FAYETTEVILLE — Hunter Melton hit a two-run home run during Texas A&M's three-run 11th inning and the No. 2 Aggies held off a late Arkansas rally to win 11-8 Saturday in the second game of a doubleheader.
Melton crushed a 3-2 pitch from Razorbacks reliever Blaine Knight to give Texas A&M a 10-8 lead with one out in the inning. Michael Barash added an RBI single later in the inning to give the Aggies a three-run lead.
Game Sketch
Line Score: Texas A&M 11-15-1; Arkansas 8-14-3
Records: Texas A&M 34-9, 13-7 SEC; Arkansas 26-17, 7-13 SEC
WP: Mark Ecker (4-1)
LP: Blaine Knight
Save: Turner Larkins (1)
Turning Point: Hunter Melton's 10th home run of the season gave Texas A&M a 10-8 lead in the 11th inning.
Notable: Arkansas split a doubleheader for the second consecutive Saturday.
Attendance: 8,125
Arkansas tied the game in the ninth when pinch-hitter Alex Gosser singled with two outs and scored Rick Nomura from second base. Gosser entered the at-bat with a .077 average and had only one hit all season.
The Razorbacks (26-17, 7-13 SEC) scored five runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a 5-2 lead. The Aggies chipped away at the lead until the fifth when Nick Banks hit a grand slam off Arkansas starter Zach Jackson to give Texas A&M a 7-6 lead.
It was the second straight year that Banks hit a grand slam off of Jackson, who left the game following the home run. The right-hander allowed seven runs on six hits and struck out six.
The Aggies (34-9, 13-7) added another run in the sixth, but Arkansas pulled within 8-7 when Chad Spanberger singled to score Michael Bernal with two outs in the seventh.
The Razorbacks recorded 14 hits, but stranded 11 runners, including the bases loaded in the first and fourth innings. It looked as if Arkansas might increase its 6-3 lead in the fourth, but Tucker Pennell was robbed of an extra-base hit with the bases loaded when Texas A&M left fielder J.B. Moss made a diving catch to end the inning.
Mark Ecker pitched 4 1/3 innings of relief to earn the win for Texas A&M. Ecker gave up the run in the ninth, but it was unearned because of an error.
Ecker recorded eight of the Aggies' 16 strikeouts. Turner Larkins struck out two of the three batters he faced in the 11th to record the save.
The teams are scheduled to play again Sunday at 1 p.m.
Game 1
Arkansas scored four runs in the sixth inning to take the lead and the Razorbacks upset Texas A&M in the first game of the doubleheader.
Austin Catron had a sacrifice fly to give Arkansas a 5-4 lead. Clark Eagan followed with a two-run triple and Luke Bonfield had an RBI single to make it 8-4 Razorbacks.
Game Sketch
Line Score: Arkansas 9-13-0; Texas A&M 5-10-1
Records: Arkansas 26-16, 7-12 SEC; Texas A&M 33-9, 12-7 SEC
WP: Dominic Taccolini (5-2)
LP: Andrew Vinson (1-2)
Turning Point: After Arkansas took a 5-4 lead, Clark Eagan hit a two-run triple to center field to extend the Razorbacks' lead to 7-4 in the sixth inning.
Notable: The Razorbacks improved to 8-3 against the Aggies since Texas A&M joined the SEC.
Texas A&M pulled within 8-5 on a wild pitch by Arkansas reliever James Teague in the top of the eighth, but the Razorbacks got a run back when Aggies reliever Stephen Kolek walked Cullen Gassaway with the bases loaded.
Josh Alberius and Blaine Knight each pitched a scoreless inning in relief for the Razorbacks (26-16, 7-12 SEC).
Texas A&M led 3-0 on Ryne Birk's three-run home run in the first inning. Arkansas pulled within 3-2 on Rick Nomura's two-run double in the second, but the Aggies added another run in the top of the third when Boomer White hit a solo home run off Razorbacks starter Dominic Taccolini.
Arkansas tied the game 4-4 in the bottom of the third when Carson Shaddy homered after Eagan singled to lead-off the inning. The home run was Shaddy's sixth of the season, but first since March 4.
Taccolini pitched six innings to earn the win for Arkansas. After throwing a complete-game shutout at Kentucky last week, Taccolini struck out six and allowed five runs on nine hits.
Texas A&M reliever Andrew Vinson was charged with the loss. Vinson allowed four runs on three hits and two walks, and only recorded two outs.
The Aggies (33-9, 12-7) entered the game with 11 wins in their last 12 games.