COLLEGE STATION, Texas — No. 3 Arkansas fell to No. 5 Texas A&M 1-0 in 11 innings, spoiling starter Hagen Smith’s remarkable performance. The game, which included a 90-minute weather delay, concluded at 11:48 p.m. with Ted Burton drawing a walk-off walk from Will McEntire.
“We just couldn’t get that crucial hit,” said Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn. “We needed a big hit, but it never came. In reality, Texas A&M didn’t get a big hit either. We walked them in. It was disappointing.”
Smith delivered another outstanding performance, striking out 14 in six innings and breaking Nick Schmidt’s school record of 345 career strikeouts. His fifth-inning strikeout of Ali Camarillo established him as the Hogs’ all-time strikeout leader.
“I’ve coached the only college pitcher to pitch in both the College World Series and the Major League World Series [Brandon Finnegan in 2014] in the same year,” said Texas A&M coach Jim Schlossnagle. “We just mentioned in the locker room that Smith will be pitching this October.”
Smith’s bid to break the Razorbacks’ all-time strikeout record started brilliantly as he struck out five of the first six hitters. However, Texas A&M’s Ryan Prager matched Smith’s performance with seven shutout innings, limiting scoring opportunities for both teams.
“It’s awesome,” Smith said about breaking the record. “I obviously would have preferred to achieve it with a win. But it’s super cool to think about, and hopefully, we keep going.”
However, Arkansas’s bats were ineffective against Ryan Prager and Evan Aschenbeck, who combined for 11 shutout innings. The Razorbacks went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
Arkansas left two one-out singles stranded in the second inning and had their first two batters reach base in the sixth, only for Wehiwa Aloy to hit into a 4-3-6 double play, ending the threat.
A two-out double in the sixth by Jace LaViolette marked just the Aggies’ second runner in scoring position and the first extra-base hit for either team. Smith then struck out Braden Montgomery for the third time, ending his night and passing the ball to the Razorbacks’ bullpen.
Several Arkansas hitters came close to hitting home runs to centerfield, but on the damp, windy night, both Hudson White and Peyton Stovall’s drives fell short at the warning track.
In the top of the 10th, the Razorbacks got a break when Ted Burton misplayed a routine grounder, allowing Ty Wilmsmeyer to reach base for the third time. Peyton Holt then hit a single to put runners on the corners, but Stovall and Sprague-Lott struck out, keeping the game scoreless until Arkansas finally faltered in the bottom of the 11th.
The Razorbacks’ SEC West division lead is now down to one game as the two teams meet again at 7 p.m. on Friday, with the game broadcast on SEC Network.
