Despite their best efforts, No. 1 Arkansas (19-3, 5-1 SEC) fell short of completing a three-game sweep against SEC Western Division rival No. 23 Auburn (15-8, 1-5 SEC), losing 8-6 in the series finale at Plainsman Park on Saturday afternoon.
While Arkansas couldn’t secure the sweep, they extended their impressive streak of winning six consecutive weekend series against Auburn. The Razorbacks have now won eight of the last nine weekend series against Auburn dating back to 2015.
The loss also ended Arkansas’ 15-game winning streak, which was tied for the second-longest overall winning streak under head coach Dave Van Horn and matched the longest in-season winning streak in the Van Horn era.
After a scoreless start, Arkansas scored four runs in the fourth inning against Tiger starter Joseph Gonzalez. Jared Sprague-Lott’s three-run homer, his second of the season, was the key hit in the inning, followed by Kendall Diggs’ RBI double to take a 4-0 lead.
Auburn responded with a run in the fifth inning, but Arkansas added another run in the sixth inning when Diggs tripled and scored Peyton Stovall to make it 5-1.
However, Auburn came back strong in the sixth inning, scoring six runs against the Razorback bullpen to take a 7-5 lead. Although Arkansas narrowed the gap to one run with a run in the seventh inning, Auburn added another run with a solo home run in the eighth to secure the 8-6 victory and hand Arkansas its first SEC loss of the season.
On the mound, starter Mason Molina pitched five innings, allowing only one run and striking out four. Stovall, Diggs, and Sprague-Lott led the Razorbacks offensively with multi-hit games, while Ben McLaughlin contributed with a career-high three walks.
Arkansas will now return home to Baum-Walker Stadium for a 10-game homestand, starting with a game against in-state opponent Little Rock at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26, on SEC Network+.
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