COLLEGE STATION, Texas — No. 3 Arkansas was run-ruled in seven innings by the Texas A&M Aggies, 14-4, to lose the series on Saturday afternoon at Blue Bell Park. Despite dropping the season finale, the Razorbacks have already claimed the SEC West and Razorbacks coach Dave Van Horn wasn’t to going to waste pitchers or anybody else when it got out of hand late.
“It is what it is,” Van Horn said later after being asked about the run-rule loss he wasn’t pleased with, but he’s got bigger things in mind. “Like I’ve said four times now we weren’t going to use a couple more pitchers we may need Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and hopefully beyond.”
The SEC Tournament starts this week in Hoover, Ala., and that’s one of those bigger goals Van Horn may have on his mond, but the ultimate goal is in Omaha, Neb., at the College World Series. He’s been around long enough to know that sometimes what’s ahead is far more important than winning a game that literally means nothing.
Will McEntire started on the mound and struggled again, going just 1.1 innings and giving up four run on four hitsand a walk in 45 pitches. McEntire’s ERA jumped from 3.67 to 4.29 across 50.1 frames of work this season.
Texas A&M immediately jumped on McEntire in the bottom of the first after Jace LaViolette hit a two-run homer to right field. The Hogs responded in the top of the second with a solo shot by Hudson White to cut the lead to one, but the Aggies answered back with another two-run blast by Caden Sorrell to left to give Texas A&M a 4-1 lead.
The Razorbacks tied the game in the top of the third after Wehiwa Aloy scorched a three-run home run to left for his team-high 13th jack of the year. The tie was short-lived when the Aggies took the lead back on a leadoff solo shot by Braden Montgomery in the bottom half of the third.
Cooper Dossett, who relived McEntire in the bottom of the second, hurt his throwing arm after issuing a two-out walk to Hayden Schott on four pitches. He was taken out of the game and Ben Bybee took over on the bump.
Texas A&M put the game away in the bottom of the sixth with a six-run rally. Sorrell led off the inning with a single and Travis Chestnut doubled to left field to place runners in scoring position. After Sorrell scored on a wild pitch, the Aggies loaded up the bases on back-to-back walks. Chestnut scored on a wild pitch with one out while Grahovac moved to third and LaViolette advanced to second. Jackson Appel drew a walk to load the bases again and Ted Burton cleared the bases with a three-run double to right center and later scored on an RBI single by Schott to give Texas A&M a commanding 11-4 lead.
At that point, coming back was pretty much gone and Van Horn was looking down the road. His first opponent in the tournament will be determined after all the games have been played tonight.
