No. 2 Arkansas (23-3, 5-1) had its 19-game home winning streak snapped by the Missouri State Bears (11-12, 3-0 MVC) in a 10-inning slugfest, 14-13, on Tuesday night in Baum-Walker Stadium after blowing a five-run lead in the top of the ninth. The Razorbacks have lost a midweek game for the first time since May 2, 2023.
Arkansas baseball vs Missouri State
Missouri State took an early lead in the top of the second inning, with 1B Max Knight leading off with a walk and advancing to second based on a wild pitch with one out. After RF Zack Stewart struck out swinging, Knight stole third and later scored on another wild pitch by LHP Colin Fisher during SS Tyler Epstein’s at-bat. Fisher carved up Epstein swinging to end the frame.
The Bears added on in the top of the third with CF Caden Bogenpohl reaching on a one-out walk and 2B Nick Rodriguez slapping a double to right to put runners in scoring position. LF Jake McCutcheon roped a double down the right field line to plate both runners and build the lead up to 3-0.
Fisher tossed three innings in his fourth start of the year (ninth appearance) and allowed three runs, two hits and three walks while striking out six batters on 54 pitches (31 strikes). RHP Ben Bybee took over on the mound to open up the top of the fourth inning.
Epstein crushed a solo shot to left field off of Bybee to extend the lead to four with two outs in the top of the fourth.
The Hogs locked in with three straight singles by LF Logan Maxwell, DH Kuhio Aloy and 1B Camden Kozeal to begin the bottom half of the fourth. After RF Kendall Diggs popped out to third and 2B Nolan Souza struck out swinging for the first two outs, C Zane Becker was hit by a pitch to score Arkansas’s first run of the game. 3B Gabe Fraser gave the Razorbacks the lead with a grand slam to right field off of RHP Jason Schaaf for his first career collegiate home run, 5-4.
Missouri State retook the lead in the top of the fifth when Rodriguez and McCutcheon reached on back-to-back one-out singles to put runners on the corners, with Rodriguez going from first to third on a fielding error. DH Taeg Gollert plated Rodriguez from third with a sacrifice fly to right to tie the game. Knight roped a single to right, with McCutcheon scoring on an error. When Diggs threw the ball to third, Fraser jumped over the runner and did not knock the ball down as it rolled into the camera well. RHP Dylan Carter came out of the bullpen and struck out 3B Curry Sutherland to end the inning.
Arkansas tied the game right back with Kozeal getting hit by a pitch with two outs and Carson Boles drawing a walk as a pinch hitter for Diggs. Souza blooped an RBI single to center off of LHP Dalen Stewart. RHP Gabe Smith replaced Stewart on the mound and threw a wild pitch to put both runners in scoring position. Becker slashed a two-run double to right center to give the Hogs the lead again, 8-6, to raise his RBI total to three on the night.
Zack Stewart led off the top of the seventh with a solo shot to right center to cut the lead to one. Carter shook it off and retired the side to get out of the frame.
The Hogs rallied in the bottom of the sixth with four runs to boost their lead to five. LHP Brody McNiel was placed on the hill for Missouri State, and Davalan jumped on him with a leadoff double to right field. SS Wehiwa Aloy drove him in with an RBI double to left field. Kuhio Aloy was intentionally walked with one out, and Boles drove in both brothers with a two-run double to right center with two outs in the inning. Souza followed up with a double of his own to cash in Boles to inflate the Razorback’s lead, 12-7.
LHP Cole Gibler was brought out of the pen in the top of the seventh and surrendered a leadoff solo home run to Rodriguez to cut the lead to four. After allowing a walk, Gibler settled in and struck out the side to end the inning. The southpaw came back out in the top of the eighth and struck out the side again for a total of six straight strikeouts.
Arkansas added some insurance in the bottom of the eighth, with Maxwell leading off with a single. Justin Thomas Jr. came in as a pinch runner, stole second base and scored on an RBI single by Kozeal to build the lead back up to five.
Gibler picked up his seventh straight strikeout in the top of the ninth but allowed back-to-back singles to Rodriguez and McCutcheon. RHP Will McEntire was inserted on the mound to close out the game. Gollert lifted an RBI single to center field to score Rodriguez and cut the lead to four, 13-9. Knight doubled to right field to plate McCutcheon and put runners in scoring position.
Sutherland loaded up the bases by reaching on an error after Souza missed a pop-up near second base. Zack Stewart cut the deficit to two with an RBI single to right to move each runner up a base. McEntire walked Epstein on four pitches for the Bears to scratch across another run.
RHP Tate McGuire relieved McEntire after failing to record an out and forced pinch hitter Dylan Robertson to ground into a fielder's choice, but pinch runner Logan Dunn scored from third to tie the game. Bogenpohl grounded out to the right side to end the five-run rally.
RHP Jackson Holmes was brought out of the pen in the bottom of the ninth for Missouri State. He set the side down in order by making Brent Iredale strike out, Davalan line out, and Wehiwa Aloy strike out.
Rodriguez cracked a solo shot to left field off of McGuire to lead off the top of the tenth to give Missouri State the lead. McGuire got Arkansas out of the inning while allowing just a walk.
Thomas led off the bottom of the 10th with a walk, but Kuhio Aloy struck out swinging for the first out of the inning. Holmes was relieved by Knight out of left field to close out the game. He forced Kozeal to line out to center on the first pitch and made Boles ground into a fielder's choice with Thomas getting thrown out at second base.
The Razorbacks will travel to Nashville, Tenn., to take on the No. 14 Vanderbilt Commodores for a three-game series starting on Friday. The first pitch is slated for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.