Diamond Hogs gift-wrap three LSU runs in bottom of 9th inning in 6-5 loss that eliminated Arkansas from CWS

By Kevin McPherson

The pressure of playing its third elimination game in as many days was compounded by the fact that Arkansas had never beaten SEC foe LSU in the College World Series, and on Wednesday the No. 3-seed Razorbacks fell apart in the bottom of the 9th inning as they came up short in their biggest challenge of the season, gift-wrapping 3 runs to the 6th-seeded Tigers in the final frame in a 6-5 loss at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb.

The Diamond Hogs scored two runs in the top of the 9th on centerfielder Justin Thomas, Jr.’s one-out 2-RBI single to left field that broke a 3-all tie good for a 5-3 Arkansas lead heading into the bottom half of the frame.

But a one-out throwing error after a single put an LSU runner at second base, then after a five-pitch walk put runners at 1st and 2nd base, Arkansas star shortstop Wehiwa Aloy cleanly fielded a ground ball with an apparent chance to ignite a 6-4-3 double play to end the game, but instead he opted for the 6-5 force-out at 3rd base, leaving runners at 1st and 2nd with two outs.

The next Tigers’ batter, catcher Luis Hernandez, lifted a low liner to left field where the Hogs’ Charles Davalan misplayed what should have been a relatively routine third out, slipping as he tried to glove the ball, which ultimately ricocheted off his body toward the left field line, plating both runners to tie the game at 5-all with Hernandez advancing to second base and in scoring position on what was ruled a double (not an error likely because Davalan failed to get his glove on the ball).

Three pitches later, Hernandez was driven in for the game-ending winning run on Jared Jones’ walk-off single up the middle that lifted high enough to skip off the top of second baseman Cam Kozeal’s glove as the ball squirted into center field.

Arkansas and LSU (the Tigers are two years removed from winning the 2023 national championship, giving them six CWS titles all-time) squared off for the second time in this CWS, and for the fifth time overall this season. LSU improved to 2-0 against the Hogs in this CWS, and 4-1 overall on the season counting a 2-1 home series win during SEC play in the regular season.

The Diamond Hogs have never beaten LSU in the CWS, dropping to 0-5 all-time in the head-to-head matchup at the event.

LSU advances to the CWS best-of-3 national championship series this weekend to face CWS-unbeaten and No. 13-seed Coastal Carolina, which is seeking the second CWS national championship in its program’s history after advancing with an 11-3 win over Louisville earlier on Wednesday.

This was the 12th CWS all-time for the Diamond Hogs, eight of which have been earned under current head coach Dave Van Horn. The Razorbacks have only advanced to the two-team championship round twice in program history (‘1978-79 and ’17-18). The Hogs are still seeking the program’s first-ever national championship in baseball, and they are tied with North Carolina and Clemson for the second-most CWS appearances without a title while Florida State has twice as many CWS appearances — 24 — but has yet to win a title.

“First off, congratulations to LSU,” Van Horn said after the game. “Man, they’ve got a great team. They just kept fighting. We kept fighting. They took the lead. We came back, took the lead. Then they got us. It would have been nice to win the game, get to tomorrow, see what happens. But that’s baseball. It’s a crazy game. Seen it all, I think. But I feel like we played as hard as we could. Third day in a row. Really wanted to play a fourth. Hoping to get to the weekend. But it’s just the way it ended up.

“But proud of our team. It’s hard to say goodbye. I’m not good at saying goodbyes anyway. Great team, fun team, hard-working team. And probably just “team.” Man, they were a team. You could tell by how emotional they were after the game. It was a lot of heartbreak, maybe because we lost the game but honestly probably because the season’s over and they don’t get to be around each other every day. So proud of them. Proud of the University of Arkansas.”

Asked about Wehiwa Aloy’s fielding decision and Davalan’s gaffe on the low-trajectory fly ball — both coming in that 9th inning debacle — Van Horn weighed in.

“The way it all turned out, I guess I would have (preferred Aloy to have attempted the 6-4-3 double play). I haven’t talked to him about it. I think he felt he moved too far to his right for Cam to turn it. I don’t know. He’s an average runner. He’s not a flyer, but he’s not slow either. So I don’t know.

“And then the (fly) ball — I had a straight-on view of it. It was hit hard, obviously. It was kind of hooking and sinking. But it looked like Charles slipped like right at the beginning of taking off for it. When he slipped he probably lost sight of it. When the ball is hit that hard, he’s just trying to find it. I’d have to watch it again. We’re a long ways away. That’s what I saw.”

Boasting the highest seed in this 8-team CWS field, Arkansas (50-15) was coming off back-to-back CWS elimination-game wins over 15th-seeded UCLA (7-3 on Tuesday) and Murray State (3-0) on Monday that followed the Razorbacks’ 4-1 loss to LSU in the two teams’ CWS opener on Saturday. 

Meanwhile, LSU (51-15) won for the third consecutive time in this CWS after opening with the aforementioned Saturday win over Arkansas followed by a 9-5 winner’s-bracket victory over UCLA in a game that began Monday night but due to an extended weather delay was completed Tuesday afternoon.

Counting NCAA Regionals, Super Regionals, and the CWS, the Razorbacks finished 7-2 in this postseason (including 2-2 in the CWS).

Coming into the Wednesday night tilt against LSU, it had been stellar pitching (aside from two rough 3-run innings — the 2nd frame vs. LSU on Saturday and the 9th inning against UCLA on Tuesday) backed up by a stellar defense leading the way for the Razorbacks as they had allowed only 1 run in the other 25 innings in this CWS prior to facing LSU for the second time on Wednesday.

And that trend continued against the Tigers just past the midway point of the game as Arkansas led 1-0 after the first five innings. But pinch hitter Jake Brown slapped a two-out, 2-RBI single to left center in the bottom of the sixth stanza to give LSU its first lead, 2-1.

The Razorbacks responded with two runs of their own in the top of the 7th inning to reclaim the lead at 3-2 as Davalan and Wehiwa Aloy both scored on a one-out, bases-loaded fielder’s choice that forced a 6-4 out at second base but led to an error on the 4-3 relay throw to first base trying to complete the inning-ending double-play.

LSU answered with Jones’ two-out, 398-foot solo blast over the center field wall, tying the game at 3-all in the bottom of the eighth inning. That set up the aforementioned 2-RBI single by Thomas to put the Hogs ahead 5-3 in the top of the 9th, and that led to Arkansas’ aforementioned series of unfortunate defensive events fueling LSU’s 3-run response in the bottom of the final frame that ended the game.

Arkansas started left hander Landon Beidelschies, who worked 5.0 innnings and recorded a career-high 9 strikeouts while yielding 3 hits, 1 walk, and 2 runs (both earned) on 78 pitches. Reliever Gabe Gaeckle, making his second appearance against LSU in relief in this CWS, took over in the sixth stanza and pitched 3.0 innings, recording 4 strikeouts while yielding 4 hits, 2 walks, and 1 run (earned) on 51 pitches.

Freshman lefty reliever Cole Gibler (L, 3-2) got the ball to start the 9th inning, logging two outs, including one strikeout, while yielding 2 hits, 1 walk, and 3 runs (all earned) on 20 pitches. Then righthander Aiden Jiminez entered the game in relief in hopes of getting the final out in a 5-all tie game, but he gave up Jones’ aforementioned walk-off single that scored Hernandez from second base for the game-winning run.

At the plate, seven Hogs notched at least one hit, with right fielder Logan Maxwell (2-of-3) and Thomas (2-of-4 with 2 RBI) leading the way with multiple base knocks. Catcher Ryder Helfrick’s lone hit was a first-pitch, lead-off, 417-foot shot over the center field wall in the top of the 4th inning, serving as the first score of the game. Wehiwa Aloy, the ’24-25 SEC Player of the Year and one of three finalists for the Golden Spikes national player of the year award, was 1-of-5 hitting and scored a run after reaching base on his single in the 7th inning.

“It sucks to say goodbye to everybody,” Helfrick said. “And Charles (Davalan), he told me, he’s like, ‘I’m sorry.’ I said, ‘Why are you sorry?’ We wouldn’t be where we are today without him, the way he competes, and he’s one of the best hitters and people and just all-around best baseball players I’ve ever been around.

“For him to say sorry, it kind of pissed me off because the game’s not on him. It’s on the team. He’s one of the greatest to do it here.”

Arkansas’ line score: 5 runs, 9 hits, 1 error, and 6 left-on-base.

LSU reliever Jacob Mayers (W, 2-0) came into the game with one out in the 9th inning. He gave up one hit and had two strikeouts with no runs allowed. Jones led LSU bats with 3-of-5 hitting including 1 homerun and 2 RBI.

LSU’s line score: 6 runs, 10 his, 3 errors, and 8 left-on-base.