FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Right fielder Nick Stavinoha’s three-run ninth-inning homer Friday night lifted 12th-ranked LSU to a 10-7 victory over No. 11 Arkansas at Baum Stadium.
Stavinoha’s blast capped a tremendous LSU comeback, as the Tigers rebounded from a 7-1 fifth-inning deficit to capture the victory.
LSU improved to 27-13 overall and 8-8 in SEC play. Arkansas fell to 31-9 and 8-8.
The teams resume their series at 3:05 p.m. CDT Saturday. Left-hander Clay Dirks (7-1, 3.56 ERA) will start on the mound for LSU, while Arkansas has not yet announced its Game 2 starter.
Arkansas scored three runs in each of the first two innings Friday to grab a 6-0 lead against LSU starter Lane Mestepey. Danny Hamblin contributed an RBI double in the first and a three-run homer in the second to stake the Razorbacks to the early advantage.
LSU got on the board in the fourth when Ryan Patterson led off the inning with a homer, his 14th of the season and his first since April 2 at Alabama.
Arkansas extended its lead to 7-1 in the bottom of the fourth when Hamblin collected his fifth RBI of the night with a run-scoring double.
The Tigers, however, struck for five runs in the fifth with the aid of three Razorbacks errors. The only hit of the inning was Patterson’s second homer of the game, a two-run shot off of Arkansas starter Nick Schmidt which narrowed the gap to 7-6.
LSU tied the game in the sixth when Quinn Stewart delivered a solo homer off of reliever Josh Smith. It was Stewart’s second home run of the season and his first since March 11 versus Arizona State.
The contest remained tied at 7-7 until the ninth when the Tigers mounted a threat against Arkansas reliever Charley Boyce (7-6).
Chris Jackson lined a one-out single before Boyce retired Blake Gill on a pop-up to third base. But, Patterson singled to keep the inning alive and Stavinoha launched his 11th homer of the season over the left-field fence to give LSU a 10-7 lead.
LSU relievers Jordan Faircloth and Jason Determann combined to hold Arkansas scoreless over the final four innings.
Faircloth worked 2.1 innings in relief of Mestepey, allowing just one hit with one walk and one strikeout. Determann (3-0) earned the win, as he worked the final 1.2 innings and surrendered one hit with no walks and two strikeouts.
Boyce was charged with the loss as he gave up three runs on three hits in 3.2 innings with one walk and no strikeouts.
LSU 10, Arkansas 7 (Apr 22, 2005 at Fayetteville, Ark.)
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LSU………………… 000 151 003 – 10 8 1 (27-13, 8-8 SEC)
Arkansas………… 330 100 000 – 7 13 4 (31-9, 8-8 SEC)
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Pitchers: LSU – Mestepey; Faircloth(6); Determann(8). Arkansas – Schmidt; Smith(5); Boyce(6).
Win-Determann (3-0) Loss-Boyce (7-6) T-2:46 A-8806
HR LSU – Patterson 2 (15); Stavinoha (11); Stewart (2).
HR AR – Hamblin (10).
Mestepey faced 2 batters in the 6th.