Scooter Hobbs

The final scoreboard didn’t look much like a classic Friday night Southeastern Conference pitching duel.

But bullpens are still part of the equation.

So No. 1-ranked Arkansas took full advantage to claim a 7-0 victory over LSU in the opening game of the key conference series.

The Razorbacks were hitless for the first six innings against LSU starter Landon Marceaux.

“I don’t think the score was indicative in any way of what kind of game it was,” LSU coach Paul Mainieri said. “We were just on the wrong end of it.”

Marceaux struck out eight in his seven innings while not allowing a walk.

But after he took his no-hitter into the seventh, the Razorbacks scratched across two runs in the inning and then unloaded on two Tigers’ relievers for five more in the eighth to mute the first home crowd this season not restricted by COVID-19 regulations.

“I just wish we could have done something offensively to get them going,” Mainieri said after LSU managed three hits and never got a runner beyond second base. “Their pitcher had something to say about that.”

Arkansas starter Patrick Wicklander held LSU to three hits in 62⁄3 innings and closer Kevin Kopps held the Tigers hitless.

With the strong threat of rain forecast for Sunday, the series will conclude today with a pair of nine-inning games. The first will be at 2 p.m. with the second at 6:30 p.m.

LSU will send A.J. Labas (3-0, 3.15 ERA) out against Arkansas right-hander Peyton Pallette (1-2, 3.98).

“No idea who will start the second game,” Mainieri said.

Both will have hard act to follow from hard-luck loser Marceaux (4-4).

“You couldn’t ask for any more out of your starting pitcher,” Mainieri said. “True pitching duel in the truest of the word. Classic duel.

“We just couldn’t solve Wicklander. I thought we’d do a little bit better but we couldn’t get to him.”

Marceaux took his no-hitter into the seventh inning before the Razorbacks got their first four hits, including Christian Fulton’s one-out, two-run single to break up the scoreless game.

“I started getting behind in counts,” Marceaux said. “At first it was 0-1, 0-2, then I was missing here, missing there.”

Marceaux got out of the inning on the two runs, but the shaky LSU bullpen, which couldn’t hold a 9-1 lead in the Tigers’ last conference game at Ole Miss, promptly imploded again to give up five runs in the eighth, including Fulton’s three-run homer that put the game away.

“That’s part of the game. Wicklander pitched very well tonight,” Marceaux said. “He matched me pitch for pitch, and then they turned it over to one of the best closers in the game.”

LSU’s best chance came in the bottom of the seventh, with the score 2-0, when the Tigers got back-to-back singles with one out, but Gavin Dugas was thrown out at third on the second one.

Arkansas brought in Kopps, the closer, who held LSU hitless over the final 21⁄3 innings.LSU baseball