Arkansas catcher Jake Wise smacked a three-run home run to highlight a four-run fourth inning as Arkansas ended LSU’s 15-game winning streak, cruising to an 8-3 victory at Baum Stadium on Saturday.
Heralded Arkansas junior starter Ryne Stanek stymied the potent, Southeastern Conference-leading LSU offense all evening, limiting the Tigers (33-3, 12-2 SEC) to only four hits through 6 2/3 scoreless innings.
After Stanek and LSU junior starter Ryan Eades dueled through three scoreless innings to begin the game, the Razorbacks (25-11, 9-5 Southeastern Conference) broke through in the fourth as Eades issued a leadoff walk to left fielder Brian Anderson and second baseman Dominic Ficociello ripped a single down the first base line.
Following a strike out of Razorback first baseman Eric Fisher, LSU coach Paul Mainieri gathered the infield at the mound to discuss strategy as runners stood at the corners with one out.
No strategy was necessary, though, as Wise crushed the next pitch from Eades, a letter-high fastball, to put Arkansas in front, 3-0.
Arkansas scratched across another run in the frame with three consecutive two-out singles, the last from Razorback right fielder Tyler Spoon to score third baseman Jacob Mahan and give the Razorbacks a 4-0 lead.
Eades’ evening ended before he could get an out in the fifth, giving way to junior Nick Rumbelow after Anderson and Ficociello led off the frame with consecutive singles.
Rumbelow wiggled out of the jam, surrendering only one run as Anderson scored on Wise’s sacrifice fly to up the Razorback lead to 5-0.
Stanek continued to mow down the LSU offense into the seventh, striking out five while only walking three before giving way to Jalen Beeks.
Things unraveled in the seventh for LSU as junior reliever Will LaMarche was inefficient and erratic, hitting Ficociello before surrendering three consecutive walks to bring another run home and end his evening.
Inheriting a bases-loaded, one out jam, Tiger junior reliever Nate Fury gave up a bouncing single to Mahan – just over the head of LSU third baseman Christian Ibarra – plating two more Razorbacks to augment the lead to 8-0.
The Tiger offense finally found life in the ninth, tagging Razorback reliever Landon Simpson for three hits and three runs, highlighted by a 2-RBI single from pinch hitter Chris Sciambra to bring the Tigers within 8-2.
With Arkansas reliever Michael Gunn in to replace Simpson, pinch hitter Chris Chinea scored on a wild pitch to get it to 8-3 while putting Tigers on second and third with one out as the heart of the order was due up.
But, as seemed to be the norm all evening, Razorback pitching rose to the occasion as Gunn struck out sophomore center fielder Mark Laird and got freshman shortstop Alex Bregman to line out to left to preserve the win.
Bregman finished the game 0-for-5, ending his 23-game hitting streak.
Now faced with the prospect of losing its first series of the season, LSU will trot out sophomore southpaw Cody Glenn for Sunday’s rubber match, slated for a 1:05 p.m. first pitch.
