The University of Arkansas baseball team hasn't allowed Auburn to score a run in 21 innings going back to last season.
The No. 1 Razorbacks beat the No. 24 Tigers 1-0 on Thursday night in the opener of their SEC series at Plainsman Park in Auburn, Ala., as Hagen Smith, Will McEntire and Gabe Gaeckle combined on a three-hit shutout.
"I'm going to state the obvious," Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said. "We pitched very well."
It was the second consecutive shutout for the Razorbacks over Auburn -- though the victories were 368 days apart.
Arkansas (18-2, 4-0 SEC) ended last season's series against Auburn with a 5-0 victory over the Tigers at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville.
Auburn (14-7, 0-4) hasn't scored against Arkansas since the sixth inning of the teams' second game last season, which the Razorbacks won 9-3.
The Razorbacks won their 14th consecutive game and extended their winning streak against Auburn to six games.
Auburn last beat Arkansas on May 7, 2002, when the Tigers won 5-3 at Plainsman Park.
Arkansas shortstop Wehiwa Aloy produced the game's only run when hit a two-out home run on a 3-2 pitch from Conner McBride to give the Razorbacks a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
It was the fourth home run this season for Aloy, a sophomore transfer from Sacramento State, and his team-leading 20th run batted in.
"He did a tremendous job with the fastball, let it get deep and just hammered it," Van Horn said. "We felt like it was out right when it left the bat.
"I see Wehiwa swinging the bat with a lot of confidence, taking pitches. It's a good time for him to get on a roll. We just need to get some of the guys around him to help out."
Smith closed the Razorbacks' 5-0 victory over the Tigers last season when he came into the game in the ninth inning with two men on and retired both batters he faced on seven pitches.
On Thursday night, Smith -- a junior left-hander -- started, went six innings and threw 87 pitches, including 56 strikes. He held the Tigers to 3 hits and 2 walks with 12 strikeouts.
"Smith was as advertised," Auburn Coach Butch Thompson said.
Smith (4-0) got out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning when he pitched around an error.
Auburn got runners on second and third base with one out when left fielder Ross Lovich dropped a fly ball by Bobby Peirce for a two-base error.
Smith struck out Cooper McMurray, then walked Chris Stanfield to load the bases. The runners were stranded when Mason Maners grounded out.
Auburn got the first two runners on base in the fourth inning when Irish walked and Peirce singled, but Smith kept Arkansas in the lead with three consecutive strikeouts.
"Some of it was experience," Van Horn said when asked the key to Smith leaving five runners stranded in two innings. "Really no panic, and really making some pitches.
"I mean, bottom line, making pitches with really good stuff."
Smith has 62 strikeouts in 29 innings this season.
"Honestly, really you can't even think about it," Smith said of pitching with runners on base. "You can't always think about, 'Oh, if I make this pitch, this guy might score.' You've just got to go out there and execute pitches."
McEntire, a senior right-hander, pitched the seventh and eighth innings and didn't allow a base runner.
Gaeckle, a freshman right-hander, closed in the ninth, retiring the Tigers in order for his fifth save. He struck out Maners swinging to end the game.
Smith, McEntire and Smith combined for 17 strikeouts.
"I think it's just pounding the zone," Smith said. "We talk about it all the time as a staff.
"I think we do a really good job of just trying to race to 0-2, get to 0-2 as fast as we can. That's what's led to most of our success this year."
The Razorbacks have three shutouts in four SEC games, including 8-0 and 6-0 victories over Missouri last weekend.
"It's pretty amazing," Van Horn said. "We've pitched extremely well and we've made most of the plays we've had an opportunity to make."
Arkansas loaded the bases with one out in the third inning, but the Tigers got a double play when Ben McLaughlin flew out to Peirce in right field. Peirce then threw out Ty Wilmsmeyer at the plate after he tagged up at third base and tried to score.
"He's probably got if not the best arm of all right fielders in our league, one of the top," Van Horn said of Peirce. "We know he can really throw, but we had probably our fastest runner on third base.
"Had to take a shot and he made a perfect throw all the way in the air. It was still awfully close. They got him, though."
It was the fifth time the Razorbacks have shut out the Tigers. The other shutout victories in addition to Arkansas' past two games against Auburn were 10-0 in 1994, 1-0 in 2013, 8-0 in 2019
The Razorbacks improved to 21-6 against Auburn since 2015 and lead the overall series 55-49.
McBride, a right-hander and junior college transfer, made his first SEC start and went four innings for the Tigers. He held the Razorbacks to 4 hits, 1 run and 2 walks with 4 strikeouts.
Arkansas left eight runners on base -- including on third base in the seventh and eighth innings -- and was 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position.
The Razorbacks couldn't score against Auburn relievers Cam Tilly, Tanner Bauman and Will Cannon.
"I think it was just a matter of the other team's pitchers making some really good pitches in some tough situations," Van Horn said. "We swung through a couple of pitches. Just missed a couple of pitches. Hit fly balls.
"You could tell our hitters were frustrated. They felt like they were on a couple of pitches, but give Auburn's pitching staff credit. They didn't throw the ball in the middle of the plate much at all, and they got ahead in the count.
"They made us earn it. It was a tough win, but we'll take it."
Today's game
No. 1 Arkansas at No. 24 Auburn
WHEN 6 p.m. Central
WHERE Plainsman Park, Auburn, Ala.
RECORDS Arkansas 18-2, 4-0 SEC; Auburn 14-7, 0-4
STARTING PITCHERS Arkansas: RHP Brady Tygart (3-0, 0.73 ERA); Auburn: RHP Chase Allsup (1-1, 7.15 ERA)
SERIES Arkansas leads 55-49
TV None
RADIO Razorback Sports Network
STREAMING SEC Network-Plus