced by Koty Frank.

Frank replaced Tygart and did his best Smith impression, striking out the side in the seventh and the first two in the eighth, all swinging, before the Razorback bullpen did not close out the game for the second day in a row. 

Arkansas will now need to cobble together a pitching plan having played extra innings against Michigan 1 p.m. Sunday. The game will be streamed on FloSports.

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