COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Arkansas Razorbacks pitcher Hagen Smith had nothing to do with a 1-0 loss to the Texas A&M Aggies in the first game of the last series of the regular season Thursday night. At least that’s when it started.
At least when they got around to playing a game that took 11 innings to finish. The start was delayed an hour and a half due to stormy weather and the A&M grounds crew getting the field clear because there was basically a temporary pond in center as they were getting ready to finally start things. Smith was long gone by the end when the usually reliable walked the winning run across the plate in the 11th inning that ended things that threatened to cross over into the early hours Friday.
The Hogs couldn’t push a run across the plate, despite out-hitting A&M 9-5 throughout the game. None of them came when they got runners on base and Arkansas left 10 runners on base, including Jared Sprague-Lott, who nearly had half of that total (stranded four times).
“We walked them in,” Van Horn said. “So it was disappointing. But really proud of the way the guys fought and really proud of the way we pitched.”
Smith threw six innings. Van Horn knows there will be postseason games to play, no matter how the SEC West and tournament next week in Hoover, Ala., plays out. It was his 11th quality start of the year. He allowed just two hits while striking out 14 batters on 98 pitches (63 strikes) for his 11th double-digit strikeout performance of the season.
Aggies starter Ryan Prager was nearly just as good. He lasted seven scoreless innings, giving up five scattered hits and a walk while striking out nine on 101 pitches (72 strikes). A&M wanted to win the series, which is the only way they can win the West regular-season title.
Until the 11th inning, the Hogs hadn’t walked a single batter. Jake Faherty, Parker Coil and McEntire gave up walks in that final inning, which had been a problem a few times coming down the stretch, but hadn’t shown up Friday night until that final inning.
The Razorbacks will now put Gage Wood on the mound Friday in the second game of the series. The Hogs only need one win to take the West regular-season title and get a bye in the SEC Tournament next week. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. if the continuing bad weather conditions hold off. The game will be televised on the SEC Network. You can hear the game on HitThatLine and on the radio at ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home.
Pregame with Phil Elson and Bubba Carpenter starts at 6:30 p.m.
