AUBURN, Ala. (Interstat) — Hunter Dietz delivered a masterful performance on the mound and Ryder Helfrick provided all the offense with two home runs as the Arkansas Razorbacks edged the Auburn Tigers 3-2 in a tightly contested Southeastern Conference matchup Friday evening at Samford Stadium-Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park.

The game, which began in the afternoon and concluded under the lights, was a stark contrast to the previous night’s series opener, which Auburn won decisively. This contest evolved into a classic pitcher’s duel for seven innings before Helfrick’s late heroics secured the victory for the Razorbacks, who improved to 20-12 overall. Auburn fell to 21-9.

The most important part of the game was the eighth inning, which broke a prolonged stalemate and decided the outcome. With the score tied 2-2, Arkansas’s Wehiwa Aloy led off the frame with a strikeout. Jett Johnston, who had relieved Auburn starter Jake Marciano to begin the inning, then allowed a single to Nolan Souza. That brought Helfrick to the plate. The Razorbacks catcher, who had homered in the sixth, connected again, driving a Johnston offering over the center field wall for a two-run shot that provided the decisive runs. The blast broke a stretch of offensive futility for both clubs and shifted the momentum entirely to the visitors.

Dietz, Arkansas’s top star, was brilliant in a no-decision, tossing seven innings of no-hit baseball. He allowed two runs, only one earned, walked one and struck out 11. The only blemishes came in the first two innings. Auburn’s Brayden Carter reached on an error to open the first, stole second and scored on an RBI single by Chris Rembert. In the second, Eric Guevara doubled, advanced on a flyout and scored on a single by Ethin Bingaman. From that point, Dietz was dominant, retiring 16 of the final 18 batters he faced and not allowing another hit.

His counterpart, Auburn’s Jake Marciano, was nearly as effective. He worked seven strong innings, surrendering one run on four hits while striking out eight. His lone mistake was a solo home run to Helfrick in the sixth inning that tied the game at 2-2.

After Helfrick’s go-ahead homer in the eighth, Arkansas turned to Ethan McElvain out of the bullpen. He preserved the lead with two perfect innings of relief, striking out three to earn the save. Johnston took the loss for Auburn after giving up the two runs in the eighth.

Both teams finished with six hits. Helfrick’s two hits were both home runs, accounting for all three Arkansas RBI. Carter Rutenbar added two hits for the Razorbacks. For Auburn, Guevara went 2-for-4 with a run scored, while Rembert and Bingaman each had an RBI.

The victory allowed Arkansas to even the series after a 10-2 loss on Thursday. The teams are scheduled to meet again Saturday to decide the series.