The Recap: No. 7 LSU Falls 4-3 to No. 1 Arkansas in Game 2

The Tigers drop the series to Arkansas, look to take Game 3 on Saturday.

Third baseman Tommy White 47 throws out the runner as The LSU Tigers take on the Kentucky Wildcats / SCOTT CLAUSE/USA TODAY Network / USA

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Catcher Hudson White’s RBI double in the bottom of the 10th inning Friday night lifted top-ranked Arkansas to a 4-3 win over No. 7 LSU in Baum-Walker Stadium.

Arkansas improved to 22-3 overall, 7-1 in the SEC, while LSU dropped to 20-8 overall and 2-6 in conference play.

The teams play the series finale at 2 p.m. CT Saturday in a game that will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network and streamed on SEC Network +.

LSU reliever Thatcher Hurd struck out Arkansas third baseman Jared Sprague-Lott to start the bottom of the 10th, but leftfielder Will Edmunson reached first base on a fielding error.

White followed with a double down the left-field line, scoring Edmunson with the winning run.

“We’re in a tough stretch right now, but we’ve just got to take it one game at a time,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said. “Make it about baseball. We played better baseball tonight, and we gave ourselves a chance to win. We have a lot of guys in new spots, and we’ve got to learn how to win.”

Arkansas reliever Stone Hewlett (1-0) was credited with the win after recording the final out in the top of the 10th. Hurd (1-4), who entered the game to start the bottom of the 10th, was charged with the loss.

LSU starting pitcher Luke Holman worked 4.1 innings and allowed three runs on five hits with five walks and five strikeouts. Left-hander Griffin Herring was brilliant in relief of Holman, as he fired 4.2 scoreless innings with three hits, no walks and eight strikeouts.

Rightfielder Josh Pearson’s two-out, two-run single in the top of the third inning gave LSU a 2-0 lead against Arkansas starting pitcher Mason Molina.

Arkansas struck for three runs in the bottom of the fourth against Holman as centerfielder Ty Wilmsmeyer lined an RBI double, second baseman Peyton Stovall drove in a run with a groundout, and first baseman Ben McLaughlin produced a run-scoring double.

LSU tied the game 3-3 in the sixth when pinch hitter Ashton Larson lifted a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded.

“We’re going to keep fighting,” Johnson said. “There were some positives in the game tonight; we just have to keep fighting to make sure we have the right combination. I thought we did that tonight on the mound, you can’t ask for much better than that.”