The Razorbacks have dug themselves a hole that they might not be able to climb out of. Arkansas dropped into the losers bracket with a 7-6 loss to Kansas State and will have to win three straight to move on to the super-regional round.
The game started as a pitcher's dual, playing four innings without a run scored. The Razorbacks were the first on the scoreboard in the fifth. Ty Wilmsmeyer stole home on an error at third base. Hudson White then singled to centerfield to drive in Peyton Stovall.
Up to this point, Arkansas ace Hagen Smith was in usual form. The fifth inning was a different story. He started with back-to-back walks, then with a couple of sacrifice bunts, a fielder's choice, and a couple more hits, the Wildcats scored three runs, leaving two runners on with one out.
On the next at-bat, Kaelen Culpepper cleared the bases with a three-run shot on a 1-0 pitch. Smith's six earned runs the most he's allowed this season and raised his total earned runs by over 46 percent to 19. However, before the fifth inning, Smith broke Arkansas's single-season strikeout record.
Arkansas slowly chipped away at Kansas State's lead. With a solo home run by Jared Sprague-Lott in the seventh, an RBI-double by White in the eighth, and a two-run jack by Peyton Stovall in the ninth, Arkansas climbed back to what would have been a tie at six runs. Unfortunately, the Wildcats' Nick English hit an all-important insurance home run in the bottom of the eighth.
The Hogs meet SEMO again in the loser's bracket tomorrow at 1 p.m. If they win, they'll play have to beat Kansas State once on Sunday and again on Monday to stay alive.
Final from Baum-Walker Stadium pic.twitter.com/FluItx8UpL
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) June 2, 2024