Live Blog: Oklahoma State edges Arkansas 2-1 in a 14-inning, four-hour classic
BY DUDLEY E. DAWSON
ARLINGTON, Texas – Flying high off an exhilarating Friday night win in a top 10 clash, the No. 2 Razorback baseball team has to now turn its attention to an old rival on Saturday.
Arkansas (4-1) will tangle with Oklahoma State University (3-2) in a 7 p.m. game at Globe Life Field, home of the world champion Texas Rangers.
Both teams are coming in off wins at this weekend’s Kubota College Baseball series with the Cowboys handling Michigan 9-3 on Friday and the Razorbacks downing No. 7 Oregon State 5-4.
Arkansas will start right hander Brady Tygart (1-0, 1.80 ERA) while Oklahoma State lists Brian Holiday (0-0, 0.00) as its opener.
Holiday is not related to OSU head coach Josh Holliday or his brother Matt Holliday, the former St. Louis Cardinal and Colorado Rockie.
Tygart went five innings in his first start of the season while allowing a run on two hits, fanning four and walking two and a 15-5 win over James Madison University.
Holiday went six scoreless innings in his first start in what tuned into a 2-1 loss to Sam Houston State.
He allowed two hits, fanned four and walked a batter and left with his team up 1-0.
Tygart will be trying to give Arkansas its fourth quality start in the last four games and will be following a school-record 17 strikeout performance by Hagen Smith in Friday’s victory.
Smith did so while covering six innings in 78 pitches, 59 for strikes, and leaving with a 4-0 lead before Oregon State rallied against the bullpen.
The 17 strikeouts tied Jess Todd’s school record, which was set in a 6-0 win over South Carolina March 24, 2007 at the SEC Tournament.
Todd threw 118 pitches over 8 innings while setting his mark.
Smith had 17 strikeouts while retiring 18 batters, getting 15 of those on his slider. He gave us three hits.
Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn did not think about letting Smith go out another inning to break the record.
“Oh no,” Van Horn said. “He was done. Yeah, that was plenty. We almost got him after five but we said, ‘You know, his pitch count’s low.’
“When you strike out 17 guys and you only throw 80 pitches, that’s incredible. You strike out 17 guys, you could be at 110, you know? So that was pretty amazing.”
Smith was followed into the game by relievers Will McEntire, Stone Hewlett, Gage Wood and Jake Faherty.
That quintet combined to break an Arkansas single game record by striking out 23 Beavers in the contest.
The previous mark had been 18, which has been done numerous times, the last time in 2021.
Smith’s 17 whiffs also broke the Globe Life Field record previously held by Oklahoma’s Chazz Martinez, who fanned 14 vs. Northwestern State on Feb. 27, 2022.
Arkansas won Friday night despite getting out-hit 8-6 by Oregon State, who had been averaging 10 runs a game.
The Razorbacks’ scored via Ben McLaughlin’s 3-run, two-out double in the sixth, Jayson Jones’ seventh-inning RBI single Peyton Holt’s two-out RBI triple driving in the go-ahead run in the eighth.
Arkansas will the visiting team against Oklahoma State and also Sunday in a 1 p.m. game against Michigan (2-4).
Oregon State downed Michigan 11-1 in Saturday’s first game.
Starting line ups
Arkansas (4-1)
Kendall Diggs RF
Hudson White DH
Ben McLaughlin 1B
Wehiwa Aloy SS
Ryder Helfrick C
Jayson Jones LF
Peyton Holt 2B
Jared Sprague Lott 3B
Ty Wilsmeyer CF
Brady Tygart P
Oklahoma State (3-2)
Zach Ehrhard CF
Cason Benge RF
Tyler Wulfert 3B
Colin Brueggemann 1B
Nolan Schubert LF
Aidan Meola 2B
Donovan LaSalle DH
Ian Daughtery C
Lane Forsythe SS
Brian Holiday P
Photo by John D. James
Top 1
Holiday P
Diggs K
White BB
McLaughlin reaches on E-3, White to second
Aloy K
Helfrick P-6
Arkansas 0, Oklahoma State 0
Bottom 1
Tygart P
Ehrhard reaches via E-5, moves up to second on PB
Benge BB
Wulfurd K
Brueggemann hits into 4-6-3 DP to end inning
Arkansas 0, OSU 0
Top 1
Jones K
Holt P-2 foul
JSL BB
Wilmsmeyer L-8
Arkansas 0, Oklahoma State 0
Bottom 2
Shubert 1-3
Meola K
Lasalle’s grounder is deep in the hole and he reaches on infield single. First hit of game
Daughtery singles into CF, but inexplicably tries to turn it into a double and is gunned down by Ty Wilmsmeyer to end the inning
Arkansas 0, Oklahoma State 0
Top 3
Diggs 4-3
White reaches on E-5 and gets to second on overthrow
McLaughlin K
Aloy P-4
Arkansas 0, OSU 0
Bottom 3
Forsythe P-3
Ehrhard 1B
Ehrhard – did just that – is picked off for the second out of the inning
Benge 5-3 – call stands upon review
Arkansas 0, OSU 0
Top 4
Helfrick P-4
Jones F-8
Holt F-9
Arkansas 0, OSU 0
Bottom 4
Wulford F-8
Brueggemann K
Schubert BB
Meola K (2-3 from backstop)
Arkansas 0, OSU 0
Top 5
JSL 2B – Arkansas’ first hit
Wilmsmeyer bunts JSL to third
Diggs RBI 1B – Arkansas goes up 1-0
White 5-3
McLaughlin K
Arkansas 1, OSU 0
Bottom 5
Tygart at 60 pitches, 41 for strikes, 3 H, 5K
Lasalle K
Daughtery U-3
Forsythe F-9
Arkansas 1, OSU 0
Top 6
Aloy K
Helfrick 5-3 – review confirms
Jones P-6
Arkansas 1, OSU 0
Bottom 6
Ehrhard L-9
Benge 6-3
Wulfurd HBP
Brueggemann K
Arkansas 1, OSU 0
Top 7
Weber in to pitch for Holiday
Holt 1B
JSL 6-3, moves Holt up second
Davis to P for Weber
Wilmsmeyer BB
Diggs F-7
White F-9
Arkansas 1, OSU 0
Bottom 7
Koty Frank comes on for Arkansas to pitch
Schubert K
Meola K
Lasalle K
Arkansas 1, OSU 0
Ben McLaughlin 1B
Aloy L-9
Helfrick K
Jones P-5
Arkansas 1, OSU 0
Bottom 8
Frank P
Daughtery K
Forsythe K (5 batters up for Frank, 5 Ks)
Ehrhard BB
Stone Hewlett replaces Frank on mound
Benge K (OSU’s 12th of the night)
Arkansas 1, OSU 0
Top 9
Holt 6-3
JSL K
Wilmsmeyer 1B, steals second with Diggs at plate, goes to third on WP
Diggs BB
White 6-4
Arkansas lead stays at 1-0 with OSU coming to bat in the bottom of the 9th. Jake Faherty trying to close it out
Bottom 9
Wulfert BB
Brueggemann K
Schubart BB
Meola RBI 2B ties it 1-1
Lasalle HBP – bases loaded and that’s all for Faherty
Gabe Gaeckle comes in to pitch
Daughtery K
Forsythe L
Arkansas 1, OSU 1
To the 10th we go
Top 10
McLaughlin K
Aloy 6-3
Helfrick K
Arkansas 1, OSU 1
Bottom 10
Gaeckle P
Ehrhard F-9
Benge K
PH Colin Ritchie K
Arkansas 1, OSU 1
Top 11
Jones U-3
Holt 5-3
JSL 2B
Bottom 11
Gaeckle P
Bruggemann K
Schubart K
Meola F-9
Arkansas 1, OSU 1
12th inning
Diggs 4-3
McLaughlin reaches on E-3
Edmunson PR for McLaughlin
Edmunson steals 2nd
Aloy K on 3-2 pitch
Arkansas 1, OSU 1
Wagner to 1B for Edmunson, who pinch ran for McLaughlin
Gaeckle P
Lasalle BB
Colin Fisher replaces Gaeckle
Carter sac bunt, Lasalle to second
Forsythe K
Ehrhard is given an intentional BB
Benge K
Arkansas 1, OSU 1
Top 13
Helfrick K
Jones BB
Holt K
JSL 1B
Both runners move up on WP
Wilmsmeyer 5-3
Arkansas 1, OSU 1
Bottom 13
Fisher P
Proctor K
Brueggemann K
Ortiz K
Arkansas 1, OSU 1
Arkansas has now fanned 24 OSU batters. That breaks the school record of 23 – set last night
Top 14
Diggs 1B
White 6-3, Diggs to second
Wagner K
Aloy 6-3
Arkansas 1, OSU 1
Bottom 14
Fisher still P
Meola K
Lasalle 1B
Carter E-5 puts runners at 2nd and 3rd
Lane Forsythe’s bunt single wins it
OSU 2, Arkansas 1 – Final
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