Aggies stave off Arkansas comeback effort to win series

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The crowd at Blue Bell Park was lively in the fourth inning of Sunday’s rubber match between Arkansas and Texas A&M as the Aggies led 9-1. The Razorbacks could not quite complete the comeback, but they turned a dud into an exciting 11-10 loss.

Sophomore right-handed pitcher Jaxon Wiggins struggled with command, only recording one out in the rubber match. He walked the first two batters, who both scored on a double by Aggie first baseman Jack Moss.

After another walk, designated hitter Austin Bost went deep to left field for a three-run homer. After giving up an infield single, the Hogs turned to senior righty Kole Ramage to get them through the next few innings.

Arkansas surrendered another run in the second following a two-out error by sophomore third baseman Cayden Wallace, and the Aggies struck again in the third following a pair of hard-hit infield singles.

The Razorbacks managed to get on the board in the fourth, with Wallace driving in senior center fielder Braydon Webb on the third consecutive Arkansas single.

Senior right-hander Zebulon Vermillion took the mound for the fourth inning, which did not go well for him. Texas A&M recorded three hits in an inning for the third time in the game, turning two of them into runs for a 9-1 advantage.

The Hogs got those two runs back in the top of the fifth on back-to-back extra-base hits: a double by freshman first baseman Peyton Stovall and a home run by senior shortstop Jalen Battles.

The Aggies tacked on another unearned run in the bottom of the fifth, cashing in on a two-base throwing error on Wallace to make it 10-3.

Arkansas got within five runs in the sixth, which began with consecutive singles.

Wallace scored on a groundout by junior second baseman Robert Moore, and graduate catcher Michael Turner scored on Stovall’s second double of the afternoon.

Texas A&M stretched its lead back to six runs in the seventh, when left fielder Dylan Rock led off with a solo home run. That 11th run proved to be very important, as the Razorbacks posted five runs in the top of the eighth to make it 11-10.

It all began with Wallace’s solo blast, his third hit of the game. Graduate right fielder Chris Lanzilli drove in a run with a single, and Stovall did the same on back-to-back pitches.

Two batters later, Dylan Leach pinch hit for junior left fielder Zack Gregory. The sophomore catcher delivered a two-run double, moving the tying run 90 feet away from home plate with nobody out.

Aggie left-hander Jacob Palisch, who notched a 12-out save in Friday’s win, struck out the next three Razorbacks to keep the A&M lead intact. He worked a perfect ninth inning as well, earning his second save of the weekend and sealing the series victory for Texas A&M.

The Razorbacks’ next game is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock. There will not be a television broadcast, but the contest can be heard on the radio.