FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Leading 4-0 through six innings, Auburn ultimately dropped a 6-5 decision at No. 1 Arkansas Friday night at Baum-Walker Stadium.
"I tip my hat to Arkansas," head coach Butch Thompson said. "To beat the No. 1 team, you have to play a complete game, and they got us there in the seventh inning."
Auburn (12-12, 1-7 SEC) held Arkansas (21-4, 6-2 SEC) to just two hits and a walk and faced only two over the minimum through the first six innings. However, the Razorbacks came to life in the bottom of the seventh, sending 10 batters to the plate and scoring five runs on five hits and two walks to take a 5-4 lead.
After Kason Howell ran down a fly ball to deep left center to end the seventh, Brody Moore led off the eighth with a double that hit off the top of the wall in right field, and Steven Williams drove him in with a two-out single to left to tie it up.
Arkansas reclaimed the lead without recording a hit in the home half. Two walks and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases before a wild pitch brought in the go-ahead run.
Needing a run to extend the game, the Tigers went down in order in the ninth to even the series heading into the finale tomorrow at 2 p.m. CT.
Auburn wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard as Ryan Bliss hit a solo home run on the sixth pitch of the game. It was Bliss' seventh home run of the season and the Tigers' first leadoff home run since Will Holland at Ole Miss in 2018.
The Tigers collected six hits in the first 14 at-bats, extending the lead to 3-0 on three straight singles from Bliss, Judd Ward and Rankin Woley and a RBI fielder's choice from Tyler Miller in the third.
A solo home run from Steven Williams pushed the advantage to 4-0 through four. The home run was the fourth of the season and 27th of the career for Williams.
Auburn left-hander Jack Owen made his first start of the season and retired 10 of the first 11 batters he faced, not allowing a base hit until one out in the fourth. Owen faced just two over the minimum in his outing. Bright entered and recorded the final two outs of the sixth with a groundout and strikeout.
"Jack was just outstanding," Thompson added. "He threw a fastball to both sides of the plate, the changeup was excellent, and he threw enough breaking balls to their left-handers. He really got it to the bullpen in great shape. He did an amazing job."
Three of the first four Arkansas hitters reached to start the eighth and end Bright's outing. From there, the Tigers used four pitchers to record five outs as the Razorbacks made their comeback.
Moore matched a career high with four hits in the game, while Bliss and Williams added two hits apiece, including a pair of solo homers.
