ARLINGTON — The No. 5 Arkansas Razorbacks (4-1, 0-0 SEC) lost Game 1 of their College Baseball Series slate Friday evening against the Kansas State Wildcats (2-4, 0-0 Big 12), 3-2, at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
Led by right-handed starting pitcher Gabe Gaeckle, who sludged his way through 5.2 innings with two strikeouts, four walks, two earned runs and five allowed hits, the Diamond Hogs were tagged with eight hits and four drawn walks by Wildcat hitters.
Kansas State struck first in the top of the third, when a two-out walk and eventual stolen base allowed Wildcat infielder Dee Kennedy to single home the first run of the game. Kansas State extended its lead to 2-0 in the fourth when a leadoff double by Maximus Martin came around to score on an RBI single.
Gaeckle was relieved in the top of the sixth by right-hander Tate McGuire, who ended his day as the losing pitcher with 1.1 innings of one-strikeout, zero-walk, one-earned run, two-hit baseball.
After an offensive pressure buildup through the first five innings, Arkansas finally got on the board in the bottom of the sixth. Shortstop Wehiwa Aloy crushed a home run over the right-field wall to get the Hogs on the board, and his brother Kuhio Aloy cranked a 117.1 MPH homer to left to tie the game, 2-2.
That score didn't last long, as a Kansas State single and double off of McGuire sandwiched around a popup handed the Wildcats a 3-2 lead in the top of the seventh.
Arkansas didn't go quietly in the ninth, still down 3-2, as experienced outfielder Kendall Diggs poked a leadoff single into left field to get the gears turning. A warning track flyout by catcher Ryder Helfrick drew 'oohs' and 'ahhs' from the Arkansas faithful in the crowd, but it wasn't enough to advance Diggs. Following a Nolan Souza swing and miss, the game came to an end when center fielder Justin Thomas Jr. grounded out to third base.
In total, Arkansas' offense finished 7-for-32 at the plate, 1-for-14 with runners on base and 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position. Leading the way was Wehiwa Aloy, who went 2-for-4 at the plate with his home run, one RBI and one walk.
Between three bullpen relievers — McGuire, lefty Parker Coil and righty Will McEntire — the Hogs gave up three hits and one earned run with one strikeout and zero walks in 3.1 innings combined.
To start off his day inside the welcoming confines of the Texas Rangers' ballpark, Gaeckle made quick work of the first two Wildcats behind a flyout and groundout. The no-hit bid was broken up when third baseman Dee Kennedy singled on a bunt that Arkansas third baseman Brent Iredale couldn't quite handle.
Kansas State walked to give itself two men on, but a smashed line drive to left center was caught by Charles Davalan for the final out.
Leading things off for Arkansas was Davalan, who pulled a fastball into right field directly toward Kansas State's shift for the easy out. A Wehiwa Aloy strikeout then brought Brent Iredale to the dish, who promptly crushed a gapper to right for a two-out double. Iredale was stranded there when Kuhio Aloy swung and miss to bring the first inning to a close.
Once Arkansas offseason transfer commitment Maximus Martin led off the top of the second for Kansas State, but he started his day 0-for-1 after popping up in the infield. The Wildcats picked up hit No. 2 on a single up the middle, but a double play started by Wehiwa Aloy capped the frame.
Wildcat lefty starter Jacob Frost picked up his first 1-2-3 outing of the day after drawing a first-pitch bunt groundout from Rocco Peppi, a strikeout from Kendall Diggs and a well-struck flyout from Ryder Helfrick.
Gaeckle struck out his first batter of the day to begin the top of the third, a fastball on the white to first baseman David Bishop. Following a groundball out to Aloy, Gaeckle issued his second walk of the day to center fielder Micah Dean, who stole second to give Kansas State a runner in scoring position. A base hit by Kennedy snuck under Iredale's glove at third, which allowed Dean to come around and score the first run of the game.
It was clear that Gaeckle didn't have his best stuff, but it was still enough to get Arkansas out of the jam without allowing anymore runs to cross home plate. At the end of the top of the third, Kansas State led, 1-0.
Following a Nolan Souza first-pitch bunt groundout back to the pitcher, Justin Thomas Jr., aka HawgBeat's "Moneyball guy", struck out looking on a pitch that was inside off the plate, according to BaseballSavant. A full-count walk by Davalan gave Wehiwa Aloy a two-out opportunity, but he lined out to right field to end the threat.
Martin led off again in the fourth and this time made the most of it by sending a fastball down the left-field line for a double off of Gaeckle, who fielded a bunt attempt and made the throw over to first for the first out. Kansas State took a 2-0 lead on a single to right field by Shintaro Inoue, but he was left on base after a pop fly out.
A leadoff walk by Iredale and subsequent 2-0 count to Kuhio Aloy led to a mound visit for Kansas State, but it went to waste once Kuhio Aloy grounded out, Peppi popped up and Diggs flied out to left.
Despite him getting up there in pitch count, Gaeckle returned to the mound in the fifth for Arkansas. He finally got some reprieve, as well, as he forced three-straight groundouts on only 11 pitches to continue his day.
In dire need of some offensive flow, Helfrick got things going for the Hogs in the bottom of the fifth with a leadoff single to right center field. However, a Souza strikeout, Thomas strikeout and Davalan groundout halted any momentum for Arkansas.
Gaeckle shockingly took over the mound again in the sixth. Kansas State seemingly led things off with a single, but the runner failed to touch first and was thrown out as a result. Gaeckle picked up punchout No. 2 on Martin, but a walk to Bear Madliak forced Dave Van Horn into a pitching change.
Right-handed pitcher Tate McGuire was called upon to get the final out of the sixth, and that he did on a groundball to Wehiwa Aloy.
Run No. 1 for the Razorbacks came in the bottom of the sixth, when Wehiwa Aloy smacked an oppo-blast just over the right field wall to bring Kansas State's lead down to 2-1. Despite a collective 'woah' from fans in the crowd, Iredale's flyball into center field was nothing more than a can of corn out. But the 'woahs' didn't stop there, because Kuhio Aloy took hold of a pitch and crushed it to left field for a game-tying home run.
With only one out in the frame, Kansas State handed the ball off to righty reliever Blake Dean, who had to face pinch-hitter Cam Kozeal. In true Charlie-Welch fashion, Kozeal pummeled a ball to the gap in right field for a double. The inning finally came to an end after a Diggs strikeout and Helfrick hard-hit lineout.
McGuire continued his relief outing in the top of the seventh and things quickly went awry for the sophomore, as Kansas State struck him for a single and a double to regain the lead, 3-2. McGuire bounced back, though, with a successful pickoff at second base and a strikeout to end the frame.
Back-to-back strikeouts by Souza and Thomas started the bottom of the seventh for the Razorbacks, but a hit-by-pitch on Davalan still left hope in the air. Wehiwa Aloy hit a rocket single straight up the middle to advance Davalan, who attempted to advance to third but was caught for the final out.
Arkansas pitching coach Matt Hobbs called upon lefty Parker Coil in the top of the eighth, and he justified the decision by going 1-2-3 against the Wildcats' batters.
Six outs evaporated to three outs in the bottom of the eighth, as Arkansas went in order behind an Iredale groundout, Kuhio Aloy strikeout and Kozeal flyout.
Veteran righty Will McEntire came in to shut the door in the top of the ninth, but he immediately gave up a single to the Madliak. A groundout pushed the runner over to second base and a wild pitch advanced him to third. A flyout to Thomas in shallow center prompted a tag-up from Madliak at third, and he was called out at home to end the frame.
With three outs to go, Diggs came up with a clutch leadoff oppo single to left field to ignite a spark in the dugout. Helfrick sent a ball all the way to the warning track in deep left for the first out, and Souza followed suit with a swing and miss for out No. 2. The game ended on a Thomas groundout to third base.
Up next, the Razorbacks will face the TCU Horned Frogs on Saturday evening at Globe Life Field. First pitch for that game is set for 6 p.m. CT and it will stream on FloSports.
