Arkansas 0, Texas A&M 0 — End 9th Inning
Gabe Gaeckle retired the Aggies’ 2-3-4 hitters in the ninth. Going into extras tied 0-0.
I think this is the first game to go to extras scoreless for Arkansas since Game 3 of the 2012 Super Regional at Baylor.
Arkansas 0, Texas A&M 0 — Middle 9th Inning
Nothing for the Razorbacks after Ben McLaughlin’s one-out single.
Texas A&M has its big hitters up against Gabe Gaeckle in the bottom of the ninth.
Arkansas 0, Texas A&M 0 — End 8th Inning
Wehiwa Aloy saved a run with an outstanding defensive play in the eighth. He charged a slow roller to his left and threw out Gavin Grahovac to strand a runner at second base.
Travis Chestnut, a speedster, was racing toward home and would have scored had Grahovac beat the bang-bang throw to first base.
This has been an incredible game.
Arkansas 0, Texas A&M 0 — Middle 8th Inning
Ty Wilmsmeyer led off with a bunt single but it did not lead to a run against Evan Ashenbeck.
Peyton Holt popped up, Peyton Stovall hit a hard fly out to the warning track in center and, after Wilmsmeyer stole second base, Jared Sprague-Lott grounded out to shortstop.
Arkansas 0, Texas A&M 0 — End 7th Inning
Christian Foutch had a couple of strikeouts as part of a 1-2-3 inning.
Evan Aschenbeck, the Aggies’ top reliever has entered in place of Ryan Prager. Here is the final line from tonight’s great pitching matchup.
Hagen Smith: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 14 K
Ryan Prager: 7 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 9 K
Neither allowed a run.
Arkansas 0, Texas A&M 0 — Middle 7th Inning
Ryan Prager’s night is over after a scoreless seventh and so is Hagen Smith’s. Christian Foutch will throw the bottom of the seventh.
Arkansas 0, Texas A&M 0 — End 6th Inning
Hagen Smith struck out three more in the sixth to give him 14 for the game. He got Braden Montgomery looking after Jace LaViolette hit a two-out double off the wall in right field.
Arkansas 0, Texas A&M 0 — Middle 6th Inning
The Razorbacks wasted an opportunity in the sixth after Peyton Stovall singled and Jared Sprague-Lott drew a walk with no outs.
Wehiwa Aloy hit a weak grounder up the middle that turned into a double play when Sprague-Lott made a base-running mistake. Stovall was stranded at third base on a weak tapper back to the mound by Ben McLaughlin.
Ryan Prager is through six scoreless in 88 pitches.
Arkansas 0, Texas A&M 0 — End 5th Inning
Hagen Smith struck out three in the fifth inning but he needed a fourth out to strand a base runner after a strike three got away from Hudson White.
With 11 strikeouts tonight, Smith has broken Arkansas’ career strikeout record with 346. Nick Schmidt had the record with 345 from 2005-07.
The pitchers’ duel goes on.
Arkansas 0, Texas A&M 0 — Middle 5th Inning
Jayson Jones singled with one out. He went to second base on a ground out by Ty Wilmsmeyer and was stranded when Peyton Holt grounded out to third to end the half inning.
Arkansas 0, Texas A&M 0 — End 4th Inning
Hagen Smith has eight strikeouts after he struck out a pair during a 1-2-3 fourth.
This has been an incredible pitching duel between Smith and Ryan Prager. It’s kind of like watching the same performance from two different pitchers. Smith has thrown 60 pitches and Prager has thrown 59. Smith has eight strikeouts and Prager has seven.
Arkansas 0, Texas A&M 0 — Middle 4th Inning
Ryan Prager sat down Arkansas in order in the fourth inning. That was the Razorbacks’ first inning without a strikeout.
Prager has thrown 42 of 59 pitches for strikes.
Arkansas 0, Texas A&M 0 — End 3rd Inning
Hagen Smith worked around a two-out bunt single and stolen base in the third inning. He recorded his sixth strikeout in the inning.
The inning ended, and a runner was stranded at second base, when Gavin Grahovac grounded out to Wehiwa Aloy at shortstop.
Arkansas 0, Texas A&M 0 — Middle 3rd Inning
Ryan Prager has seven strikeouts through three innings with a great changeup that he has gone to often in two-strike situations.
Ty Wilmsmeyer had a first-pitch single to right field but the Razorbacks got nothing else in the inning. That was Wilmsmeyer’s first hit since April 6.
Arkansas 0, Texas A&M 0 — End 2nd Inning
Hagen Smith has five strikeouts after a second consecutive 1-2-3 inning. His fastball is upper 90s and his 85 mph slider has been great.
Arkansas 0, Texas A&M 0 — Middle 2nd Inning
Ryder Helfrick had an infield single and Hudson White hit a single in the second, but they were stranded when Jayson Jones struck out swinging at a changeup.
Ryan Prager has five strikeouts through two innings.
The field is really slick right now as the rain is beginning to let up.
Arkansas 0, Texas A&M 0 — End 1st Inning
Hagen Smith struck out all three in the bottom of the first. Great pitching start here.
Arkansas 0, Texas A&M 0 — Middle 1st Inning
We are finally underway here on a damp night in College Station. Just as the game was getting to begin, more rain began falling.
Ryan Prager struck out all three batters he faced in the top of the first inning. Peyton Holt worked a long at-bat, but Peyton Stovall and Jared Sprague-Lott went down easily.
Update
The first pitch has been pushed back to 8:30 p.m.
Pregame
Howdy! It is a windy, but rapidly clearing night here in College Station as Arkansas and Texas A&M prepare for their series opener at Blue Bell Park.
The rain dumped in College Station this afternoon to the point the local county was issued a flash flood warning. There is still some standing water on the warning track in center field, but the groundskeepers are working hard to clear that by first pitch at 8 p.m.
The weather (and the weeknight) is sure to keep some people away tonight, which may favor Arkansas’ Hagen Smith. Also in Smith’s favor: a strong wind coming in from right field that should make this park play big.
Texas A&M has struggled with strikeouts of late, so it will be interesting to watch if Smith has a big night in that regard. He is closing in on some records, notably the Arkansas career strikeout record that he has the potential to break tonight.
The Razorbacks are in their road grays with red hats. Texas A&M is wearing white with maroon pinstripes and maroon hats.
Here is Arkansas’ starting lineup:
RF Peyton Holt
2B Peyton Stovall
3B Jared Sprague-Lott
SS Wehiwa Aloy
1B Ben McLaughlin
DH Ryder Helfrick
C Hudson White
LF Jayson Jones
CF Ty Wilmsmeyer
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LHP Hagen Smith