The No. 2 Arkansas Razorbacks (33-5, 13-3 SEC) held on late for a 2-1 win over the No. 20 South Carolina Gamecocks (26-12, 8-8 SEC) despite leaving 14 runners on base Friday night at Founders Park in Columbia, South Carolina.
Both teams had four hits each and there were 24 combined runners left on base in the game. The Razorbacks were 1-for-19 at the plate with runners on base, but all it took was a two-run top of the sixth inning to get their 33rd win on the year.
"Just proud of the way they found a way to score," Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said postgame. "Things weren’t going our way. I mean we left 14 runners on tonight, got four hits. Carolina got four hits. But we got a big sac fly and I think we scored on a wild pitch. I mean, we were so close to breaking that thing open like three different times. We just needed one big hit or something to drop and it never happened. We found a way to hang on."
Arkansas ace Hagen Smith struck out 11 batters and gave up just one earned run on two hits in six innings of work. Smith did issue a season-high five walks on 99 pitches in the start, but he made up for it with the double-digit strikeouts to get to 100 punchouts on the year.
"His average fastball was 98," South Carolina head coach Mark Kingston said postgame. "He threw a slider for strikes all night, and that’s why he’s going to be the first pitcher off the board for the Major League draft. He’s done that to everybody this year, and we were no different.”
Freshman right-hander Gabe Gaeckle retired eight batters in a row with five strikeouts in relief and lefty Stone Hewlett earned his fourth save of the year by picking up the final out to hold off a late Gamecocks rally attempt that was primarily sparked Kingston getting ejected in the top of the ninth inning.
South Carolina starter Roman Kimball worked around a one-out double from Wehiwa Aloy to strikeout the other three batters he saw in the top of the first. Smith allowed a leadoff single in the bottom half, but similarly retired the other three he faced and picked up two strikeouts in the process.
Both squads went down in order in the second inning, and then things went south for Kimball in the top of the third. While he seemed to be dealing with a blister on his hand, Kimball issued two straight one-out walks to end his outing and bring right-handed reliever Ty Good in the game. Good did well with traffic on the basepaths, as he retired two in a row to strand the runners.
Smith issued a leadoff walk in the bottom half of the third and immediately erased it by picking the runner off at first. The Arkansas ace proceeded to strikeout two in a row to end the frame with six strikeouts in the game by that point.
Arkansas couldn't take advantage of a one-out walk in the top half of the fourth. Smith then issued back-to-back one-out free passes in the bottom of the fourth inning, but the Bullard, Texas, native stranded the runners with two straight outs.
Razorbacks catcher Hudson White hit a leadoff single in the top of the fifth inning, but he was stranded after the next three batters went down in order.
In the bottom of the fifth, Smith issued a pair of walks and then a single from Gamecocks catcher Cole Messina loaded the bases with one out. South Carolina took a 1-0 lead on an RBI groundout from Parker Noland, but Smith was able to leave the bases loaded with his ninth strikeout of the game.
"I tip my cap to him," Messina said. "He has a really good fastball and can throw a really, really good slider. He threw strikes when he needed to and made pitches. You tip your cap and hope you don’t face him again for awhile."
Good issued two straight walks to leadoff the top of the sixth and Peyton Holt loaded the bases with a bunt single to third that chased Good and brought right-hander Chris Veach in the game.
Veach struck out Razorback right fielder Kendall Diggs for the first out, but he then allowed the Hogs' first run to cross via a wild pitch. Arkansas designated hitter Jack Wagner then hit an RBI sacrifice fly out to center that put the Razorbacks up 2-1. The Hogs brought sophomore Jayson Jones in to pinch hit with two on, but he flew out to right to end the frame.
Smith worked just his second 1-2-3 frame in the bottom of the sixth and picked up two strikeouts in the frame to push his game total to 11.
Arkansas advanced Stovall to third after he led the top of the seventh off with a bunt single, but a Nolan Souza strikeout got Veach out of it and left Stovall at third.
The Razorbacks then turned to sophomore right-hander Christian Foutch in relief of Smith to start the bottom of the seventh, but he was quickly relieved by freshman Gabe Gaeckle after putting the first two batters he faced on base. The freshman extinguished the fire with three straight outs, including a strikeout against Gamecocks slugger Ethan Petry.
Veach led the top of the eighth by giving up two straight free passes that chased him and brought on right-hander Parker Marlatt with two on and no outs. Marlatt picked up two outs, but issued a walk that brought lefty Jake McCoy on, and he induced a Stovall fly out to leave the bases loaded.
Gaeckle went three up, three down with a pair of electric strikeouts in the bottom half of the eighth inning.
Tempers were flaring in the top of the ninth after Peyton Holt drew a two-out hit by pitch to give the Hogs two runners on. South Carolina skipper Mark Kingston left the dugout and got his money's worth to get tossed from the game. That was definitely not Kingston's first time out of the dugout on the evening.
Diggs drew a walk to load the bases after that, but McCoy was able to strike out the pinch-hitting Ryder Helfrick to leave the bases loaded and keep the deficit at 2-1 entering the bottom of the ninth.
Gaeckle began the frame with two straight strikeouts, but after giving up a two-out double and intentionally walking Messina, Gaeckle was relieved by left-hander Stone Hewlett, who induced a groundout to end the game.
"Brought in Gabe Gaeckle and he put out the fire," Van Horn said. "He got through that inning with no damage. He gave us 2 2/3 and struck out five or six hitters (5) and just pitched great. He threw 42 pitches and we felt like that was good.
"He was getting ready to go through that lineup again and we thought we’d just go with the left on left matchup. Put the game-winning run on first and the left-hander came in and did a great job. So a super job."
Up next, the Razorbacks and Gamecocks will play a doubleheader Saturday due to impending weather Sunday. First pitch is set for noon CT and the second game will start an hour after the conclusion of the first game. Both games will be streamed on SEC Network+.
