COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Arkansas struggled to string hits together Friday night at Blue Bell Park, and they paid for one bad inning as a result.
A two-spot in the fourth inning made the difference in Texas A&M’s 2-1 series-opening victory over Arkansas.
Both aces, Razorback senior right-hander Connor Noland and Aggie righty Nathan Dettmer, held the offenses off the board through three innings.
Texas A&M got out to a 2-0 lead in the fourth, following a throwing error by sophomore third baseman Cayden Wallace. Two hits and two walks later, the Aggies had two unearned runs.
The Razorbacks mustered a mere two hits through five innings, but they doubled that total in the sixth inning.
Freshman first baseman Peyton Stovall led off with a single to center field, and Wallace chased Dettmer from the game with a walk. Graduate catcher Michael Turner pulled a single to right field with two outs to score Stovall and cut the lead in half.
Noland was able to calm things down after the unearned runs, working six innings without giving up an earned run to earn a quality start. He racked up seven strikeouts, but they were not enough to avoid his second loss of the season.
Senior lefty Evan Taylor worked the seventh and eighth innings without encountering much trouble, but still the Hogs could not produce any offense.
In the seventh, junior second baseman Robert Moore was hit by a pitch, and senior center fielder Braydon Webb doubled him to third with nobody out.
Wallace took an intentional walk after two strikeouts at the bottom of the order, but the hot-hitting senior designated hitter Brady Slavens could not save the day, and Arkansas left the bases loaded.
The Hogs finished the game 1-8 with runners in scoring position.
The Razorbacks and Aggies are set to square off again at 2 p.m. Saturday, a contest that can be streamed on the SEC Network+. Freshman left-handed pitcher Hagen Smith will get the ball for Arkansas, opposite Texas A&M righty Micah Dallas.
