Holt’s pair of homers fails to lift the Hogs as they exit the SEC Tournament.
Despite Peyton Holt’s first career multi-homer game, No. 5 Arkansas (43-14) fell short against No. 2 Kentucky (40-13) in a 9-6 elimination-game loss on Thursday at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in the SEC Tournament.
Holt, the Razorback outfielder, led the offensive charge with two home runs and four RBI in Thursday’s defeat, matching his career high. He now boasts a season slash line of .309/.409/.468 with six home runs and 23 RBIs.
Arkansas’ ace, SEC Pitcher of the Year Hagen Smith, started the game on a pitch count, pitching two innings and throwing 36 pitches. Despite striking out four and allowing only two unearned runs on two hits and a walk, Smith suffered his first loss of the season, maintaining a season ERA of 1.48 and raising his total strikeouts to 154.
Kentucky took an early lead, scoring twice in the first inning on two errors and extending it to 6-0 with runs in the fourth and fifth innings. However, Arkansas responded with four runs in the sixth inning, sparked by Wehiwa Aloy’s RBI groundout and Holt’s three-run homer, his first of the game.
Although Arkansas closed the gap to 6-4, Kentucky added three more runs in the seventh inning. Holt’s second homer, a solo shot, and Jared Sprague-Lott’s solo blast in the ninth inning weren’t enough, as the Razorbacks fell 9-6.
Sprague-Lott, along with Holt and Stovall, contributed multiple hits in Thursday’s game. The senior third baseman finished 2-for-5 and holds a season slash line of .295/.431/.494 with eight homers and 25 RBIs.
In relief, Mason Molina pitched two scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Over his last two appearances, the junior left-hander has thrown five scoreless frames with five strikeouts.
Arkansas, expected to be one of the top eight national seeds in the NCAA Tournament, now awaits its postseason fate. The selection show is set for 11 a.m. Monday, May 27, on ESPN2/ESPNU.
