No. 1 Razorbacks sweep No. 8 Tigers in weekend series

Arkansas thrills home crowd with three striaght wins over LSU

From the University of Arkansas

arkansasrazorbacks.com

FAYETTEVILLE – Louisiana native Peyton Stovall’s two-run blast put the exclamation mark on No. 1 Arkansas’ (23-3, 8-1 SEC) series- sweeping 7-5 win against No. 8 LSU (20-9, 2-7 SEC) Saturday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium.

Arkansas, winners of four of its last five weekend series against LSU, has now swept two consecutive home weekend series against its Western Division rival. The Hogs also earned a series sweep against the Tigers in Fayetteville in 2022.

Game 1: Diggs, Smith lead Hogs to series-opening win

Kendall Diggs’ three-run home run in the eighth inning backed up Hagen Smith’s 10strikeout performance on the mound, as No. 1 Arkansas (21-3, 6-1 SEC) fended off No. 8 LSU (20-7, 2-5 SEC), 7-4, in a thrilling series-opening win Thursday night at Baum-Walker Stadium.

Smith was once again superb on the mound for the Hogs, logging his team-leading fifth quality start of the season with six innings of two-run ball. The junior left-hander struck out 10, his fifth doubledigit strikeout game of the year.

For the season, Smith, who earned the win, is now 5-0 with a 1.54 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 35.0 innings over seven starts. The Bullard, Texas, native has allowed just six runs on 16 hits, including four home runs, and 10 walks. Arkansas provided its ace with early run support, thanks to Ben McLaughlin’s sac fly in the third. LSU took its only lead of the evening with a pair of runs in the fourth inning on back-to-back homers off Smith, the only runs he allowed all game.

The Razorbacks, however, responded with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the frame to retake the lead. Jack Wagner’s solo shot tied the game at two before Peyton Stovall’s two-out RBI single put Arkansas back in front, 3-2.

Smith departed the ballgame with the lead and passed the ball off to Will McEntire for the seventh, who turned in 2.2 relief innings. The veteran right-hander struck out eight and allowed two runs on four hits and a pair of walks.

LSU would cut its deficit to one in the top of the eighth inning, setting the table for Diggs’ homer heroics in the bottom half of the frame The junior outfielder swatted a three-run home run, the 21st homer and seventh three-run shot of his collegiate career, to extend the Razorbacks’ advantage to 7-3.

The Tigers scored one in the top of the ninth to make it a three-run game, but the Hogs’ bullpen would prevail. McEntire recorded two outs in the top of the ninth before turning the ball over to left-hander Stone Hewlett for the final out.

Hewlett struck out the only batter he faced, recording his first save of the season and fifth of his career in the process.

Hudson White’s walk-off RBI double in the bottom of the 10th inning lifted No. 1 Arkansas (22-3, 7-1 SEC) to a thrilling 4-3 series-clinching win over No. 8 LSU (20-8, 26 SEC) Friday night at Baum-Walker Stadium in front of a season-high 11,156 fans.

White's walk-off clinches series win for Arkansas

The Razorbacks clinched winning four of their last five weekend series against the Tigers, including three consecutive weekend series against their SEC Western Division rival at Baum-Walker Stadium in 2019, 2022 and 2024. Arkansas has not lost a three-game weekend series against LSU at home in Fayetteville since the 2017 season.

Arkansas starter Mason Molina set the tone on the mound, firing five innings of three-run ball with seven strikeouts. The junior lefthander went toe-to-toe with LSU ace Luke Holman, who was roughed up by the Razor-

See HOGS, page A9 HOGS

From page A7

back offense for a season-high three earned runs on five hits and a seasonhigh five walks in 4.1 innings of work.

Trailing by two runs in the fourth, Arkansas put together a three-run rally in the bottom half of the inning to take its first lead of the night. Ty Wilmsmeyer’s RBI double to right scored Ross Lovich from third before Peyton Stovall, who finished with a team-leading three hits, brought home Nolan Souza on an RBI groundout and evened the game at two apiece.

One batter later, Ben McLaughlin gave Arkansas the lead with his two-out double to right. Wilmsmeyer scored from third, as the Razorbacks jumped all over Holman, who had only allowed three earned runs all season entering Friday night’s game, to open a 3-2 advantage over the Tigers.

LSU added a run in the top of the sixth to tie the game at three, but the Arkansas bullpen would not budge in relief of Molina. Christian Foutch (2.0 IP, 1 SO), Gabe Gaeckle (2.2 IP, 3 SO) and Stone Hewlett (0.1 IP, 1 SO) combined for five scoreless frames out of the bullpen, giving the Razorback offense its opportunity to win the game in the 10th inning.

After Will Edmunson reached on a fielding error with one out, White hammered a 1-0 pitch down the left field line for a double. Edmunson raced home from first and scored with ease to complete Arkansas’ walk-off and series-clinching win.

Stovall's 2-run blast punctuates Hogs' series sweep of Tigers

With Saturday’s win, Arkansas improved to 8-1 in SEC play for only second time under head coach Dave Van Horn, and for the first time since 2009. The 8-1 record marks the Hogs’ best nine-game start in league play in the Van Horn era.

Saturday’s series-sweeping win also extended the Razorbacks’ current winning streak at Baum-Walker Stadium to 17 consecutive games, setting a new program record. Fireworks began in the very first inning as Arkansas and LSU exchanged solo home runs to get the afternoon started.

Wehiwa Aloy’s homer to the Hog Pen was his sixth of the season, tying him with Kendall Diggs (6) for the team lead. The Tigers took a 3-1 lead in the top of the third on a two-out, two-run homer before extending their advantage to three with a two-out solo shot in the top half of the fourth. The Razorback offense, however, had plenty of runs left in store.

Arkansas responded with a two-out, three-run rally in the bottom of the fourth inning, thanks to Ty Wilmsmeyer’s two-RBI single and Stovall’s RBI single to right. The Razorbacks tied the game at four apiece and knocked Tiger starter Gage Jump, who they tagged for four runs on a season-high seven hits and two walks over 3.2 innings, out of the ballgame.

Brady Tygart, meanwhile, departed after four innings of work on the mound, allowing a season-high four runs on five hits with three strikeouts. In relief of Tygart, Koty Frank (3.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 SO), Hunter Dietz (0.2 IP, 1 SO) and Will McEntire (1.1 IP, 1 SO) emerged from the bullpen and kept LSU’s offense at bay over the game’s final five frames.

The Razorback offense would break the 4-4 deadlock in the bottom half of the sixth with its second three-run inning of the afternoon. Following Wilmsmeyer’s go-ahead RBI fielder’s choice scored Will Edmunson, who led off the inning with a double, from third, Stovall cranked a two-run homer, his fourth of the season, to left to give Arkansas a 7-4 lead.

Stovall finished Saturday’s game with two hits and three RBI, raising his season slash line to a team-best .364/.446/.636 in 14 games. Wilmsmeyer also had three RBI, while Edmunson notched a team-leading three hits and two runs scored.