LSU suffers fifth straight loss, drops SEC series at Arkansas

After scoring three runs in the first two innings, No. 15 LSU got blanked until its last at-bat as fourth-ranked Arkansas scored 11 unanswered runs for an 11-6 victory in Fayetteville that gave the Razorbacks their first SEC series win over the Tigers since 2011.

It was LSU’s fifth straight loss in the month of May, something the Tigers (30-21 overall, 14-12 SEC West) haven’t done since 2010 when LSU lost six consecutive games.

Left fielder Daniel Cabrera’s RBI double in the first and catcher Saul Garza’s two-run homer in the second was all the offense LSU until could muster off five Razorbacks’ pitchers until shortstop Josh Smith's three-run triple in the ninth.

Four of the Tigers' nine hits on the night were in the first two innings and five came in the last two innings. Every Arkansas starter had at least one hit as the Hogs pounded 12 hits off four LSU pitchers.

The Western Division-leading Razorbacks (39-12, 19-7) flipped the game in the sixth and seventh innings when it rocked LSU reliever Zack Hess for three runs on five hits.

The Razorbacks tied the game at 3-3 in the sixth on right fielder Heston Kjerstad’s solo homer to dead center field before Arkansas’ two-run seventh put the Razorbacks in the drivers’ seat.

Hess (3-4) could only manage to get one Arkansas batter out in the inning, giving up three hits including RBI singles each to shortstop Casey Martin and center fielder Dominic Fletcher.

He was pulled for Trent Vietmeier, who got tagged for three runs on five hits, all in the Razorbacks’ six-run eighth. Vietmeier exited with one out in the inning after apparently injuring his throwing arm.

Hess had entered the game with out in the fifth, replacing starter Eric Walker.

Walker had his usual outing. For the most part, he had pinpoint control through four innings, but then allowed a leadoff single in the Arkansas fifth followed by issuing a walk.

He managed to force a fielders’ choice ground ball for the first out, but then exited as Hess entered with runners on first and third.

Arkansas immediately cut LSU’s lead to 3-2 on a Trevor Ezell ground ball out RBI, but Hess struck out Hogs’ designated hitter to end the inning.

Then as the Hogs finally took the lead, the Tigers’ bats remained cold.

Until LSU right fielder Antoine Duplantis banged a one-out double in the eighth, the Tigers’ biggest threat since their early runs was loading the bases in the fourth.

But Arkansas reliever Kevin Kopps got Garza to ground into an inning-ending double play on a 2-0 pitch. It started a run of Kopps retiring 11 of 12 LSU batters before Duplantis’ double forced Kopps to be replaced by Jacob Kostyshock.

Kostyshock doused the Tigers’ hopes by inducing Cabrera to fly out to left before striking out pinch-hitter Cade Beloso in the LSU eighth.

LSU tries to avoid getting swept in Saturday’s series finale starting at 1 p.m.