Arkansas knocked out of College World Series in messy, heartbreaking fashion
Arkansas knocked out of College World Series in messy, heartbreaking fashion
The Arkansas Razorbacks were a steamroller in college baseball this spring. The Louisiana State Tigers were one of just a few teams they'd been able to leave in their wake, beating their SEC rival three times in four opportunities.
So when they met for a fifth time in the College World Series, it was equally likely we'd see fireworks or heartbreak. Unfortunately for the Razorbacks, they served up both.
Arkansas battled back from an early deficit to take a 5-3 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth inning. A win would force a rubber match between conference foes in Omaha. A loss would send the Tigers to the College World Series final and the Razorbacks back to Fayetteville. After a strikeout, single and walk put the winning run at the plate with one out, a grounder to shortstop could have been a game-ending double play. Instead Wehiwa Aloy made the safe choice and opted to force out the lead runner at third.
That brought up LSU catch Luis Hernandez. He lined a 1-0 pitch to left field, well-hit but within Razorback Charles Davalan's range. But a misstep upped the degree of difficulty. By virtue of two misplaced inches of a glove, the game was tied.
Arkansas could have recovered from a double that could have easily been a game-saving catch. One more out would send the game to extra innings. Instead, well, game of inches.
Jared Jones, who homered in the eighth inning to tie the game at three-all, lined a ball up the middle and just off the tip of second baseman Cam Koziel's glove. With that, Arkansas was done.
This was a program that went 50-15 this season. The Razorbacks won 20 games against SEC competition, shredding some of the best baseball teams the NCAA had to offer. They only lost to one team once the NCAA Tournament began.
Unfortunately, that one team was LSU. The Tigers were tailor made for the moment. Arkansas met the end of its season in one of the most college baseball ways possible -- via a brutally timed deflection off the tip of a glove.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
SEC Quarterback Eviscerates Quality Of Play In The Big Ten
SEC Quarterback Eviscerates Quality Of Play In The Big Ten originally appeared on The Spun. With one more year of eligibility thanks to a judge's order, Diego Pavia has made stated that he'd like to remain at Vanderbilt — although that's not his only option. Advertisement Sitting down on the "Bussin' with the Boys" podcast, the Commodores quarterback confirmed he received a $4 million NIL offer from another SEC team before taking some shots at the Big Ten. "You want to play with the best — you don't want to play with the Big Ten. … You ignore those calls," Pavia told the Michigan and Nebraska grads. "You know that." "But you've got to think about this, too," he continued. "The SEC is, like, nothing. Like, OK, the Big Ten, you have Ohio State, Oregon … the SEC, it's like week after week. You're going to get beat on. The Big Ten, you're not gonna get beat on with the Purdue, Nebraskas." Advertisement "The best pass rushers are from the SEC, except, like, Abdul Carter. You'll find one. You'll have one or two. … If the kid from South Carolina [Dylan Stewart] could've left, he would've been a first-round pick." Pavia helped turn Vanderbilt into one of the nation's most exciting teams after transferring in from New Mexico State prior to starting his career at the JUCO level. Last season he threw for 2,133 yards and 17 touchdowns with another 716 yards and six scores on the ground on the way to taking down No. 1 Alabama at home and nearly upsetting the Texas Longhorns as well. NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - AUGUST 31: Diego Pavia #2 of the Vanderbilt Commodores looks on during the game against the Virginia Tech Hokies at FirstBank Stadium on August 31, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by)Vandy peaked at No. 25 in the AP Poll after failing to post a winning record in over a decade. Leading Pavia to take another shot at the B1G's Wolverines for not winning more than they do given their massive budget and donor base. Advertisement "Michigan's a great school, but they should winning more than they should with the cap that they got," Pavia claimed. "Like, Dave Portnoy donates to Michigan. I know their NIL is through the roof. Should you not win?" Related: Former College GameDay Star 'Warned' About Her Politics SEC Quarterback Eviscerates Quality Of Play In The Big Ten first appeared on The Spun on Jun 17, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jun 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Top QB Recruit Jett Thomalla Flips His Commitment
Top QB Recruit Jett Thomalla Flips His Commitment originally appeared on The Spun. One of the nation's top prep quarterbacks has reportedly had a change of heart when it comes to his football future. According to four-star Millard South QB Jett Thomalla has flipped his commitment from the Big 12 to the SEC in a massive shakeup for the Class of 2026. Advertisement Per national recruiting reporter Hayes Fawcett, Thomalla has rethought his commitment to Matt Campbell and the Iowa State Cyclones and has instead decided to roll with Kalen DeBoer and the Alabama Crimson Tide. Thomalla was easily the highest-rated prospect in ISU's upcoming recruiting class and had fans in Ames buzzing when he committed just a few months ago. At 6-foot-4, 200-pounds Jett is the top recruit in the state of Nebraska and originally chose the Cyclones over Arizona, Duke, Missouri and Virginia Tech. However, Alabama pushed hard to land him in Tuscaloosa and their efforts were rewarded. Advertisement Thomalla set multiple single-season state records as a junior; throwing for the most completions, yards, touchdowns and total offensive yards in Nebraska history on the way to leading Millard South High to a 12-1 record and its first state title in 15 years. Millard South QB Jett Thomalla (4) looks for receivers against Basha during a game at Basha High School in Chandler, Arizona, on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.© Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK In many scouts' eyes, Jett projects to being a multi-year starter at the Power Four level with plenty of traits that could eventually lead to him being a star. Kalen DeBoer made his name as a quarterback developer prior to arriving at Bama. And he'll definitely have a talented QB to mold in his image with Thomalla potentially suiting up for the Tide in '26 and beyond. Advertisement Related: SEC Quarterback Eviscerates Quality Of Play In The Big Ten Top QB Recruit Jett Thomalla Flips His Commitment first appeared on The Spun on Jun 17, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jun 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
American Press
an hour ago
- American Press
LSU headed to CWS finals after crazy walk-off rally beats Hogs
Luis Hernandez motions to teammates after his 2-run double tied the gaeme and set the stage for LSU's walk-off victory. Special to the American Press / Mitchell Scaglione OMAHA, Neb. — LSU's Geauxmaha Magic is alive and well in the College World Series. But this latest was as unlikely as any of the Tigers' past antics here — maybe even a touch of some of that Louisiana voodoo come north for June again. The Tigers scored three in the bottom of the ninth, using a freakish 2-run double by Luis Hernandez, followed by a game-winning RBI single by Jared Jones that tipped just off the top of a leaping second baseman's glove for a walk-off 6-5 victory over Arkansas. So the Tigers (51-15) are geauxing to the three-game CWS championship round, beginning Saturday when they'll face Coastal Carolina, which punched its ticket with a far-more routine 11-3 win over Louisville earlier Wednesday. It's the second straight Omaha trip where LSU has walked-off into the finals. Two years ago it was Tommy White's 11th-inning home run to beat Wake Forest that sent the Tigers to the finals, where they beat Florida two of three for their seventh national championship. Pretty cut and dry on that one, actually. This time all three ninth-inning runs scored with two outs — in fact, five of the Tigers' six runs came with two outs, as have 10 of the 15 over the last two games. The third out looked to be there for Arkansas' taking when Hernandez hit a sharp and twisting liner to leftfield, but just before it arrived Charles Davalan slipped, with the ball bouncing off his shoulder into the corner. 'He didn't grab it, I started running,' Hernandez said. So did Steven Milam and Ethan Frey to easily circle the bases from second and first to tie the game at 5-5. That brought up Jared Jones, whose eighth-inning game-tying homer looked for naught when the Razorbacks scored two runs in the top of the ninth. He lined one the opposite way that Arkansas second baseman Cam Kozeal leaped as high as he could for, but it tipped off the very tip top of his glove and dribbled into centerfield. 'I thought he had caught, honestly, because it fell behind him,' Jones said. 'But once I saw it hit the grass, I just blacked out in the moment.' 'I was watching Hernandez chugging around third,' said LSU coach Jay Johnson afterwards, then looked over at his catcher to say 'I didn't know you could run like that.' 'Got no wheels,' Hernandez answered. 'But I was running as fast as I could.' Perhaps it was just the spell LSU can put on games in Omaha. 'I had a straight-on view on it,' Arkansas coach Dave Van Horne said Hernandez' double. 'It was hit hard … It was kind of hooking and sinking. When (Davalan) slipped he probably lost sight of it.' The game-winner was just hard enough — if it doesn't tip Kozeal's glove, it gets to the outfield cleaner and quicker and the Tigers probably have to hold Hernandez at third. But this is LSU in Omaha, so … 'Two years ago to the day, the walk-off homer against Wake Forest,' Johnson remembered. 'I felt something in my body I've never felt before. Greatest moment of my life — now it's tied for first.' It was a long haul. LSU didn't score for the first five innings, but got all it could have hoped for in giving righthanded relief ace Zac Cowan just his second start of the season. He got into the sixth inning allowing only one run, a solo homer by Ryder Helfrick in the fourth. Cowan, who struggled at times late in the regular season, allowed four hits, didn't walk a batter and two of the baserunners he allowed were singles when LSU's infield shift backfired to open up holes. Another was on catcher's interference. 'Spectacular job by Zac,' Johnson said. 'He got us three more outs than I probably thought he would. Just pitching like a warrior and doing what he's done all year.' LSU finally got on the board in the sixth, and took a 2-1 lead when Jake Brown came off the bench for a 2-run, pinch-hit single off of relief ace Gabe Gaeckle— with two outs, of course — that put the Tigers up 2-1. That held up until the eighth when the game went haywire. Jones' game-tying bomb in the eight atoned for a rare defensive miscue in the top of the inning. With the bases loaded with Razorbacks, LSU might have gotten out of the inning with no damage, but Jones couldn't snag a relay throw on an attempted double play and when the ball rolled away from him a second run scored for a 3-2 Arkansas lead. Arkansas got the lead again the ninth, 5-3, on Justin Thomas' 2-run single. The Razorbacks were one out from forcing another game Thursday night. But, as Jones said, 'There's no clock in baseball. There's 27 outs (and) with our offense, it's a tough task to do. 'Happy Luis got the job done — and I'm happy I was able to drive him in.' NOTEBOOK WEIRD PLAY: LSU was denied the third out of the second inning when, upon further review, catchers' interference was ruled against catcher Luis Hernandez on a fly ball to centerfield. Instead of the third out, Justin Thomas was awarded first base, and Cam Kozeal went to second. LSU, which was already in the dugout before being called back out for the review, did get the third out on the next batter. It went in the scorebook as an error. PLAY OF THE GAME: LSU shortstop Steven Milam went deep into the hole on the game's second batter, went to his knees to stop Wehiwa Aloy's ground ball on the outfield grass, then made the one-hop throw to first while bouncing to feet to get the out.
