Pompey’s walk-off homer lifts Razorbacks past Mississippi State

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The first SEC baseball game of the season at Baum-Walker Stadium ended in dramatic fashion Friday night.

TJ Pompey crushed a home run to right center to begin the bottom of the ninth inning, giving No. 5 Arkansas a 5-4 victory over No. 3 Mississippi State in front of a record crowd for SEC Opening Day.

The walk-off swing completed a back-and-forth contest and pushed the Razorbacks to 13-5 overall and 1-0 in conference play. Mississippi State dropped to 12-3 with the loss.

Pompey stepped to the plate with the score tied after the Bulldogs rallied late. On a full count pitch, he drove the ball out of the park to seal the win and send the crowd of 10,464 into celebration.

The Hogs had built a lead earlier in the game but needed one final big swing to secure the victory.

Arkansas got on the scoreboard in the opening inning. Zack Stewart produced an RBI groundout that allowed the first run to score.

Later, the Razorbacks added another run in the third inning when Camden Kozeal delivered a groundout that pushed the advantage to 2-0.

Mississippi State responded midway through the game. The Bulldogs tied the contest with two runs in the fifth inning.

Arkansas builds lead before ninth-inning drama

The Hogs quickly answered after the Bulldogs evened the score.

In the bottom of the fifth, Nolan Souza drove in a run with a fielder’s choice to move Arkansas back in front.

One inning later, Stewart added more damage.

He connected on a 115-mph solo home run to right field in the sixth inning. The blast extended the lead to 4-2 and marked his fourth homer of the season.

Stewart has been one of the most productive hitters early in the season. Through 10 games, he leads the team with a .400 batting average along with a .472 on-base percentage and .833 slugging mark.

On the mound, Arkansas received a strong start from Gabe Gaeckle.

The right-hander worked 5.2 innings and allowed two runs while striking out four hitters.

Cole Gibler later entered in relief and helped protect the advantage during a tense stretch in the middle innings.

Despite the solid pitching and timely offense, the game still had one more twist.

Pompey delivers decisive moment

Mississippi State refused to go quietly.

With two outs in the top of the ninth inning, the Bulldogs launched a two-run home run to tie the game at 4-4 and erase Arkansas’ late lead.

The sudden turnaround set up a dramatic finish in the bottom half of the inning.

Pompey wasted little time.

Leading off the frame, he worked the count to 3-2 before driving the pitch deep over the wall in right center. The ball cleared the fence and instantly ended the game.

His swing gave the Razorbacks their first walk-off home run in a regular-season SEC matchup since Kendall Diggs delivered one against Ole Miss on April 30, 2022.

Souza contributed a key performance at the plate as well. He finished the night 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI, making him the only Arkansas player with multiple hits in the opener.

The victory also continued a strong trend for the Hogs in Fayetteville.

Arkansas has now won eight consecutive home series against Mississippi State, with the Bulldogs’ last series victory at Baum-Walker Stadium coming during the 2007 season.

Friday’s win also moved the Razorbacks closer to another SEC opening-weekend milestone.

Series continues Saturday with doubleheader

Because of expected storms in the forecast, the schedule for the series changed.

Arkansas and Mississippi State will play a doubleheader Saturday instead of finishing the series Sunday. The first game is set for 1 p.m., and the second game will begin roughly one hour after the opener concludes.

If Arkansas wins the series, it would mark the program’s ninth consecutive SEC Opening Weekend series victory.

For one night, though, the spotlight belonged to Pompey.

His walk-off homer gave the Razorbacks an unforgettable start to conference play and sent fans home from Baum-Walker Stadium celebrating a dramatic SEC opening victory.