FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas repeatedly struggled to deliver Mississippi State a fatal blow Sunday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium, hitting 0-8 with runners in scoring position.
The defending national champs hung two runs on the Hogs in the 12th inning, salvaging the a game in the series with a 5-3 win.
The first five runs of the contest all came on solo homers, with Mississippi State scoring the first two. First baseman Luke Hancock hit his second bomb in as many games in the first inning, and second baseman RJ Yeager doubled the lead in the third.
Arkansas junior left fielder Zack Gregory hit an opposite-field shot, his second longball of the series, in the bottom of the third, and senior center fielder Braydon Webb tied it in the fourth with his team-leading sixth big fly of the season.
Razorback starter Jaxon Wiggins’ outing came to a close after just 80 pitches. The sophomore righty got through five innings, allowed two singles, a walk and a hit batter in addition to the two solo homers and struck out five Bulldogs.
Senior left-hander Evan Taylor entered in the sixth inning, and he allowed the fifth solo blast of the afternoon to Mississippi State catcher Logan Tanner, who went deep in Friday’s game as well. The Hogs responded in the bottom of the sixth, as graduate right fielder Chris Lanzilli scored on a sacrifice fly by senior designated hitter Brady Slavens.
Senior righty Zebulon Vermillion bailed Taylor, who hit the leadoff man, out with three outs on five pitches in the seventh, and freshman righty Brady Tygart struck out all six hitters he faced in the eighth and ninth innings.
Arkansas loaded the bases in the ninth with one out, and the Bulldogs turned to right-hander Jackson Fristoe to keep the game alive. He did exactly that, fanning freshman first baseman Peyton Stovall and punching out graduate catcher Michael Turner.
Tygart surrendered a leadoff single in the top of the 10th, but he stranded the runner at third following a sacrifice bunt and a pair of groundouts.
After a quiet bottom of the 10th, he returned for a fourth inning of work.
After a groundout, his first walk, his seventh strikeout and a hit batter, the Razorbacks turned to Kole Ramage for the final out. The senior righty struck out left fielder Brad Cumbest on three pitches, giving the Hogs another chance to walk it off.
With runners on first and second and one out in the bottom of the 11th, Stovall hit a liner to first, which was caught and thrown to second base for a double play.
After recording two outs in the 12th, Ramage walked third baseman Kamren James on five pitches and allowed RBI singles to Hancock and Tanner.
Fristoe capped off 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief with a 1-2-3 bottom of the 12th.
The Razorbacks are set to return to action at 6 p.m. Tuesday, when Central Arkansas visits Fayetteville.
The game will stream live on the SEC Network+ and on HitThatLine.com plus on ESPN Arkansas radio stations.
