Arkansas outfielder Ty Wilmsmeyer loses glove trying to field bizarre Kaelen Culpepper home run vs. Kansas State
The Arkansas Razorbacks were in a serious hole on Saturday night of the Fayetteville Regional matchup vs. Kansas State. The Razorbacks trailed the Wildcats 6-3 in the top of the 7th inning, and much of the damage was done in the bottom of the fifth inning, when KSU slugger Kaelen Culpepper hit one of the stranger home runs you’ll ever see. As the ball was going back to the warning track, Hogs outfielder Ty Wilmsmeyer caught the ball in his glove, but lost it in the collision with the outfield wall.
You can see Wilmsmeyer’s reaction as he looked at the outfield wall after losing his glove, giving the Wildcats the three-run blast and a 6-2 lead. Arkansas battled back a bit in the eighth inning, cutting the KSU lead to 6-4.
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It was the first home run Hagen Smith has allowed since March (LSU). Kansas State tacked on another solo shot from Nick English in the bottom of the eighth inning, stretching their lead to 7-4 heading into the top of the ninth. Arkansas’ Peyton Holt then delivered a two-run home run in the top of the ninth, cutting the KSU lead to 7-6. But that would be the final, as the Wildcats would upset the Razorbacks.
Arkansas pitcher Hagen Smith had a rough outing
Arkansas entered the night with a 34-3 record at home this year. And it was certainly an uncharacteristic showing from Hagen Smith. In what could be his final appearance in a Hogs uniform, Smith finished with seven strikeouts, allowing six earned runs, four walks, and four hits in just five innings. After the fifth inning, Hogs head coach Dave Van Horn decided to send Smith to the bench. It was a bad time to have his worst start of the season, but it’s still been an amazing career for the Razorbacks’ great.
The Razorbacks will face an elimination game against SEMO on Sunday at 1:00 PM EST in the Fayetteville Regional. The winner of the Fayetteville Regional will go on to face the winner of the Charlottesville Regional in the Super Regionals. Virginia defeated Mississippi State on Saturday night, winning 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth inning in thrilling fashion.