BATON ROUGE, La. — Baseball may be a funny game, but Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn wasn’t laughing Sunday.

After scoring runs in bunches the first two games against LSU, Arkansas was held to three hits and lost 4-2 to the Tigers at Alex Box Stadium. An Easter Sunday holiday crowd of 2, 016 watched LSU take the series after blowing a nine-run lead and losing 14-13 in 10 innings Saturday.

LSU won Friday’s series opener 8-7 on a home run by Matt Gaudet in the 11 th inning.

Sunday’s game was void of the high-scoring, pitching-deprived performances of the first two games. Both teams had to scratch for runs, and sophomore lefthander Dallas Keuchel gave Arkansas (14-8, 2-4 ) a chance by holding LSU to 4 runs and 7 hits in 8 innings of work.

ADVERTISEMENT

Arkansas was limited to three singles by four LSU pitchers, and the Razorbacks managed only two runs despite drawing six walks.

“We didn’t do anything offensively, and that’s disappointing,” Van Horn said. “I really thought we’d come out and get after them. We didn’t drive any runs in, and we didn’t get a sacrifice bunt down earlier in the game.

“ It wasn’t a real good job at the plate after doing such a great job [Saturday ].”

Ryan Verdugo went seven innings in a solid start for an LSU pitching staff that appeared in disarray. The Tigers had used 11 pitchers while giving up 21 runs and 28 hits to the Razorbacks in the first two games.

Verdugo (4-1 ) walked five and held Arkansas to three singles, by Casey Coon, Ryan Cisterna and Aaron Murphree.

“We’re a little thin with our pitching on Sunday and Michael Verdugo was the best option,” LSU Coach Paul Mainieri said of the junior left-hander. “When he walked the first two batters of the game, I said, ‘Oh, my goodness, here we go.’ His control has been somewhat erratic and he walked some guys, but he was mostly able to pitch out of it.”

Verdugo started the game by walking Chase Leavitt and Brett Eibner, but the Razorbacks managed only one run on a sacrifice fly by Coon. A double play on a grounder by Andy Wilkins stopped Arkansas in the sixth after Forsythe walked and Coon singled to open the innings.

Seeing his team struggle at the plate, Van Horn called for a double steal that put runners at second and third in the eighth inning with one out. Coon pulled Arkansas within 3-2 on an RBI groundout, but Wilkins flew out to left field to cap an 0-for-4 day.

LSU added an insurance run when pinch-runner Johnny Dishon scored from third on a short fly ball to left field by Sean Ochinko. Coon had a chance for a play at the plate, but his throw was wide to Cisterna.

“The Cardinal rule in baseball is that with two outs you’ve got to make them make a play,” Mainieri said. “Arkansas did it to us Saturday, and we did it today. You can’t sit around waiting for a two-out hit.

“ Dishon is one of our fastest runners, and he made a tremendous slide at home where he was barely safe.”

Paul Bertuccini earned his first save in the ninth for LSU when he struck out Aaron Murphree and Tim Smalling and got Cisterna on a tapper to the mound.

Arkansas will face Centenary at home Tuesday and Wednesday before continuing SEC play at Vanderbilt on Friday. Razorbacks at a glance UP NEXT Centenary WHEN 6: 35 p. m. Tuesday WHERE Baum Stadium in Fayetteville WHO’S HOT Casey Coon went 8 for 14 with a home run after entering the series batting. 187. He lined a single in the sixth inning Sunday after a pop foul barely eluded first baseman Matt Clark and fell into the LSU dugout. WHO’S NOT Arkansas freshman Andy Wilkins was 2 for 13 in the series and hit into a double play Sunday. Wilkins entered the series tied for third on the team with a. 356 average. SHORT HOPS Tim Smalling’s 14-game hitting streak came to an end Sunday when he went 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts. Smalling had a game-winning home run Saturday to give Arkansas a 14-13 comeback victory in 10 innings.... LSU Coach Paul Mainieri said he slept like a baby Saturday night after LSU blew a nine-run lead and lost to Arkansas. “I stayed up all night and cried my eyes out,” he said. “That’s what babies do, isn’t it ?”... Mike the Tiger, the LSU mascot, made an appearance Sunday to help with an Easter egg hunt after the game. A crowd of children 12 and younger took over the right-field area gathering the colorful eggs. The hunt lasted only a few minutes because the eggs weren’t hidden.... Paid attendance Sunday was 6, 970, but only 2, 016 actually showed up for the game.... There are 18 games left to be played in Alex Box Stadium, which will be torn down when the Tigers move into a few facility next season.

THE WEEK AHEAD TODAY off TUESDAY vs. Centenary, 6: 35 p. m. WEDNESDAY vs. Centenary, 3: 05 p. m. THURSDAY off FRIDAY at Vanderbilt, 6 p. m. SATURDAY at Vanderbilt, 3 p. m. SUNDAY at Vanderbilt, 1 p. m. SEC standings WESTERN DIVISION

CONF. ALL Mississippi........................................ 3-3 15-8 Arkansas................................ 2-4 14-8 Auburn.............................................. 2-4 14-9 LSU................................................... 2-4 14-7 Alabama............................................ 2-4 11-11 Mississippi State............................... 1-5 9-12 EASTERN DIVISION

CONF. ALL Florida............................................... 5-1 17-4 Kentucky........................................... 4-2 20-2 Georgia............................................. 4-2 12-9 South Carolina.................................. 4-2 15-5 Tennessee......................................... 4-2 14-6 Vanderbilt.......................................... 3-3 14-6 FRIDAY’S SCORES LSU 8, Arkansas 7 South Carolina 9, Mississippi State 1 Auburn 2, Kentucky 0 Georgia 6, Tennessee 2 Ole Miss 5, Florida 4 Vanderbilt 2, Alabama 1 SATURDAY’S GAMES Arkansas 14, LSU 13 Florida 6, Mississippi 4 Georgia 3, Tennessee 2 Auburn 7, Kentucky 5 South Carolina 4, Mississippi State 1 Alabama 9, Vanderbilt 7 SUNDAY’S GAMES Florida 10, Mississippi 2 South Carolina 10, Mississippi State 3 LSU 4, Arkansas 2 Tennessee 4, Georgia 3 Kentucky 9, Auburn 8 Alabama 10, Vanderbilt 3 TUESDAY’S GAMES All times Central Xavier at Kentucky, 3 p. m. Georgia at Kennesaw State, 5 p. m. Jacksonville at Florida, 5: 30 p. m. Mercer at Auburn, 6 p. m. Furman at South Carolina, 6 p. m. SC Upstate at Tennessee, 6 p. m. Belmont at Vanderbilt, 6 p. m. Jacksonville State at Alabama, 6: 30 p. m. Northwestern State at LSU, 6: 30 p. m. South Alabama at Mississippi State, 6: 30 p. m. Centenary at Arkansas, 6: 35 p. m. ARKANSAS AB R H BI LSU AB R H BI Leavitt rf 1 2 0 0 Schimpf 2 b 3 0 0 0 Eibner cf 3 0 0 0 Hollander 3 b 4 1 3 1 Forsythe 3 b 1 0 0 0 Dean lf 4 0 0 0 Coon lf 3 0 1 2 Gaudet dh 4 0 1 1 Wilkins lb 4 0 0 0 Clark lb 3 1 1 0 Murphree dh 4 0 1 0 Dishon pr 0 1 0 0 Smalling ss 4 0 0 0 Haydel lb 0 0 0 0 Cisterna c 3 0 1 0 Ochinko c 3 0 0 1 House ph 1 0 0 0 Landry cf 3 0 0 0 Tschepikow 2 b 2 0 0 0 LeMahieu ss 3 1 2 1 Totals 26 2 3 2 Totals 29 4 7 4 Arkansas....................... 100 000 010 — 2 3 3 LSU............................. 010 020 01 X — 4 7 0 E — Forsythe, Tschepikow and Keuchel. LOB — Arkansas 6, LSU 7. 2 B — Hollander, Clark. SB — Leavitt 2 (5 ), Forsythe (6 ). Arkansas IP H R ER BB SO Keuchel, L (2-1 )..................... 8 7 4 3 2 3 LSU IP H R ER BB SO Verdugo, W (4-1 )................... 7 3 1 1 4 5 Cain........................................ 2 / 3 0 1 1 2 0 Ardoin..................................... 1 / 3 0 0 0 0 0 Bertuccini............................... 1 0 0 0 0 2 WP — Keuchel, Verdugo. Time — 2: 27. Att. — 2, 016.