Razorbacks Had a Chance to Sweep a 4-17 Team and How It Fell Apart

Arkansas came into Saturday's series finale against Missouri with a chance to sweep a Tigers team that hadn't won an SEC game at home in nearly two years.

The Razorbacks couldn't get it done. Missouri took the rubber match 6-1, snapping a 28-game home SEC losing streak that stretched all the way back to May 2024.

The Hogs fell to 29-16 overall and 11-10 in SEC play. The Tigers improved to 21-23 on the year and 4-17 in conference games, but they won the one that mattered most on Saturday.

Arkansas managed just five singles against Missouri's pitching staff, and the lone run didn't cross the plate until the ninth inning, long after the outcome had been decided.

It wasn't the kind of series finale a ranked team wants to have.

Fisher Struggles Again in SEC Start

The Razorbacks turned to lefty Colin Fisher for the first time in three weeks for a conference game and it didn't work out.

Fisher had earned the nod after a solid midweek outing against Missouri State, but Saturday showed a different pitcher.

Missouri struck in the bottom of the first when a routine double play ball off the bat of Kam Durnin took a bad hop and hit third baseman TJ Pompey in the exchange.

No out was recorded. Even though the official scorer called it a hit, the play directly set up what became a three-run inning for the Tigers.

With the bases loaded, Mateo Serna was hit by a pitch to plate the first run. Two RBI ground outs followed, and just like that it was 3-0 Missouri before Arkansas had recorded an out in the bottom half.

That wasn't a new script for this series. It was the second time in three games that Missouri scored three runs in the first inning.

Fisher didn't make it out of the second. After Pierre Seals launched a two-run home run 425 feet to left-center to make it 5-0,

Gabe Gaeckle came on in relief. Fisher's final line in SEC play now shows 23 earned runs in 18 innings, an ERA of 11.50.

He's three innings short of being a qualified pitcher in conference play, but that mark would rank worst among any qualified arm in the SEC by a wide margin.

Five strikeouts in relief for Parker Coil pic.twitter.com/peZHOEU4sE
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) April 25, 2026

Missouri Bullpen Shuts Razorbacks Down

Mizzou starter JD Dohrmann lasted just one inning before leaving with an apparent injury.

What could've been a break for the Hogs turned into the opposite.

Keyler Gonzalez stepped in and was sharp for five innings.

He worked with a fastball sitting in the high-80s and a slider in the upper-70s, holding Arkansas to two hits while striking out five and walking nobody. He faced just three batters over the minimum.

The Razorbacks didn't threaten in a meaningful way until the fifth. They loaded the bases with two outs on an error, a bloop single and a hit by pitch. With Damian Ruiz set to hit,

Zack Stewart tried to score from third on a pitch in the dirt, but Gonzalez recovered quickly and flipped to catcher Serna for the tag. Stewart was out by a comfortable margin and the inning was over.

It was the kind of aggressive mistake that coaches typically spend time trying to prevent, not create.

A 28-Game Home Streak Comes to an End for Missouri

The Tigers came within one out of recording their first SEC shutout win in more than six years.

They couldn't complete a 6-4-3 double play to end the game, which allowed Helfrick's run to score and make it 6-1, but the result was never in question.

With the win, Missouri snapped a home SEC losing streak that had lasted nearly two years.

For a Tigers program that finished 4-17 in conference play through Saturday, it was a significant milestone regardless of the opponent.

Arkansas brought the tying run to the on-deck circle in the ninth but Pompey struck out on three pitches to end the game. It was his third strikeout of the day and his 64th of the season.

He's one punchout away from tying ninth place in school history for strikeouts in a single season, with 11 regular season games still remaining.

Gaeckle and Coil Both Contribute in Relief

Gaeckle's day wasn't spotless.

He allowed a solo home run to Eric Maisonet in the fourth inning, giving Missouri an insurance run and a 6-0 lead. He threw 50 pitches over 2⅔ innings after throwing 18 in the series opener.

Parker Coil replaced Gaeckle in the fifth and was the one genuine bright spot for the Razorbacks on the afternoon.

He recorded 3.2 innings of work, allowed just a pair of singles and struck out five without issuing a walk. Of his 44 pitches, 34 were strikes.

Coil may have done enough to enter the conversation for the third weekend rotation spot heading into the final stretch of the regular season.

What's Next for Arkansas Baseball

The Hogs sit at 11-10 in SEC play after Saturday's loss.

Reaching 18 conference wins for the ninth consecutive season now looks like a tough task with 11 games left on the schedule.

Arkansas returns home to Baum-Walker Stadium on Tuesday for the first of two midweek games against Northwestern State.

First pitch is set for 6 p.m. and will stream on SEC Network+.

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