HOOVER, Ala. — The Arkansas baseball team is off to the SEC Tournament semifinals after a 5-3 win over #5 LSU on Wednesday.
The Razorbacks will face the winner of LSU and Texas A&M on Saturday afternoon.
The tournament now becomes single elimination as the Hogs look to win their second SEC Tournament title in the last three seasons.
The pitching matchup was a battle of the SEC's top two ERA leaders, Paul Skenes and Hagen Smith.
The Tigers would get to Smith in the first. LSU struck for three straight two out singles to take an early 1-0 lead. The Arkansas left would go on to strike out seven batters in his first three innings.
The Tigers would strike again in the fourth off a wild pitch. Smith would allow two earned runs in 3.2 with nine strikeouts.
With Arkansas trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth Caleb Cali would cut the deficit in half with an RBI single. Peyton Holt would proceed to tie the game with an RBI single, himself. The Razorbacks would chase Skenes after 3.2 with two earned runs allowed.
Arkansas would score a third run in the inning off a catcher's interference call on a Kendall Diggs pop up that should have ended the inning. Jace Bohrofen would proceed to drive in two more runs and Arkansas had a 5-2 lead after the fourth.
Hunter Hollan would replace Smith and shut the Tigers down. Hollan allowed just two earned runs over 6.2 and would finish off a 5-3 win.
Arkansas is off to the tournament semifinals where they will face the winner of Friday's elimination game between LSU and Texas A&M on Saturday afternoon.