FAYETTEVILLE — The No. 2 Arkansas baseball team (23-3, 5-1 SEC) suffered its first midweek loss since May 2, 2023, on Tuesday evening with a 14-13 defeat against the Missouri State Bears (11-12, 3-0 MVC) on Tuesday evening at Baum-Walker Stadium.
Missouri State tied the game at 13-13 with a five-run top of the ninth inning and the Bears took the lead via second baseman Nick Rodriguez's second home run of the game in the top of the 10th inning to hand the Razorbacks their first loss at home all season.
Arkansas pitchers set a season-high with 19 strikeouts on the evening, while the Razorbacks added 13 runs on 16 hits at the plate. The Hogs' seven, eight, nine hitters in the lineup — second baseman Nolan Souza, catcher Zane Becker and third baseman Gabe Fraser — combined to drive in nine runs, four of which came on a grand slam from Fraser in the bottom of the fourth inning.
The Razorbacks logged 11 two out RBIs in the contest and they were 8-for-17 overall at the plate with runners in scoring position. Missouri State totaled 14 hits in the game, eight of which came with runners on base and four of which came with runners in scoring position.
Junior left-hander Colin Fisher allowed three runs on three hits with three walks and six strikeouts across three innings in the start for the Hogs. Of the five relievers, freshman lefty Cole Gibler was the most impressive with seven straight strikeouts across the seventh, eighth and ninth innings.
The first run of the game score in an unconventional way in the top of the second inning. Fisher issued a leadoff walk to Missouri State first baseman Max Knight, who advanced via a wild pitch, stole third base and then scored on another wild pitch to put the Bears up 1-0. Missouri State added two more runs on a one out two-RBI double down the right field line from designated hitter Taeg Gollert in the top half o the third inning.
Arkansas freshman Gabe Fraser, who started at third base, recorded the team's second hit of the game by beating the shift to third base with one out in the bottom of the third inning. Unfortunately for the home team, that was all the offense they could muster up in the frame.
Junior right-hander Ben Bybee came on in relief for the Razorbacks in the top of the fourth inning, and he allowed a two out solo home run to Bears' shortstop Tyler Epstein, just his second homer of the season, that made Missouri State's lead 4-0.
The Razorbacks loaded the bases courtesy of three straight singles to leadoff the bottom of the fourth inning from Logan Maxwell, Kuhio Aloy and Cam Kozeal. Bears' starting pitcher Jason Schaaf picked up two straight outs, but then hit Hogs' catcher Zane Becker to give him an RBI and put the Hogs on the board. Fraser then stepped up and drove his first career home run to right field for a go-ahead grand slam that gave Arkansas a 5-4 lead and chased Shaaf from the game.
Missouri State regained the lead via back-to-back run-scoring swings in the top of the fifth inning that chased Bybee and made the deficit 6-5 for the Hogs. Veteran right-hander Dylan Carter came on in relief and ended the inning with a strikeout.
Arkansas tied the game via a two out RBI single from Nolan Souza in the bottom of the fifth inning. Following that swing, Becker drove in two more with a double, his third of the season, to right center that gave the Razorbacks an 8-6 lead.
Bears' right fielder Zack Stewart led the top of the sixth inning off with a solo home run to right field to make it five innings in a row that Missouri State had scored in by that point.
The Razorbacks responded with back-to-back doubles to start the bottom of the sixth — the first from Charles Davalan and the second from Wehiwa Aloy, which drove Davalan home to make it a 9-7 lead. Following another pitching change, that lead grew to 11-7 when Hogs' outfielder Carson Boles drove a two-run double to right center field.
Gibler came on in relief in the top of the seventh and he allowed a leadoff home run to Bears second baseman Nick Rodriguez. The freshman walked the next batter but responded with three straight strikeouts to strand the runner. Gibler, a native of Blue Springs (Mo.), struck out the side in the top of the eighth inning to hold the Bears scoreless for the first frame since the top of the first inning.
Arkansas added an important insurance run on an RBI single to centerfield from Kozeal in the bottom of the eighth inning to make the lead 13-8.
Gibler began the top of the ninth with his seventh strikeout in a row before giving two straight singles to bring on veteran right-hander Will McEntire in relief. The Bryant (Ark.) native gave up back-to-back RBI knocks to Gollert and Knight that cut the lead to 13-10. Another batter reached via an error and then McEntire allowed an RBI single that trimmed the Hogs' advantage to two runs.
McEntire issued a four-pitch walk to Epstein to make the score 13-12 and end his outing. Arkansas turned to right-hander Tate McGuire in relief and he allowed an RBI fielder's choice that tied the game at 13-13 before he got out of the frame without allowing anymore scoring.
Bears' reliever Jackson Holmes pitched a perfect bottom of the ninth to send the game into extra innings.
Rodriguez drove his second home run of the night, the Bears' fourth, to left field to leadoff the top of the 10th and give Missouri State a 14-13 lead. That was all McGuire allowed in the inning, but it was a big run.
Holmes walked Justin Thomas Jr. to leadoff the bottom of the 10th inning and then he struck out Kuhio Aloy before he was relieved by Max Knight, who managed to record the final two outs to close the game down.
Up next, Arkansas will hit the road for a series at the Vanderbilt Commodores, which will begin Friday at Hawkins Field in Nashville, Tennessee. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. CT and the game will be televised nationally on SEC Network.
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