COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Arkansas rallied with six runs over the final three innings to stun top-ranked Texas A&M 9-8 over a two-day Game 2 before beating the Aggies 8-2 in Game 3 Saturday at Blue Bell Park, the Razorbacks winning their fourth consecutive Southeastern Conference series two of three.
In Game 2, extended even further as the second half of Saturday's doubleheader, A&M slugger Nick Banks clubbed a grand slam in the bottom of the sixth inning for an 8-3 lead the first day before rain came and washed out the rest of the night. When the game resumed in the seventh, Arkansas (24-17, 9-9) began its comeback with Joe Serrano scoring on Andrew Benintendi getting caught in a rundown with runners at the corners and two outs.
Arkansas' big inning came in the eighth, plating five on five hits and an error for the one-run advantage. Serrano had the big blow with a bases-clearing triple, coming home on Benintendi's infield single to tie it at 8.
Benintendi reached second on an errant pickoff throw, third on Tyler Spoon's infield single and scored the go-ahead run on Chad Spanberger's base hit to right.
Jackson Lowery (4-0) pitched 2 2-3 innings of hitless relief to earn the win. James Teague appeared with two on in the bottom of the ninth and got a pop-up and strikeout for his first save of the season.
Arkansas' offense clubbed out 14 hits over the two-day affair, Benintendi, Spoon and Spanberger each getting three hits. Serrano had a pair of hits, Spanberger a pair of RBIs and Benintendi three runs.
In the series finale, also delayed by a thunderstorm moving through and rescheduled to just seven innings, the Razorbacks plated six runs in the first inning and never looked back, A&M (35-5, 12-5) starter Matt Kent (6-1) able to record just one out. Serrano started off with an RBI double followed by Luke Bonfield's bases-loaded, two-run single.
After a Bobby Wernes sacrifice bunt, Brett McAfee struck a two-run single. Michael Bernal capped the inning with an RBI double.
The Hogs reached a 7-1 lead with a Spoon sac fly in the fourth before an 8-1 advantage on Spoon's RBI single. Spoon and Benintendi led Arkansas' offense, nine hits, with a pair of knocks.
Keaton McKinney (3-1), fresh off last weekend's complete-game victory over Kentucky, gave the Razorbacks 5 1-3 solid innings, scattering seven hits and four walks for only two runs. Zach Jackson pitched the final 1 2-3 innings, allowing no hits and striking out three.
Arkansas has no nonconference games this week before hosting Mississippi State on Friday to start a three-game series.
Game 2
Arkansas 100 110 150 -- 9 14 1
Texas A&M 022 004 000 -- 8 8 3
Taccolini, Jackson (6), Lowery (6), Teague (9) and Pennell, Gosser (7) and Shaddy (8). Hendrix, Simonds (5), Kopetsky (8), Ecker (8) and Barash. W-Lowery, 4-0. L-Ecker, 0-1. Sv-Teague (1). HR-Texas A&M, Banks (5), Taylor (10).
Game 3
Arkansas 600 101 0 -- 8 9 0
Texas A&M 010 001 0 -- 2 7 2
McKinney, Jackson (6) and Pennell. Kent, Vinson (1), Schlottmann (5), Martin (6) and Barash. W-McKinney, 3-1. L-Kent, 6-1.
Sports on 04/20/2015