ATHENS, GA– No. 5 Arkansas (30-8, 11-5 SEC) could not overcome its own offensive shortcomings, dropping the series opener against Georgia (21-17, 5-11 SEC), 6-5, on Thursday night at Foley Field.
The Hogs, who stranded 11 runners on base in the setback, were 5-for-25 (.200) with runners on and just 3-for-18 (.167) with runners in scoring position. Arkansas loaded the bases with no outs in the top half of the eighth but could not capitalize as the next three Razorback hitters struck out, letting Georgia escape without significant damage.
Despite the struggles, Arkansas trimmed a four-run deficit to one and brought the go-ahead run to the plate with one out and two runners on base in the top of the ninth. It was too little too late, however, as Georgia held on for a 6-5 win.
Nine pitches into Thursday night’s game, the Razorbacks had the lead. Tavian Josenberger led the game off with a six-pitch walk and came around to score on Peyton Stovall’s 0-2 double to center.
Stovall would advance home on Ben McLaughlin’s two-out, two-strike RBI single to right as the Hogs went ahead by two in the first inning. Arkansas starter Hunter Hollan kept Georgia off the board through his first two innings of work, but the left-hander ran into trouble in the third.
The Bulldogs tagged Hollan for five runs in the inning, punctuated by a three-run home run with two outs. Georgia added an unearned run in the very next inning, opening a 6-2 lead and forcing Arkansas to play catch-up.
Hollan departed the game after five innings, allowing six runs (five earned) on seven hits and five walks while striking out two. He turned the ball over to Dylan Carter, who was superb with 2 2/3 shutout innings and two strikeouts in relief.
Carter’s dominance out of the bullpen allowed the Razorback offense to mount what appeared to be a valiant comeback. Caleb Cali’s sacrifice fly to right in the top half of the sixth cut the deficit to three before he came up clutch again in the eighth with an RBI single to center to put Arkansas within two.
Brady Slavens was hit by a pitch after Cali’s run-scoring single, loading the bases with no outs and giving the Hogs a perfect opportunity to swing the game in their favor. Georgia reliever Leighton Finley had other plans, however, striking out the next three batters to extinguish Arkansas’ threat.
Kendall Diggs’ ninth-inning RBI double off the wall in center, which was a foot shy from a game-tying two-run home run, had the Razorbacks on the edge of an exciting come-from-behind effort. Arkansas could not finish the job, stranding two runners with one out to seal its series-opening defeat in Athens.
Three Razorback hitters – Cali (2-for-4, 2 RBI), Diggs (2-for-4, 1 RBI) and McLaughlin (2-for-3, 1 RBI) – finished the game with multiple base knocks. Josenberger drew a team-leading two walks and picked up a hit in the loss.
Arkansas will look to bounce back tomorrow in the second game of its series against Georgia. First pitch at Foley Field is 5 p.m. CT Friday, April 21, on SEC Network+ with Matt Stewart (play-by-play) and Jason Jacobs (analyst) on the call.
For complete coverage of Arkansas baseball, follow the Hogs on Twitter (@RazorbackBSB), Instagram (@RazorbackBSB) and Facebook (Arkansas Razorback Baseball).
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Note to Our Readers: The previous story was sourced directly and in its entirety from the University of Arkansas Office of Communications, Oliver Grigg.
