BATON ROUGE — Arkansas posted a three-run 10th inning and held on to edge LSU, 11-10, and clinch the Southeastern Conference series Saturday afternoon at Alex Box Stadium.
The Tigers (24-8, 6-5) dropped their first series of the season and their third game in a row. Arkansas improved to 22-11 overall, 7-4 in league play and now sits alone in second place in the SEC Western Division.
LSU (No. 2 Collegiate Baseball, No. 3 Baseball America and ESPN/Sports Weekly) will try to salvage a win in the series finale set for Sunday at 1 p.m. Senior right-hander Nate Bumstead (5-0, 3.72) will take the mound for the Tigers against Arkansas righty Justin White (1-1, 5.16).
LSU jumped out to a 4-1 lead after two innings of play. J.C. Holt and Ivan Naccarata lead off the game with singles, and Matt Liuzza smashed his seventh homer of the year, a three-run shot that cleared the bases. The Metairie native set a career high with five RBI on Saturday.
Arkansas clawed back into the game and ultimately took the lead after a four-run fifth inning.
Following Jake Dugger’s solo homer in the third, the Hogs sent 10 batters to the plate in the fifth, roughing up Clay Dirks for six runs (five earned), the most allowed by the freshman lefty this season.
In two games, Arkansas has amassed 22 runs on 28 hits, — 14 each contest — while facing six LSU pitchers.
After Brady Toups and Casey Rowlett reached base to start the fifth, Danny Hamblin unloaded on Dirks’ 1-2 offering for a three-run homer into the left field bleachers. Clay Goodwin then singled, ending Dirks’ day.
Jason Determann came on in his seventh relief appearance of the season, but was greeted by Dugger’s second hit of the game, an RBI single that gave the Hogs a 6-4 advantage.
Arkansas connected for their third homer of the game and fifth of the series when Scott Hode launched a two-out, two-run homer, giving the Razorbacks a four-run cushion. Both runs were unearned as Blake Gill’s fielding error kept the inning alive after two outs.
Trailing 8-4, LSU rallied, scoring four runs, including the game-tying eighth run in the bottom of the ninth.
Clay Harris walked to start the ninth and two batters later Ryan Patterson singled, giving the Tigers the tying and go-ahead runs aboard with only one out. After Derek Hebert walked, J.C. Holt delivered a single through the right side, scoring Justin Meier, who was pinch-running for Clay Harris.
Arkansas right fielder Blake Parker then came up firing and threw out Patterson for the second time of the game. Parker also threw out Patterson in the seventh to silence an LSU threat.
Naccarata flied out harmlessly to shortstop Scott Hode to end the LSU ninth inning.
Determann came back out in the top of the 10th and walked Devin Day to leadoff the frame, prompting LSU pitching coach Brady Wiederhold to make the call to southpaw Greg Smith.
Smith fell into trouble. issuing a walk to Casey Rowlett. After Hamblin was intentionally walked, Clay Goodwin rolled a slow grounder to Derek Hebert, who misplayed the ball, allowing Rowlett and pinch runner Scott Bridges to score the go-ahead runs. Scott Hode’s RBI single gave the Hogs a 11-8 lead heading into the bottom of the inning.
Trey Holloway came on to preserve the lead, and he retired Blake Gill and Dustin Weaver for the first two outs. LSU would not go quietly, as Nick Stavinoha walked and Will Harris reached on an error. Jon Zeringue followed with a single that scored Stavinoha and Harris to cut the lead to 11-10.
Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn called upon Jay Sawatski to get the final out. Sawatski, who had handcuffed the Tigers for six-plus innings on Friday night, fanned Hebert to record the save.
Caton Hall (3-0) registered his third win of the season, working three innings, allowing one run on four hits.
Determann (2-2) suffered the loss, surrendering three runs (one earned) on six hits in 5.1 innings.
Arkansas 11, LSU 10 (Apr 10, 2004 at Baton Rouge, La.)
———————————————————————-
Arkansas………… 010 142 000 3 – 11 14 4 (22-11, 7-4 SEC)
LSU…………….. 310 002 101 2 – 10 17 3 (24-8, 6-5 SEC)
———————————————————————-
Pitchers: Arkansas – Boyce; Goodner(4); Maday(6); Hall(7); Holloway(10); Sawatski(10).
LSU – Dirks; Determann(5); Smith, G.(10).
Win-Hall(3-0) Save-Sawatski(2) Loss-Determann(2-2)
T-4:00 A-7888
HR ARKANSAS – Hamblin (5); Hode (4); Dugger (3).
HR LSU – Liuzza (7).
Dirks faced 4 batters in the 5th.
Maday faced 1 batter in the 7th.