Freshman catcher Ryder Helfrick’s first career SEC at-bat was a go-ahead home run in the ninth inning Friday to help No. 1 Arkansas to a 6-5 victory at 24th-ranked Auburn.
The Razorbacks (19-2, 5-0 SEC) won their 15th consecutive game and took the series from the Tigers (14-8, 0-5). Arkansas will go for the series sweep Saturday at 2 p.m.
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Head coach Dave Van Horn was not in the Razorbacks' dugout after he returned to Fayetteville earlier in the day to attend to family. After Friday's game, Van Horn shared on social media that his "healthy triplet grandchildren" had been born.
Arkansas pitching coach Matt Hobbs served as acting head coach in Van Horn's absence and texted with the 22nd-year head coach moments before meeting with reporters.
"He was really happy, obviously," Hobbs said. "The first thing he texted us was just how proud he was of the way the team fought.
"We didn't have a whole lot of back down in us today, which I was really proud of, for the team to be able to do that in a tough environment. It's not easy to play here. It's not easy to play anywhere in the SEC."
The Razorbacks rallied from deficits in the first, third and sixth innings. Helfrick hit the go-ahead homer not long after a delay of 30-plus minutes. Home plate umpire Jeff Wright took a foul ball off the mask and had to exit the game.
Second-base umpire Alfredo Burkeen had to leave the ballpark premises to get his gear in order to replace Wright behind the plate.
"It was explained to us that they had to go take the umpires back to their locker room," Hobbs said. "The umpire had to change and the round trip was going to take a minute. The umpires were in communication the whole time."
Helfrick entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning after starting catcher Parker Rowland was lifted for a pinch hitter. Helfrick came into the game with a .105 batting average in 19 at-bats and had not recorded a hit since a Feb. 27 game against Grambling State.
He smoked the first pitch he saw, a John Armstrong 90 mph fastball over the plate, deep to left field and over the 37-foot green wall. The homer registered an exit velocity of 109 mph and traveled 405 feet, according to the in-stadium TrackMan system.
"It wasn't 405," said Hobbs, indicating the announced distance shortchanged Helfrick. "Ain't no way."
VIDEO: Matt Hobbs recaps 6-5 win at Auburn
It was Helfrick’s second career home run. He also homered in his debut Feb. 17 against James Madison.
Helfrick also provided a key defensive play before the eighth-inning delay. Cooper Weiss, the Auburn leadoff hitter whose 19 stolen bases lead the SEC, was thrown out at second base by Helfrick on an apparent pitch out by reliever Cooper Dossett. Weiss was successful in three earlier stolen-base attempts with Arkansas starting pitcher Brady Tygart on the mound and Rowland behind the plate.
It appeared Weiss might have beaten Helfrick's throw to second base, but the Tigers were out of replay challenges due to two unsuccessful challenges earlier in the game.
"That will be a super freshman for them," Auburn coach Butch Thompson said of Helfrick on the Tigers' postgame radio show. "I think everybody in America tried to recruit that guy."
The game lasted 3 hours, 45 minutes and included drama from the outset. Arkansas hit into its third non-traditional double play of the weekend when a Wehiwa Aloy liner was caught at second base and Peyton Stovall (leadoff single) was doubled up at first base in the top of the first inning.
Auburn took a 1-0 lead on an RBI ground out by Ike Irish to score Weiss in the bottom of the first, but the Razorbacks tied the game 1-1 when Ben McLaughlin homered with one out in the top of the second.
Aided by a Rowland throwing error, the Tigers scored twice in the third to take a 3-1 lead.
Arkansas responded with three runs in the fourth to go ahead 4-3. Jared Sprague-Lott drew a bases-loaded walk and Will Edmunson followed with a two-run single.
"I thought the top of the fourth was a huge inning," Thompson said. "We scored a couple of runs there to make it 3-1 and then they reeled us right back in. I thought that was huge to the ballgame."
Auburn tied the game 4-4 in the fifth when Bobby Peirce scored on Rowland’s second throwing error, and the Tigers went ahead 5-4 in the sixth when Weiss singled to left to score Javon Hernandez.
Arkansas was out-hit 10-8 but the Razorbacks' defense came through with several big plays.
Chris Stanfield was thrown out at home plate by Sprague-Lott from third base in the fourth inning. A relay throw from right fielder Kendall Diggs to the second baseman Stovall resulted in Weiss being out at the plate in the sixth.
Diggs also had a diving catch behind reliever Koty Frank to strand two base runners in the fourth. Auburn stranded the bases loaded in the seventh when McLaughlin never gave up on a ball that bounced away from him at first base. He corralled the ball in foul ground and dove to touch the bag with his glove before the nine-hole hitter Hernandez could reach.
Auburn stranded 10 base runners. The Tigers were 5 for 22 with runners on base and 3 for 14 with runners in scoring position.
"Ben McLaughlin really makes the defensive play of the day to be able to get us off the field right there — the diving play on a tough ball in between hops," Hobbs said. "[McLaughlin] and Kendall Diggs made unbelievable defensive plays, and Peyton Stovall, too, on that relay throw to get the out of home.
"Super proud of that defense."
Stovall’s sacrifice fly scored Edmunson in the seventh to tie the game 5-5.
The Tigers loaded the bases against reliever Gage Wood on a hit batsman, a double and an infield single in the bottom of the seventh.
Stone Hewlett came out of the bullpen in a left-on-left situation and struck out Christian Hall with a 3-2 slider for the second out, then gave way to Dossett.
Dossett pitched 1 1/3 innings to earn his first victory. The sophomore right-hander stayed in the game after the long umpire delay.
"That's probably the biggest spot Cooper had to pitch in in his entire baseball career here," Hobbs said, "and I thought he did an admirable job."
Will McEntire pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his second save. McEntire retired all three batters he faced Friday after retiring all six he faced Thursday.
"Will's an absolute animal and he wants the ball all the time," Hobbs said. "He felt really good.
"The plan was always as soon as we got the lead, Will was going to pitch in leverage late in the game, and obviously that's what he did. He went in and threw 11 straight cutters and they were really nasty."
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Five Arkansas relievers combined to allow 2 runs (1 earned) on 7 hits and 1 walk in 5 1/3 innings. The Razorbacks struck out 12 to bring their series total to 29.
Tygart struggled with command and lasted only 3 2/3 innings. The junior right-hander allowed 3 runs, 3 hits and a career-high 5 walks. He had 4 strikeouts and threw 39 of 76 pitches for strikes.
Auburn starter Chase Allsup allowed 4 runs (3 earned) on 5 hits and 1 walk with 5 strikeouts in 6 innings. Allsup retired the final eight batters he faced and exited with the lead.
Armstrong (0-1) took the loss after he allowed 2 runs (1 earned) in 2 1/3 innings. Armstrong has been the Tigers' top reliever and entered with a 1.46 ERA and 0.89 WHIP in 12 1/3 innings, but he struggled against an SEC lineup for the second consecutive week.
Vanderbilt tagged Armstrong for 2 walks and 1 hit in a 2-out relief appearance last week.
Why Arkansas won
The Razorbacks' bullpen shut down Auburn in critical moments and freshman Ryder Helfrick made huge plays offensively and defensively.
Player of the Game: Arkansas 1B Ben McLaughlin
His home run in the second inning gave the Razorbacks a quick response to Auburn's first lead and his defensive save to strand the bases loaded in the seventh inning was perhaps the weekend's best individual effort. McLaughlin finished 2 for 3, walked once and scored twice.