Auburn scored two runs in the eighth inning and rallied to beat Arkansas 5-3 on Saturday at Plainsman Park.
The No. 18 Tigers tied the series with the third-ranked Razorbacks at one game apiece. The teams are scheduled to play the series finale Sunday at 1 p.m.
With one out, Auburn pinch hitter Mason Land bunted toward Arkansas pitcher Brady Tygart, but Tygart overthrew home plate to allow pinch hitter Garrett Farquhar to score the go-ahead run. Cole Foster added a sacrifice fly to score Brody Moore to give Auburn a 5-3 lead.
Carson Swilling retired Arkansas’ 9, 1 and 2 hitters — Jalen Battles, Cayden Wallace and Michael Turner — in order in the ninth inning to preserve the victory.
The Razorbacks (35-12, 15-8 SEC) were held to 3 hits, including 1 hit in 4 1/3 innings pitched by Auburn relievers Chase Isbell and Swilling.
Swilling did not allow a base runner in two innings.
The Tigers (32-15, 13-10) tied the game 3-3 when Brett Rambusch hit a solo home run against Arkansas reliever Zebulon Vermillion in the bottom of the seventh inning. Rambusch was the third Auburn player to hit a solo home run, joining Brooks Carlson in the second inning and Sonny DiChiara in the third.
All five of the Tigers’ home runs in the series have been solo homers. Three have led off an inning.
Arkansas took a 3-2 lead in the top of the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Robert Moore. It scored Wallace, who led off with a walk against Isbell and went to third base on Turner’s single.
Moore had 2 RBI. He also grounded into a fielder’s choice in the fifth inning to score Wallace and tie the game 2-2.
Arkansas led 1-0 in the second inning on Braydon Webb’s two-out RBI single to score Kendall Diggs. Auburn went ahead 2-1 on the leadoff home runs by Carlson and DiChiara.
The Tigers had 3 hits, walked 3 times and struck out 3 times in 4 innings against Arkansas starter Hagen Smith. The left hander threw 47 of 81 pitches for strikes.
Tygart entered the game with a runner on first base and DiChiara at the plate in the seventh inning. He struck out DiChiara and Bobby Peirce to keep the game tied 3-3.
But Tygart ran into trouble with one out in the eighth inning. He walked Carlson and Brody Moore followed with a single to right-center field.
That brought Land to the plate. He bunted back to Tygart on a 1-0 pitch. Tygart appeared to have time to throw out Farquhar, but threw the ball high and wide of Turner, the catcher.
Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn made a pitching change after the throwaway. Zack Morris recorded the final two outs of the eighth.
Tygart allowed 2 runs (1 earned), 1 hit and 1 walk, and struck out 3 in 1 inning.
Vermillion was sharp for Arkansas after Smith left the game. Vermillion was perfect in the fifth and sixth innings, but was pulled after he allowed consecutive one-out hits in the seventh, beginning with Rambusch’s home run.
Auburn starter Trace Bright was pulled after 4 2/3 innings. The right hander allowed 2 runs and 2 hits, walked 5 and struck out 4.
The Razorbacks’ lead in the SEC West shrunk to one game with the loss, coupled with Texas A&M’s 13-12 win over South Carolina on Saturday. Auburn is two games behind the Razorbacks in the standings.