The Arkansas Razorbacks struggled to knock in all their many runners in their series-opening loss at Georgia on Thursday.
In Game 2 on Friday, the University of Arkansas struggled to get and keep runners on base while the Bulldogs were bombing their way into a huge lead.
Georgia homered four times to mount a seven-run lead and held on to down the No. 5 Razorbacks 7-3 at Foley Field in Athens, Ga., and clinch the series victory.
Arkansas (30-9, 11-6 SEC) dropped back-to-back games for the second time this season, lost just its second series and fell to a half-game ahead of LSU, which had a late game at Ole Miss, in the SEC West standings.
“We’ve been out-played, pretty much in every aspect of the game, you know, fielding, hitting, base-running, pitching,” Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said was his message to the team. “They’ve kind of gotten after us.
“It’s a long season. You can’t be all happy with what went on last week. You’ve got tomorrow. Last week’s behind you. There’s no easy wins on the schedule.”
Georgia (22-17, 6-11), which sits at the bottom of the SEC East standings, clinched its second SEC series victory of the season by winning for the fifth time in its past seven SEC games, all against top-10 opponents.
“I’ve used the analogy too many times, but we’ve dug this dang hole we’re in and we’ve got to climb out,” Georgia Coach Scott Stricklin said. “We’re clawing and we’re climbing out. You’ve got to do it by winning games.”
Georgia’s big hits came from unlikely sources, not its leading home run hitters Charlie Condon, Connor Tate and Parks Harber, who have combined for 40.
Instead, Cole Wagner, Sebastian Murrillo, Fernando Gonzalez and Mason LaPlante, the bottom four hitters in the Georgia order, all homered off Arkansas right-hander Will McEntire (5-2) in the first four innings as the Bulldogs built a big lead for the second game in a row.
McEntire, who gave up 6 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks in 4 innings, has allowed 15 home runs. All four of the home runs against him Friday came on fastballs.
“He threw some good breaking balls early, but obviously they clubbed him in the second,” Van Horn said. “When he made a mistake, they hammered it.
“He has to be spot on with his control, and I don’t think that’s happened this year but a couple times, and when he is, he’s really good.”
Three of the home runs came in the second inning as Wagner and Murrillo opened it with solo shots. Then nine-hole hitter LaPlante planted one well over the wall in left field after Gonzalez drew a walk to make it 4-0.
Gonzalez hit his solo home run leading off the fourth inning to give each of those players his fourth home run of the season.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen four home runs hit from the 6, 7, 8 and 9 [spots],” Stricklin said. “If you’re saying before the game that four guys are going to homer in this game and you don’t name Condon or Tate or Harber, there’s something wrong with you. Those other guys picked it up.”
Arkansas, which went 3 of 18 with runners in scoring position Thursday, did not score until the eighth inning. Brady Slavens hit his fifth home run to drive in Harold Coll, who had doubled. Then Jace Bohrofen’s sacrifice fly brought home Hudson Polk, who also doubled.
Georgia left-hander Charlie Goldstein, who entered with a 5.67 ERA, kept the Hogs’ bats tamed through six innings.
The Razorbacks had three hits through the first six innings, but Goldstein faced just one batter above the minimum through that point. In the third inning, Coll singled to lead off, but he was caught stealing for the final out. Bohrofen hit a two-out double in the fourth, but he was caught in a rundown after Goldstein caught him leaning off the bag.
Bohrofen said he got too aggressive trying to take a secondary lead on the pickoff.
“I think everything is still right in front of us,” Bohrofen said. “We can get out of here with one win, and that’s the most important thing right now is just, ‘How do we get out of here with one win?’ So we’ll get the guys ready to go tomorrow, and we’ll take care of business.”
Today’s 1 p.m. game will pit ace lefties, Arkansas’ Hagen Smith (5-1, 2.79) against Georgia’s Liam Sullivan (4-2, 4.14).
Sullivan said heading into the series he thought the Bulldogs were playing much better baseball than earlier in the year.
“Really, really happy with the way we played last night and tonight,” he said. “Pitching and defense and timely hitting will get it done every time.”