FAYETTEVILLE — The No. 3 Arkansas baseball team (23-2, 5-1 SEC) secured their first Southeastern Conference series sweep of the season Sunday with an 11-4 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks (17-8, 1-5 SEC) at Baum-Walker Stadium.
South Carolina tied the game at 4-4 in the top of the seventh inning, but the Hogs benefited from three big swings from Justin Thomas Jr., Brent Iredale and Ryder Helfrick in a seven-run bottom of the eighth inning to put them over the top.
Iredale's five runs batted in led the Razorbacks, who opened SEC play with a series win at Ole Miss last weekend. Catcher Ryder Helfrick hit two solo home runs, while outfielders Charles Davalan and Logan Maxwell both had two hits apiece. The Razorbacks had 13 total hits in the contest and they left 10 runners on base.
Arkansas starting pitcher Landon Beidelschies went five innings and gave up two earned runs on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Relievers Ben Bybee, Parker Coil and Carson Wiggins all combined for four scoreless innings.
With winds blowing up to 25 miles per hour straight out to centerfield when the game started, South Carolina leadoff hitter Nathan Hall drove a solo home run right field on Beidelschies' second pitch of the game. Gamecock's starter Jarvis Evans Jr., who was pitching after the scheduled starter was hit by a home run ball Saturday, pitched a scoreless bottom of the first inning.
South Carolina first baseman Beau Hollins led the top of the second inning off with another solo home run to make the lead 2-0 for the road team. The Razorbacks cut the deficit in half with a two out solo home run from Helfrick to left center field in the bottom of the second.
Davalan hit his second home run in as many days with a solo shot to left center field in the bottom of the third inning that tied the game. The Razorbacks threatened with back-to-back two out singles from Maxwell and Kuhio Aloy in the frame, but Evans managed to strand the two.
Beidelschies settled in with his second straight scoreless frame in the top of the fourth inning. After Cam Kozeal led the bottom half of the fourth off with a walk, South Carolina turner to right-handed pitcher Tyler Pitzer in relief of Evans.
Second baseman Nolan Souza singled to left field to bring Kozeal around third base, but he was thrown out at home by Gamecocks' left fielder Evan Stone. Pitzer gave up another single to Justin Thomas Jr. before he stranded both Souza and Thomas on base to keep the game tied at 2-2 after four innings.
Despite some drama on the basepaths in the top of the fifth inning, Beidelschies got out of the frame allowing just one hit and stranding a runner. Arkansas managed to take the lead in the bottom of the fifth via an RBI sacrifice fly out from Iredale. Kozeal followed Iredale with an RBI fielder's choice that made it a 4-2 lead for the Hogs.
Bybee came on in relief of Beidelschies in the top of the sixth inning and he erased a leadoff single with an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play. Gamecocks' reliever Mark Marlatt also pitched a scoreless bottom half in the sixth.
Flamethrowing right-hander Christian Foutch took over in the top of the seventh for the Hogs and he hit a batter with his first pitch and then gave up a double two pitches later to quickly end his outing and bring on lefty Parker Coil. South Carolina immediately tied the game at 4-4 on a two-run double to right field from shortstop Will Tippett.
Coil managed to get out of the top of the seventh inning with no further damage done. Arkansas put on a two out baserunner with a single from Kozeal, but he was left stranded to keep the game tied.
The Gamecocks turned to righty Brendan Sweeney in the bottom of the seventh and he issued a leadoff walk to Souza, who was driven in on a two-run home run to left field from Justin Thomas Jr. that gave the Hogs a 6-4 lead.
Reliever Ryder Garino took over for South Carolina after the homer and he soon ran into a bases loaded situation with one out before giving up a grand slam to Brent Iredale that broke the game wide open with the Hogs up 10-4 after the big swing. Helfrick added his second homer of the day with a solo shot to left field for extra insurance before the frame came to an end.
Freshman right-hander Carson Wiggins took over in the top of the ninth for the Razorbacks and faced one more than the minimum to close things down.
Up next, Arkansas will host Missouri State on Tuesday evening for a midweek matchup at Baum-Walker Stadium. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. CT and the game will be streamed on SEC Network+.
