Game #43: No. 7 Arkansas 10, Texas A&M 4
Records: Texas A&M (25-18, 9-11), Arkansas (32-11, 13-7)
WP: Will McEntire (6-2)
LP: Evan Aschenbeck (6-1)
Save: Gage Wood (4)
Box Score
An already narrow margin for error is even more alarmingly thin for Texas A&M.
Doomed again by a struggling pitching staff and hampered even further by a noiseless effort on offense, A&M suffered its fourth consecutive loss on Friday, falling to No. 7 Arkansas, 10-4.
The Aggies have now suffered their first series loss since March.
Simply put, it was more of the same. Pinpointing the guiltiest culprit isn’t easy either.
Though significantly better than Thursday’s season-high 14, command issues were a recurring problem as A&M pitching walked seven batters.
The usually-dependable Evan Aschenbeck endured the most destructive part of the storm. The freshman reliever followed starter Nathan Dettmer after he was pulled through five batters due to an apparent injury.
Often forced to work from behind, Aschenbeck was saddled with his first loss of the season (6-1). He scattered six hits with only one strikeout through three innings of work. The Razorbacks ambushed him in the fourth inning as they scratched three runs to take a 5-1 lead.
Perhaps the only glimmer of positivity, Josh Stewart proved durable in his longest outing yet. The sophomore transfer tossed 3.1 innings and found the strike zone 44 times in 67 offerings. He doubled his career-high in strikeouts with six, but it wasn’t nearly enough.
Arkansas was already rolling at full steam. By the time Stewart’s outing came to an end, they had extended their lead to 9-4.
Jace Bohrofen delivered the final knockout with an RBI single in the eighth.
Yet, even more frightening than A&M’s lack of steady pitching was the shortcomings at the plate.
The Aggies only mustered four hits, batting just .138 on the night. They also struck out 13 times. By comparison, the Razorbacks recorded 11 hits, the most devastating being a two-run homer by Ben McLaughlin in the seventh that took the wind out of a feeble rally effort by A&M.
Initially, things looked to transpire differently.
Ryan Targac opened scoring by plating Austin Bost on a sacrifice fly in the second. Dave Van Horn also pulled starter Brady Tygart before the inning started.
Hope for a more evenly-matched contest was ultimately short-lived. The Razorbacks tied the game at 1-1 with a sac fly of their own in the bottom of the frame. They permanently controlled the lead after Bohrofen’s RBI double in the third.
In the fifth, Max Kaufer chipped away at the deficit with his first career homer. Remarkably enough, A&M was gifted another opportunity in the seventh to reposition themselves when Jordan Thompson pounded a two-run bomb to left field.
Down by only two runs, Jack Moss — representing the go-ahead run — was hit by a pitch and loaded the bases for Trevor Werner.
But Werner went down swinging on an 0-2 pitch by Christian Fouch.
They loaded the bases once more in a last-ditch effort in the ninth but had no luck again.
And once more, frustration amplified with a growing sense of urgency churned into disappointment on Friday night.
