Helfrick's Heroics Lift #1 Arkansas to Thrilling Series-Clinching Win over #23 Auburn

AUBURN, Ala. – Ryder Helfrick’s ninth-inning go-ahead home run in his first career SEC at-bat lifted No. 1 Arkansas (19-2, 5-0 SEC) to a thrilling 6-5 series-clinching win over No. 23 Auburn (14-8, 0-5 SEC) Friday night at Plainsman Park.

Playing without their head coach Dave Van Horn, who returned to Fayetteville earlier in the day for the birth of his triplet grandchildren, the Razorbacks rallied from deficits in the first, third and sixth innings and overcame a 30-minute, mid-game delay when home plate umpire Jeff Wright took a foul ball off his mask and had to depart the ballgame.

With the win, the Hogs have now started 5-0 in SEC play for the first time since 2009, and for only the second time in the Van Horn era. Arkansas also extended its season-long winning streak to 15 games with the win, matching its second-longest overall winning streak under Van Horn, as well as its longest in-season winning streak in the Head Hog’s tenure.

Razorback starting pitcher Brady Tygart labored through his 3.2 innings of work, striking out four while allowing three runs on three hits and a career-high five walks. After Auburn took an early one-run lead in the game’s first inning, Ben McLaughlin’s solo home run in the top of the second helped Arkansas answer back and knot the game at one apiece.

The Tigers scored twice in the bottom half of the third to open a two-run advantage, but the Hogs responded with three runs, including a pair on Will Edmunson’s two-RBI single to left, to take a 4-3 lead headed into the bottom of the fourth.

Auburn led, 5-4, through six innings of play, but Arkansas had a late rally in store. Peyton Stovall’s sacrifice fly to left in the top of the seventh tied the game at five before Helfrick came up clutch with his game-winning solo shot in the ninth.

Helfrick, who entered the game as a defensive replacement at catcher in the seventh inning, jumped all over the very first pitch he saw, hammering a fastball deep to left field and over the 37-foot green monster. The home run, Helfrick’s second of his collegiate career, registered an exit velocity of 109 mph and traveled 405 feet.

An inning earlier, Helfrick provided a key defensive play to help set the table for his game-winning home run. The true freshman threw out Cooper Weiss, Auburn’s leadoff hitter with an SEC-leading 19 stolen bases, at second to eliminate a run-scoring threat and give Arkansas the opportunity to take the lead in the ninth.

In relief of Tygart, Koty Frank (2.0 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 SO), Gage Wood (0.2 IP, 2 SO), Stone Hewlett (0.1 IP, 1 SO), Cooper Dossett (1.1 IP, 1 SO) and Will McEntire (1.0 IP, 2 SO) combined to silence the Tiger offense and secure the Hogs’ series-clinching victory. Dossett earned the win, his first of the season, while McEntire picked up his second save of the year.

Arkansas, which has won six consecutive weekend series against Auburn and eight of its last nine weekend series against the Tigers, goes for the sweep tomorrow. First pitch in the finale is set for 2 p.m. Saturday, March 23, on SEC Network+.

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