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FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas baseball's scuffling form to close the season continued Thursday night, and the Hogs are now in trouble of losing their fifth SEC series in the last six weekends.
The No. 5 Razorbacks (41-12, 18-10) dropped the weekend opener against No. 14 Tennessee 10-6, giving up three runs in the fourth, seventh and ninth innings. Arkansas made a late rally and crawled to within one run entering the top of the ninth before the Volunteers (41-13, 16-12) padded three insurance runs to their slim advantage and claimed their first road win in Fayetteville in 10 years.
The Razorbacks' loss and Texas' win over Oklahoma means the No. 3 Longhorns (41-10, 21-7) have clinched the outright conference title in their first season in the SEC. Arkansas needs to win one game this weekend to clinch a double-bye at the SEC Tournament.
More: Arkansas baseball bracketology: Where Hogs stand in 2025 NCAA Tournament projections
More: Lefty Reload: Arkansas baseball bullpen adds depth with southpaws returning from injury
Root's up-and-down SEC season continued against Tennessee. The Arkansas ace allowed four runs in just 3⅔ innings after back-to-back quality starts versus Texas and LSU.
The Volunteers got to the lefty in the top of the fourth by combining three hits with two walks to score three runs. The decisive blow was a two-run single from Tennessee's nine-hole hitter, Manny Marin. The next batter was Gavin Klein, who ended Root's night with another RBI single.
"(Root) didn’t have his good stuff really from the get go. He didn’t have a breaking ball and wasn’t locating his fastball like he normally does," Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said.
Root's ERA is now 4.16, and that number rises to 4.97 in conference games. He's failed to make it past the fifth inning in three of his last five starts and put Arkansas' pitching staff in an early hole this weekend with another short outing.
His struggles Thursday are especially painful with regards to this series. Tennessee saved its ace Liam Doyle for Friday so he could have a full week of rest. The Volunteers' No. 2, Marcus Phillips, beat the Razorbacks' top pitcher.
Arkansas entered the eighth inning 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and 4-for-17 with runners on base. The Razorbacks stranded a runner on base in every inning and squandered a big opportunity in the bottom of the seventh when Brent Iredale lined out to left field to end the inning, leaving the bases loaded.
The Razorbacks struck for three runs in the eighth off Tennessee's best reliever, Nate Snead. Wehiwa Aloy had a two-run single and Kuhio Aloy provided an RBI on a fielder's choice. That offense complimented a two-run double in the third from Charles Davalan and another RBI from Kuhio in the fifth.
But in the end, it wasn't enough. Arkansas left Tennessee pitchers off the hook in the beginning of the game and paid the price with a late rally falling short.
"Early in the game, that’s when we had to score some runs," Van Horn said.
The comeback might have turned into a victory if Arkansas got better performances from a pair of arms out of the bullpen.
Gabe Gaeckle started strong in relief of Root but he gave up three runs and back-to-back homers in the top of the seventh. Dalton Bargo's blast was followed by another from Dean Curley, and Bargo had two home runs on the night.
And Hunter Dietz gave up three runs in the ninth after Arkansas cut the lead to 7-6. The lefty failed to get an out in his second appearance of the season, giving up one of the Volunteers' four home runs. Van Horn said after the game his velocity Thursday night dipped considerably from a bullpen earlier in the week.
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas baseball falls to Tennessee in series opener, SEC title hopes end
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The No. 5 Razorbacks (41-12, 18-10) dropped the weekend opener against No. 14 Tennessee 10-6, giving up three runs in the fourth, seventh and ninth innings. Arkansas made a late rally and crawled to within one run entering the top of the ninth before the Volunteers (41-13, 16-12) padded three insurance runs to their slim advantage and claimed their first road win in Fayetteville in 10 years.
The Razorbacks' loss and Texas' win over Oklahoma means the No. 3 Longhorns (41-10, 21-7) have clinched the outright conference title in their first season in the SEC. Arkansas needs to win one game this weekend to clinch a double-bye at the SEC Tournament.
More: Arkansas baseball bracketology: Where Hogs stand in 2025 NCAA Tournament projections
More: Lefty Reload: Arkansas baseball bullpen adds depth with southpaws returning from injury
Zach Root's short start dooms Arkansas baseball
Root's up-and-down SEC season continued against Tennessee. The Arkansas ace allowed four runs in just 3⅔ innings after back-to-back quality starts versus Texas and LSU.
The Volunteers got to the lefty in the top of the fourth by combining three hits with two walks to score three runs. The decisive blow was a two-run single from Tennessee's nine-hole hitter, Manny Marin. The next batter was Gavin Klein, who ended Root's night with another RBI single.
"(Root) didn’t have his good stuff really from the get go. He didn’t have a breaking ball and wasn’t locating his fastball like he normally does," Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said.
Root's ERA is now 4.16, and that number rises to 4.97 in conference games. He's failed to make it past the fifth inning in three of his last five starts and put Arkansas' pitching staff in an early hole this weekend with another short outing.
His struggles Thursday are especially painful with regards to this series. Tennessee saved its ace Liam Doyle for Friday so he could have a full week of rest. The Volunteers' No. 2, Marcus Phillips, beat the Razorbacks' top pitcher.
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Arkansas' offense comes to life too late
Arkansas entered the eighth inning 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and 4-for-17 with runners on base. The Razorbacks stranded a runner on base in every inning and squandered a big opportunity in the bottom of the seventh when Brent Iredale lined out to left field to end the inning, leaving the bases loaded.
The Razorbacks struck for three runs in the eighth off Tennessee's best reliever, Nate Snead. Wehiwa Aloy had a two-run single and Kuhio Aloy provided an RBI on a fielder's choice. That offense complimented a two-run double in the third from Charles Davalan and another RBI from Kuhio in the fifth.
But in the end, it wasn't enough. Arkansas left Tennessee pitchers off the hook in the beginning of the game and paid the price with a late rally falling short.
"Early in the game, that’s when we had to score some runs," Van Horn said.
Relievers can't hold the line
The comeback might have turned into a victory if Arkansas got better performances from a pair of arms out of the bullpen.
Gabe Gaeckle started strong in relief of Root but he gave up three runs and back-to-back homers in the top of the seventh. Dalton Bargo's blast was followed by another from Dean Curley, and Bargo had two home runs on the night.
And Hunter Dietz gave up three runs in the ninth after Arkansas cut the lead to 7-6. The lefty failed to get an out in his second appearance of the season, giving up one of the Volunteers' four home runs. Van Horn said after the game his velocity Thursday night dipped considerably from a bullpen earlier in the week.
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas baseball falls to Tennessee in series opener, SEC title hopes end
Continue reading...
