FAYETTEVILLE — After combining for five hits in the first 12 innings of its weekend series against LSU, Arkansas' offense finally broke through in the fourth inning Saturday night at Baum Stadium.
Jake Wise hit a three-run home run and Tyler Spoon added a two-out RBI single during the four-run inning, sparking the No. 10 Razorbacks to a 8-3 win. Arkansas handed the No. 2 Tigers their third loss of the season and tied the three-game series at a game apiece.
The Razorbacks (25-11, 9-5 SEC) had five hits in the fourth inning against LSU pitcher Ryan Eades, who suffered his first loss of the year after entering the contest with a 7-0 record and 1.30 earned run average.
Brian Anderson walked and Dominic Ficociello singled to set the stage for the fourth inning rally. Brett McAfee and Jacob Mahan each had two-out hits after Wise's home run to bring Spoon to the plate.
Anderson and Ficociello each singled to start the fifth inning, chasing Eades. The junior right-hander allowed a season-high five earned runs and eight hits in his shortest outing of the year for the Tigers (33-3, 12-2). LSU had a 15-game win streak snapped.
Wise drove in Anderson with a sacrifice fly in the fifth to extend the Arkansas lead to 5-0. The Razorbacks recorded 12 hits, including seven in Eades' final two innings on the mound.
Eades was out-dueled by Arkansas starter Ryne Stanek in one of the league's most anticipated pitching matchups of the season. Stanek won his third game in four outings, striking out five and allowing four hits in 6 2/3 innings.
Arkansas added three more runs in the seventh, chasing LSU reliever Will LaMarche after he recorded only one out. LaMarche issued a bases-loaded walk to McAfee and Jaocb Mahan followed with a two-run double off Nate Fury.
After Jalen Beeks retired all four batters he faced in relief of Stanek, Arkansas turned the game over to freshman Landon Simpson to attempt and close the game with an eight-run lead. But LSU loaded the bases against Simpson with no outs in the ninth, scoring two runs on a Chris Sciambra double.
The Tigers added another run when Michael Gunn threw a wild pitch with one out and the bases loaded, but the sophomore left-hander stranded two runners in scoring position when Anderson made a diving catch in left field to rob Alex Bregman of a base hit to end the game.
The two teams will play the rubber match Sunday with a first pitch scheduled for 1:05 p.m. Arkansas will start senior left-hander Randall Fant (2-1, 1.71 ERA) on the mound, while LSU will counter with sophomore left-hander Cody Glenn (5-1, 3.12).