Razorbacks Blow Late Lead Again and Now Have Four Straight Losses

Arkansas has lost four straight games after watching another one slip against Missouri State.

Arkansas Razorbacks Camden Kozeal in game against Missouri State in Springfield, Mo. | Arkansas Communications

Arkansas can't seem to find a way to stop the slide.

The No. 17 Razorbacks (19-11, 4-5 SEC) dropped a wild extra-inning contest to Missouri State (18-9, 6-3 CUSA) Tuesday night in Springfield, Mo., losing 15-14 when Bears center fielder Caden Bogenpohl crushed a solo walk-off home run to left-center on the first pitch of the bottom of the 10th inning.

It's the fourth straight loss for the Hogs and their second consecutive defeat to the Bears, who also beat them a year ago.

The game wasn't short on action. The two teams combined for 29 runs and 26 hits in front of the fourth-largest crowd in Hammonds Park history — 6,538 fans who got more than their money's worth.

Each team hit four home runs on the night, and the lead changed hands multiple times before Missouri State freshman pitcher Peyton Lee served up the pitch that ended it all.

Arkansas struck first when Bears starter Max Knight walked the bases loaded in the first inning.

Former Missouri State outfielder and current Razorback right fielder Zack Stewart singled to right field, scoring Carter Rutenbar to make it 1-0. The Hogs seemed ready to set the tone early, but Missouri State had other ideas.

The Bears answered with a six-run second inning, and the offensive back-and-forth was officially underway. Brant Kragel homered to left field and Bryce Cermenelli singled through the middle to score two runs.

A balk by Hogs pitcher James DeCremer and a two-run homer by Logan Fyffe in the sixth inning were part of the damage the Bears did across the game.

Arkansas Razorbacks Christian Turner in game against Missouri State in Springfield, Mo. | Arkansas Communications

Arkansas Battles Back with Big Swings

The Razorbacks didn't fold when Missouri State surged ahead. Arkansas responded with nine runs spread across the third, fourth and fifth innings.

Ryder Helfrick launched his team-leading ninth home run of the season in the third to cut the deficit to 6-2.

Then Nolan Souza followed with a three-run shot to right-center, bringing the Hogs even closer.

In the fifth inning, with Arkansas trailing 9-7 following a wild Missouri State fourth, Christian Turner delivered a three-run homer to left that pushed the Razorbacks ahead 10-9.

Souza and Turner each finished with three hits on the night. Kozeal and Stewart each had two hits. It was an offensive effort that on most nights would be more than enough to win a ballgame.

But Missouri State kept coming. The Bears grabbed a 12-10 lead with three unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth.

A dropped fly ball in left field by Rutenbar allowed one run, and Fyffe's homer to left made things even more difficult for the Hogs.

Arkansas Razorbacks Zack Stewart in game against Missouri State in Springfield, Mo. | Arkansas Communications

Kozeal's Grand Slam Gives Arkansas Lead — Briefly

With Arkansas trailing by two heading into the seventh, Camden Kozeal stepped up in the biggest moment of the night.

With the bases loaded and the crowd buzzing, he crushed a grand slam to center field. It was his eighth home run of the season and it gave the Hogs a 14-12 lead.

It looked like the turning point the Hogs badly needed. Reliever Cooper Dossett was close to untouchable in the seventh and eighth innings, keeping Missouri State off the board and protecting that two-run cushion heading into the ninth.

Then things fell apart for Arkansas.

Dossett issued a leadoff walk to Fyffe to start the bottom of the ninth. Two batters later, Bears second baseman Gabe Roessler hit a two-run homer to left field that tied the game 14-14. Freshman Peyton Lee came on for the Razorbacks and got the final two outs of the ninth, but the damage was done.

The Hogs went in order for the third consecutive inning in the top of the 10th against Missouri State reliever Curry Sutherland, who'd moved from the field to the mound. Then Bogenpohl stepped in and ended it with one swing on the very first pitch he saw.

Arkansas has now dropped four straight games and is sitting at 4-5 in SEC play — a concerning stretch for a team that entered the season with high expectations.

What's Next for Razorbacks

The Hogs don't get much time to dwell on the loss. Arkansas travels to Auburn for a nationally televised series starting Thursday, April 2 at 6 p.m. CDT on ESPN2 at Samford Stadium-Hitchcock Field.

Junior right-hander Gabe Gaeckle (3-2, 3.58 ERA) is the probable starter for the Razorbacks. He'll face Auburn sophomore left-hander Jake Marciano (3-1, 1.30 ERA), who's been one of the sharper arms in the SEC this season.

It's a tough way for a team looking to snap a losing skid like the Hogs are in right now.