AUBURN, Ala. – In a back-and-forth game that saw three ties and three lead changes, No. 17 Auburn ultimately dropped its second straight one-run game to No. 1 Arkansas, losing 6-5 Friday night at Plainsman Park.
A solo homer from freshman catcher Ryder Helfrick in the top of the ninth inning after a 30-minute delay for an injured umpire was the difference in the game.
"The remedy is continuing to play with effort," head coach Butch Thompson said. "Keep being competitive on the mound the way we have been this week and come up with a timely hit or two, I think that'll get us going."
After Auburn (14-8, 0-5 SEC) scored the go-ahead run on a RBI single from Cooper Weiss to take a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the sixth, Arkansas (19-2, 5-0 SEC) answered with an unearned run after a hit batter and an error in the seventh.
The Tigers threatened to punch back in the bottom of the inning, loading the bases on a hit-by-pitch, double and infield single, but the Razorbacks used a pair of relievers for one-out matchups, and it paid off with a strikeout and groundout to end the inning.
"We don't always have control over the result or outcome, but we do our effort," Thompson added. "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."
Auburn turned its fourth double play in the first 10 innings of the weekend in the top of the first and wasted no time in taking an early lead in the home half of the frame. Weiss hit a leadoff double and stole his league-best 17th base of the season before scoring on a RBI groundout from Ike Irish.
Arkansas responded with a solo homer in the second, and Auburn answered the next inning with a pair of runs without recording a hit. Weiss and Irish drew back-to-back walks to start the inning, and Weiss took off for third, recording his third stolen base of the game, when the back pick to first found its way into right field, allowing for him to come home. After a balk moved Irish to third, Chris Stanfield hit a ground ball to short to score the fellow sophomore and make it a 3-1 game.
The Razorbacks again answered Auburn's runs in the bottom of the third with three to take the lead in the top of the fourth. A bases-loaded walk cut the Tigers' lead to one, and a two-run single to left gave Arkansas the advantage.
After allowing the go-ahead, two-run single in the fourth, Auburn starter Chase Allsup retired eight straight Razorbacks with three strikeouts to end his outing. The junior right hander matched a season high with 6.0 innings pitched, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits with one walk and five strikeouts.
The Tigers tied the game in the bottom of the fifth on the second errant throw from the Arkansas catcher and took the lead on Weiss' aforementioned RBI single, his second hit of the game.
John Armstrong relieved Allsup to start the seventh and allowed two of the first three batters he faced to reached but buckled down and retired six of the next seven he faced before the game-winning homer in the ninth.
Tanner Bauman struck out two of the three batters he faced to finish the ninth and strand a pair, but Auburn went down in order in the home half to end the game.
Weiss went 2-for-2 with three walks, three stolen bases and two runs to lead the way for the offense. He was matched with two hits by Carter Wright and Mason Maners, accounting for six of the team's 10 hits.
The series finale between the Tigers and Razorbacks is scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m.