Scoring Recap: Auburn 8, Arkansas 6 (Game 3)
HawgBeat provides everything you need to know ahead of Saturday's game between Arkansas and Auburn.
The No. 1 Arkansas Razorbacks (19-2, 5-0) will go for the series sweep against the No. 23 Auburn Tigers (14-8, 0-5 SEC) on Saturday afternoon at Plainsman Park in Auburn, Alabama.
Arkansas earned a 1-0 victory over the Tigers in Game 1 on Thursday evening behind a 12-strikeout performance from left-hander Hagen Smith. The Hogs then outlasted Auburn with a go-ahead solo home run from freshman catcher Ryder Helfrick in the top of the ninth inning to pick up a 6-5 win Friday.
"Everyone was really happy for him," pitching coach Matt Hobbs said of Helfrick postgame Friday. "We’ve seen him do this. We’ve seen him do it in the fall, we saw him do it early in the spring. It’s been uneven for him, but it doesn’t mean the kid’s not super talented and that everybody on our staff has a lot of faith in him."
Hobbs was filling in as active head coach Friday in place of head coach Dave Van Horn, who was seemingly able to make the trip back for his daughter, Hollan, giving birth to triplets.
Hobbs, who serves as pitching coach, wasn't certain following Friday's game if Van Horn will be able to make it back to Auburn for Game 3 on Saturday.
"We’ll see," Hobbs said. "I don’t know. Honestly, I’ve just been texting with him, just briefly about the game. I don’t know that for sure. … It would be good for us if he was here."
The Razorbacks are winners of 15 games in a row, and they will be looking to start 6-0 in SEC play for the first time since 2009. The Razorbacks began their 2009 campaign with an 8-0 mark in conference play, including consecutive sweeps of Florida and Auburn.
Arkansas holds a 55-49 all-time series lead over Auburn, including a 40-23 advantage in the Van Horn era. The Hogs have won now won six consecutive weekend series against Tigers, as well as eight of the last nine weekend series.
HawgBeat provides everything you need to know about Arkansas-Auburn, including TV details, starting pitchers and more:
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How to Watch/Listen
Who: No. 1 Arkansas Razorbacks (19-2, 5-0 SEC) at Auburn Tigers (14-8, 0-5 SEC)
When: Saturday, March 23 at 2:00 p.m. CT
Where: Plainsman Park — Auburn, Alabama
TV/Stream: SEC Network+/Watch ESPN(Wiley Ballard and Gregg Olson)
Radio: Learfield Razorback Sports Network (Kyle Schassburger)
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Starting Pitchers:
Arkansas:
Junior LHP Mason Molina
6'2", 230 pounds / Rancho Santa Margarita, California / Trabuco Hills HS / Texas Tech
2024 stats: 3-0, 2.74 ERA, 5 GP, 23.0 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 11 BB, 43 K
Auburn:
Redshirt Junior RHP Joseph Gonzalez
6'4", 233 pounds / Humacao, Puerto Rico / Leadership Christian Academy
2024 stats: 2-1, 6.92 ERA, 4 GP, 13.0 IP, 16 H, 13 R, 10 ER, 9 BB, 4 K
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BetSaracen Odds
Money LineArkansas: -155
Auburn: +135
(Alternate lines, spreads, team totals and player props to eventually be made available on the BetSaracen mobile app)
(Lines and odds are subject to change at any point after the publishing of this story. HawgBeat does not guarantee any bet as a winner or loser. You must be at least 21 years of age to use BetSaracen. If you have a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit 1800gambler.net)
