Arkansas splits doubleheader, takes series over Florida
The No. 2 Arkansas Razorbacks (37-7, 16-5 SEC) split a doubleheader matchup with the Florida Gators (22-21, 9-12 SEC) at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville on Saturday but snapped a 27 home-game winning streak in the process.
Arkansas threw seven pitchers during its 6-5 game one victory over the Gators, with junior right-hander Brady Tygart taking the mound first. He tossed six innings of two-run baseball with six strikeouts, four walks and three hits.
Redshirt senior right Will McEntire entered the game in the seventh and was awarded the victory despite allowing two runs in the frame. The combination of RHP Gage Wood, LHP Stone Hewlett, RHP Cooper Dossett, LHP Parker Coil and RHP Christian Foutch finished the remaining three innings.
The play of the day came with the bases loaded in the top of the eighth, when center fielder Peyton Holt's pump-fake catch fooled Florida runner Brody Donay into leaving third base early and getting thrown out at home to end the inning.
Sophomore right-hander Ben Bybee was called upon to start the 9-5 game two loss for the Razorbacks, and he did his job the first time through Florida's lineup. Disaster struck in the fourth, though, when he put two runners on that eventually came around to score. In total, Bybee tossed three frames with two strikeouts, two walks and three earned runs.
Junior righty Jake Faherty and lefty Parker Coil were the lone bright spots for Arkansas' bullpen on Saturday, as both combined to throw three scoreless innings with three strikeouts.
Key Innings (Game 1 of DH):
The scoring started in the bottom of the third inning for the Hogs, who started things off with a HBP thanks to Peyton Stovall. Jared Sprague-Lott and Wehiwa Aloy struck out and grounded out, respectively, but Ben McLaughlin doubled to right field to take a 1-0 lead over the Gators.
Florida tied things up in the top of the fifth, but everything started with a leadoff single by Brody Donay. Brady Tygart retired the next two batters before intentionally walking Jac Caglianone, but a wild pitch scored Donay from third.
Both offenses traded major blows in the seventh, as Florida recorded four hits and two walks for three runs over the Razorbacks. At that point, the Gators led 4-1. Arkansas responded with a five-run frame of its own thanks to a Sprague-Lott single, an Aloy two-run bomb, a McLaughlin single and a Peyton Holt two-run blast to retake the lead 6-4.
The Gators didn't go quietly though, as they scored one run in the top of the eighth after a throwing error. Fortunately for the Razorbacks, the damage was already done and the duo of RHP Cooper Dossett and RHP Christian Foutch shut Florida down in the ninth for the series victory.
Key Innings (Game 2 of DH):
Momentum carried into the second game for Arkansas, as the Hogs struck first in the bottom of the second. Kendall Diggs led things off with a HBP and Nolan Souza singled between two outs, then Peyton Stovall capped things off with an RBI-single to give Arkansas a 1-0 lead.
The Razorbacks' momentum was quickly dashed in the top of the third when the Gators tied the game on a two-out RBI single, and Florida exploded again in the top of the fourth for a six-run slugfest. The Gators recorded four hits, two walks and a Caglianone grand slam to take a 7-1 advantage over the Hogs.
Arkansas clawed and fought in the latter half of the fourth with two runs of its own thanks to a Stovall double that scored Souza and Will Edmunson after they reached base on a single and walk, respectively. But by that point, the damage had been done — and Florida tacked on two more runs in the top of the sixth with a homer to seal the deal.
Up next, the Razorbacks will take on the Missouri State Bears for two-game midweek matchup at Baum-Walker Stadium that starts on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. CT and it will stream on SEC Network+.
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