Razorbacks' Sweep Bid Falls Short in Auburn
AUBURN, Ala. – No. 1 Arkansas (19-3, 5-1 SEC) came up just short in its three-game sweep bid against SEC Western Division foe No. 23 Auburn (15-8, 1-5 SEC), falling, 8-6, in the series finale Saturday afternoon at Plainsman Park.
Despite the hard-fought setback in the finale, the Razorbacks won their sixth consecutive weekend series against the Tigers. Arkansas has claimed eight of the last nine weekend series against Auburn dating back to the 2015 campaign.
Saturday’s loss also snapped Arkansas’ 15-game winning streak, which was tied for its second-longest overall winning streak under head coach Dave Van Horn and matched its longest in-season winning streak in the Van Horn era.
After exchanging zeroes for the first three innings of play, the Hogs broke through against Tiger starter Joseph Gonzalez for four runs in the top half of the fourth. Jared Sprague-Lott’s three-run home run, his second of the season, was the first major blow of inning before Kendall Diggs’ two-out RBI double extended Arkansas’ early advantage to 4-0.
Auburn responded with a single run in the bottom of the fifth, but Diggs once again delivered in the top half of the sixth inning. The junior outfielder tripled to right center and scored Peyton Stovall from first to put Arkansas ahead, 5-1.
The Tigers, however, punched back and scored six against the Razorback bullpen in the bottom of the sixth to go up, 7-5. Will Edmunson’s RBI double in the seventh shrunk the deficit to one, but that would be as close as the Hogs would get.
Auburn silenced the Arkansas offense over the ballgame’s final two frames and tacked on another run of its own via a solo homer in the bottom of the eighth to secure the 8-6 win and hand the Razorbacks their first SEC loss of the season.
On the mound, starter Mason Molina turned in another solid effort for Arkansas, spinning five innings of one-run ball with four strikeouts on the afternoon. The junior left-hander lowered his season ERA to 2.57 with Saturday’s outing.
Stovall (2-for-5), Diggs (2-for-5, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI) and Sprague-Lott (2-for-4, HR, 3 RBI) each finished with multi-hit games to lead the Razorbacks offensively. Ben McLaughlin, meanwhile, chipped in with a career-high three walks at the plate.
Up next, the Hogs are set return to the friendly confines of Baum-Walker Stadium and kick off a lengthy 10-game homestand. Arkansas first hosts in-state opponent Little Rock at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 26, on SEC Network+.
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