Arkansas baseball falls to South Carolina in SEC Tournament opener

HOOVER, Ala. — Arkansas baseball is on the brink of an early exit from the SEC Tournament after losing its opener against South Carolina Wednesday.

The second-seeded Razorbacks (43-13) couldn't get enough clutch hits in a 6-5 loss to the 10th-seeded Gamecocks. Arkansas will play No. 3 Kentucky in an elimination game Thursday morning, with the loser officially turning their sights toward next week's regionals.

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South Carolina (35-21) advances to the winners bracket and will face No. 11 LSU on Thursday when the winner will book a spot in the semifinals.

Here are three takeaways from the Arkansas loss.

Cole Messina lifts Gamecocks past Arkansas baseball

The South Carolina catcher was the difference-maker, hitting a pair of two-run homers to dead center. He also had an RBI single, totaling three hits and five RBIs in the win.

Messina provided the finishing blow with one of his home runs off freshman Gabe Gaeckle in the top of the ninth. That was the first home run Gaeckle has given up all season, and the first earned runs he's allowed since April 9.

"The last ball that went out of the park, it was obviously a breaking ball, and he was sitting on it," Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said. "It wasn't down enough. He hammered it."

Missed chances prove costly for the Hogs' offense

The Razorbacks left eight runners on base, failing to get a game-altering hit at the right time.

Their best opportunity came in the bottom of the seventh. Having already scored two runs to tie the game at 4-4, Arkansas had runners on the corners with one out, but South Carolina's Garrett Gainey struck out Wehiwa Aloy and got Jared Sprague-Lott to pop up to first.

Arkansas also got runners to the corners with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. With the game-tying run 90 feet away, Sprague-Lott flew out to left.

"We had a couple of chances to blow it open," Van Horn said. "Instead of a two-run inning, maybe three or four. One hit away. That was disappointing."

Peyton Stovall was the lone Hog to have a standout game at the plate, going 3-for-5 with an RBI. Kendall Diggs' slump continued with a 1-for-5 showing.

Christian Foutch continues late-season dominance

Foutch was the first reliever out of the bullpen for Arkansas and pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings, using his upper-90s fastball to stifle the South Carolina bats.

Foutch hasn't allowed a run since April 13 and lowered his ERA to 0.86 on the season. He's quickly become one of the most reliable relievers for the Razorbacks.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas baseball falls to South Carolina in SEC Tournament opener