Recap: Auburn surrenders late home run, drops game two to No. 1 Arkansas
For the second game in a row, No. 24 Auburn fell short of its goal of earning a win over No. 1 Arkansas.
The Tigers and Razorbacks were tied 5-5 heading into the 9th inning. After recording the first out of the inning, Arkansas’ Ryder Helfrick crushed the first pitch of his at-bat over the left field wall to push the Hogs ahead. The solo home run would prove to be the decisive blow, as Arkansas earned the 6-5 win over Auburn on Friday night at Plainsman Park in Auburn.
It marks the second-straight game that Auburn has dropped a one-run decision to Arkansas, as they fell to the Razorbacks 1-0 in Thursday’s series opener.
Head coach Butch Thompson hopes to see his team continue to give solid effort despite its recent string of tough losses.
“We don’t always have control over the result or outcome, but we do our effort,” Thompson said postgame. “That’s what I have to do the best job I possibly can of right now. Hopefully they’ll bust through and it’ll go their way.”
Friday’s game would see more production from the plate, but it was not enough for Auburn to earn the victory. Each team traded blows before Helfrick’s 9th-inning home run. The Tigers struck first in the bottom of the 1st inning when a groundout by Ike Irish allowed Cooper Weiss to score, pushing Auburn ahead 1-0.
The Razorbacks answered in the top of the 2nd inning with a solo shot by Ben McLaughlin to tie the game at 1-1. Auburn responded by adding two more in the 3rd inning before the Hogs produced three runs in the 4th to take a 4-3 lead.
A throwing error in the 5th inning followed by a 6th inning RBI single by Weiss pushed Auburn ahead again, 5-4, but Arkansas would score the game’s final two runs to take the win.
Auburn got a solid outing from its pitching staff in Friday’s loss. Starter Chase Allsup allowed five hits and three runs in six innings of work. John Armstrong allowed three hits in 2 1/3 innings, and Tanner Bauman closed the game by recording the final two outs of the game. The trio combined to strike out 11 batters.
At the plate, Cooper Weiss, Mason Maners, and Carter Wright each recorded two hits.
Auburn looks to salvage a game in its series with Arkansas on Saturday. First pitch for the final game of the series is set for 1 p.m. CT, and can be seen on SEC Network+. Joseph Gonzalez will battle Mason Molina on the mound.
Runs | Hits | Errors | LOB | |
No. 1 Arkansas | 6 | 8 | 2 | 6 |
No. 24 Auburn | 5 | 10 | 2 | 10 |
WP: Cooper Dossett (1-0) | LP: John Armstrong (0-1) | S: Will McEntire (2)
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