The second-ranked Arkansas baseball team brought the go-ahead run to the plate with one out in the ninth inning, but the Razorbacks left the bases loaded and lost 6-3 at No. 21 South Carolina in the first game of a Saturday doubleheader at Founders Park.
The Gamecocks (27-12, 9-8 SEC) evened the series at one game apiece. The teams will play the series finale beginning at 4:15 p.m. Central.
Peyton Stovall led off the ninth with an opposite-field home run to cut South Carolina’s lead to 6-3. Following a ground out by Ben McLaughlin, Arkansas’ Wehiwa Aloy, Kendall Diggs and Jack Wagner recorded three consecutive singles against left-handed closer Garrett Gainey to load the bases.
South Carolina replaced Gainey with right-hander Connor McCreery. Peyton Holt hit into a fielder’s choice that forced out the lead runner at home plate, and Jayson Jones struck out for the third time to end the game.
Arkansas (33-6, 13-4) stranded 13 base runners after leaving 14 on base during a 2-1 series-opening victory Friday. Through two games in the series, the Razorbacks are 6 for 40 with runners on base and 2 for 25 with runners in scoring position.
South Carolina scored four runs against Arkansas relievers Parker Coil and Koty Frank in the sixth inning to take a 6-1 lead. Coil, who was solid for his first two innings in relief, allowed three consecutive one-out singles, including an RBI hit by Austin Brinling.
The Gamecocks continued the onslaught against the right-hander Frank, who gave up a two-run single to Parker Noland with two outs following a fielder’s choice RBI by Ethan Petry.
Arkansas squandered several early scoring chances against South Carolina pitcher Eli Jones. The Razorbacks stranded 7 and scored just once despite 7 hits and 1 walk in Jones’ 4 innings.
They stranded multiple base runners in the second, third and fourth innings against Jones, and two more in the seventh when Gainey replaced Matthew Becker with the bases loaded.
Diggs’ fielder’s choice RBI scored Will Edmunson (walk) to cut the South Carolina lead to 6-2, but Gainey got Wagner to fly out to strand runners on the corners.
South Carolina took advantage of poor command by Arkansas left-handed starter Mason Molina, who walked 7 and threw only 30 of 70 pitches for strikes in 3 1/3 innings.
Molina walked the first two batters in the second inning and both scored on Talmadge LeCroy’s single up the middle to put the Gamecocks ahead 2-0.
Arkansas answered with a run in the fourth. Holt and Ross Lovich led off with singles and Holt scored on Edmunson’s sacrifice fly to right field.
It appeared Lovich could have advanced to second base on the long fly out to foul ground in right field, but he remained at first base. Stovall singled for one of his team-high three hits in the next at-bat, but he and Lovich were stranded when McLaughlin grounded out to first base.
Arkansas out-hit South Carolina 12-9. The Razorbacks walked 8 and hit 1 batter, while the Gamecocks walked only 3.