SEC Tournament loss gives the Dimond Hogs a chance for revenge on Kentucky

The Diamond Hogs are heading to the loser's bracket to face Kentucky after dropping their first game to South Carolina. The Gamecocks beat Arkansas 6-5.

South Carolina was the first on the board with an RBI single in the first inning. When Arkansas tied it up in the second, the Gamecocks answered with another RBI single in the third.

Every time Arkansas scored, it seemed like South Carolina had an answer. Most of their offensive power came from catcher Cole Messina, who’s had an amazing SEC tournament with three hits, eight RBIs, and three homers with a .750 batting average. Arkansas’s offensive production came by committee. Peyton Stovall, Ben McLaughlin, Jared Sprague-Lott, and Ryder Helfrick recorded an RBI.

The Razorback decided to start the tournament off with their midweek rotation on the mound. Ben Bybee got the call to start against the Gamecocks. In 2 1/3 innings, Bybee gave up three hits, two earned runs, and walked three batters. Arkansas then went through four more pitchers for the rest of the game, trying to find consistency.

The bullpen did just enough to keep Arkansas in the game, but its bats couldn’t break the seal. In the bottom of the ninth, Arkansas was down by two runs. Arkansas manufactured three straight, one-out hits to drive in Stovall. With runners on the corners, Wehiwa Aloy beat out a would-be game-ending double play to move the tying run to third. Unfortunately, Sprague-Lott flied out for the third out.

The silver lining about being in the loser's bracket is that Arkansas can have a little revenge against Kentucky. The Hogs took game one in Lexington but were handed losses in the final two games. Now, the Diamond Hogs have a chance to send the Wildcats packing, and it'll be a good chance with Hagen Smith starting on the bump.

First pitch is today, May 23, at 9:30 A.M. CST. You can catch the game on the SEC Network.