FAYETTEVILLE — The No. 2 Arkansas Razorbacks (10-2) managed to fend off a midweek upset bid from the UCA Bears (7-7) with a 9-7 victory at Baum-Walker Stadium.
With the Diamond Hogs sporting the pinstripe uniforms for the first time since 2016, head coach Dave Van Horn's squad won the first of four in-state matchups this season.
"Pretty much exactly the type of game I thought it was gonna be, thought it’d be wild, it’d be tight," Van Horn said postgame. "They’ve played some good teams this year and they’ve played a lot of people close."
Highlighting the contest was Arkansas shortstop Wehiwa Aloy, a transfer from Sacrament State, hitting a third inning grand slam 442 feet to left field for his first home run as a Razorback.
"It was really good to see because he works hard, doesn’t complain," Van Horn said. "Doesn’t make excuses. Goes out and does his job. To see him get hold of one, knock four in with one swing, that was big."
Shortly after, first baseman Ben McLaughlin belted a three-run shot of the batter's eye to make it a 7-run bottom of the third — which was one of just two frames the Hogs scored in. They also plated two runs in the bottom of the eighth.
"Those are two guys that have a lot of power, and that’s why they’re hitting in the middle of our order," Van Horn said of Aloy and McLaughlin. "It’s nice to see that. I think once you get one, you stop thinking about it. Probably get a couple more, pretty quick. Two big swings. Seven runs. Two swings. The guys set it up for them, and they did it."
It was another tough showing at the plate from the Hogs, who had just three hits across the first seven innings. They ended up with seven hits on the day and they were 4-of-12 with runners on base.
The Razorbacks threw six pitchers Tuesday, and they combined to give up seven runs (the most the Hogs have allowed this year) on nine hits with four walks and 11 strikeouts. Freshman Colin Fisher earned the win with three innings of two-run ball in the start, while freshman righty Gabe Gaeckle earned his second save of the year.
Both teams went down in order at the plate during the first inning, but the Bears were able to strike first in the top of the second after hitting three straight one-out singles, the third of which made it 1-0. Fisher retired the next two batters to strand two runners and get out of the frame after allowing just one run.
After the Hogs went down in order again in the bottom of the second, the freshman left-hander plunked the first two batters he faced in the top of the third. Following a mound visit, he picked up a strikeout but then gave up an RBI single to the next batter to make it 2-0. The pressure still wasn't too much, as Fisher retired two in a row to limit the damage to one run for the second straight inning.
Arkansas finally put runners on in the bottom half of the third — three with one out, to be exact — and Aloy finally left the yard with a 442-foot grand slam to give the Hogs a 4-2 lead.
Three batters and a pitching change to righty Gavin Alveti later, McLaughlin went 420 feet to center for a three-run shot that put the Hogs up 7-2 after three innings.
Sophomore right-hander Cooper Dossett relieved Fisher in the top of the fourth, which ended up being a perfect frame for him.
After a scoreless bottom half of the fourth by the Hogs' offense, Dossett returned to the mound in the top of the fifth, but he was pulled after letting two of the three batters he faced reach with free passes — the first two he's issued all year.
Sixth-year right-hander Koty Frank replaced Dossett, and the first four batters Frank faced drove in one run each to push the Bears' game total to six runs. Frank finally escaped the frame after the Hogs surrendered four runs on three hits to make their lead just 7-6 entering the bottom half of the fifth.
Arkansas' lineup put together its fourth scoreless frame in the bottom of the fifth, which was ended with a 5-4-3 double play that McLaughlin hit into. Sophomore righty Gage Wood took the mound the next half inning in the top of the sixth and he faced one more than the minimum in a scoreless frame of his own.
Left-hander Stone Hewlett took the mound in the top of the seventh to try and protect the one-run lead after a scoreless bottom of the sixth from the Arkansas bats. Hewlett struck out four batters in the frame after the third strikeout resulted in the batter reaching following a wild pitch on strike three.
Arkansas couldn't capitalize on a one-out single from Ross Lovich in the bottom of the seventh, as the Razorbacks recorded their fourth straight scoreless frame with Alveti on the mound for UCA.
Electric freshman right-hander Gabe Gaeckle faced the minimum in an 11-pitch top of the eighth. That finally woke the bats up, as the Hogs hit back-to-back singles to leadoff the bottom half and chase Alveti.
Right-hander Hunter Alexander relieved Alveti and he saw two runs cross — one via a wild pitch and one on an RBI sacrifice fly to make it a 9-6 lead for the Hogs with three outs to go.
Gaeckle returned to the mound in the ninth and ran into a bases loaded situation with two outs. Following a mound visit, he issued an RBI walk to make it 9-7, but he promptly responded with a three-pitch strikeout to end the game.
"I think each outing it gets easier," Gaeckle said postgame. "Not necessarily easier but you just have more confidence the more you do it. I’m starting to get used to those situations where it’s a tight ball game and I’m come in the later innings. It’s just fun being out there and competing."
Up next, the Razorbacks will being a three-game weekend series with McNeese State on Friday at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. CT and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network+.
