Hogs mauled by Bears

Arkansas pitcher Josh Alberius hands the ball to coach Dave Van Horn after giving up four runs without recording an out in the fifth inning of the Razorbacks' game against Missouri State on Tuesday, May 3, 2016, at Hammons Field in Springfield, Mo.

— Missouri State scored eight runs in the fifth inning en route to a 14-6 win over Arkansas Tuesday at Hammons Field.

It snaps the Bears’ five-game losing streak and extends the Razorbacks’ losing streak to three games.

After retiring the first six batters he faced, Arkansas starter Weston Rogers gave up three runs in the third inning. Alex Jefferson’s RBI single put the Bears on the board and Jake Burger added a two-run triple.

Blake Graham hit a solo home run off James Teague in the fourth and then Missouri State (29-14) blew it open in the fifth.

The first six Bears in the inning reached base, including the first four via hits against Josh Alberius. Hunter Steinmetz and Jefferson had back-to-back RBI triples and Burger hit his NCAA-leading 19th home run, a two-run shot.

Before the Razorbacks (26-19) recorded the final out, they used three pitchers and the Bears sent 13 batters to the plate, extending their lead to 12-0.

Much like it has most of the season, Arkansas’ pitching staff struggled as a whole. Eight pitchers combined to walk eight batters – including two with the bases loaded – and hit two with pitches. They also had two wild pitches.

Missouri State starter Austin Knight held Arkansas in check until the sixth, when Carson Shaddy led off with a home run that hit near the top of the left-field foul pole.

It ended up being a five-run inning for the Razorbacks, as Grant Koch had a two-run single and Eric Cole had a two-run triple.

Arkansas added a run in the ninth when Shaddy grounded into a double play, allowing Eric Cole to score from third.

Shaddy’s home run moved him into a three-way tie for the team lead, with eight. It was his third in four games.

Arkansas begins a three-game series at No. 15 LSU on Friday.