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Arkansas crushes Portland in run-rule rout
- The Trough
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FAYETTEVILLE — The No. 3 Arkansas baseball team (13-1, 0-0 SEC) earned a Game 1 run-rule victory in seven innings Friday afternoon over the Portland Pilots (5-9, 0-0 WCC), 20-3, at Baum-Walker Stadium.
Right-handed ace Gabe Gaeckle was solid in a much-needed bounce-back start, as he completed 5.1 innings with two hits, two earned runs, three walks and seven strikeouts on 87 pitches.
Only one pitcher, freshman right-hander Steele Eaves, took the mound in relief of Gaeckle, and he tossed 1.2 innings with four hits, one earned run and one strikeout.
Led by Wehiwa Aloy's and Brent Iredale's two-homer days, plus another multi-hit performance by Kuhio Aloy, the Diamond Hogs finished 13-for-31 at the plate with five home runs, six walks and seven punch outs.
Looking for a big bounceback first inning after struggling in recent games, Gaeckle didn't get his wish. The Pirates stuck first against Arkansas' ace with a two-out, two-RBI triple by Cole Katayama-Stall to take a 2-0 lead.
Arkansas matched Portland's scoring with its own in the bottom of the first, highlighted by, you guessed it, a Kuhio Aloy RBI double. Brent Iredale added a two-RBI double and Cam Kozeal capped off the scoring with an RBI groundout to hand Arkansas a 4-2 advantage.
After a hitless frame by Gaeckle, the Razorbacks exploded in the bottom of the second. The first run came on an error, as Ryder Helfrick (who reached via a hit-by-pitch) came around to score from third. With the bases loaded, Kuhio Aloy added two more RBIs to his total on a single. Home runs by Iredale and Nolan Souza pushed the lead out to 11-2 before Portland finally escaped the inning.
Gaeckle cruised in the top of the third behind a popup and two groundouts, and Charles Davalan led off Arkansas' half of the inning with a hit-by-pitch. He was driven in by Wehiwa Aloy, who smashed a good pitch off the center field wall to make it 13-2, Hogs.
The scoring cooled off in the middle innings, likely thanks to four Gaeckle strikeouts (including a three-strikeout top of the fifth), but the Hogs had some movement again in the bottom of the fifth.
Justin Thomas Jr. and Wehiwa Aloy started things off with a groundout and walk, respectively, before pinch-hitter Kendall Diggs tripled to right center to drive home two more runs. Following a Kuhio Aloy walk, Iredale mashed homerun No. 2 to score three additional runs. Arkansas finished the inning up, 18-3.
Freshman right-hander Steele Eaves came on in the top of the sixth in relief of Gaeckle, who left with one out recorded in the frame. Eaves did allow a run to come across on a single, but that was all Portland could muster against the youngster.
That run was taken back by Arkansas in its next time up to bat when Wehiwa Aloy launched his second home run of the day, a two-RBI moonshot, over the wall in left-center field to increase the Hogs' lead to 20-3.
Eaves took the mound again in the top of the seventh, and despite two Portland singles, he ended the game with a strikeout looking to clinch Game 1.
Up next, Arkansas will face Portland in Game 2 of the series on Saturday. First pitch for that game is set for 2 p.m. CT and it will air on SEC Network+.
Box Score
Hogs escape late Michigan rally to win, 8-6
- The Trough
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ARLINGTON, Texas — The No. 5 Arkansas Razorbacks (6-1, 0-0 SEC) won Game 3 of their College Baseball Series slate Sunday afternoon against the Michigan Wolverines (4-3, 0-0 Big 10), 8-6, at Globe Life Field.
After two impressive innings by right-handed starter Gage Wood that included six strikeouts, two hits and an unearned run, he left the game before throwing a pitch in the third after talking things over with pitching coach Matt Hobbs on the mound.
According to a team spokesperson, Wood exited as a precaution due to "some shoulder soreness" and will be evaluated back in Fayetteville this week.
Wood's day came to an end with the Diamond Hogs leading 4-1, with two of those four runs being unearned due to Michigan errors. The others runs scored thanks to a Kendall Diggs fielder's choice in the first inning and a Brent Iredale single in the bottom of the second.
Arkansas' offense went on to score again in the third and fifth innings, which was enough to secure the win over the Wolverines.
The Razorbacks' bullpen was mostly solid, as seven pitchers combined for 7.0 innings, seven strikeouts, five walks, nine hits and three earned runs. The only earned runs allowed were by veteran righty reliever Will McEntire (two), who gave up back-to-back home runs to lead off the bottom of the sixth, plus freshman right-hander Carson Wiggins (one).
Michigan attempted a late-inning rally on left-hander Parker Coil, as the Wolverines scored two unearned runs on the junior in the ninth.
At the plate, Arkansas shortstop Wehiwa Aloy finished 4-for-4 with two RBIs, a double, a home run and a walk. Leadoff man Charles Davalan racked up two hits and two RBIs, while four other Hogs registered hits. For the day, Arkansas went 4-for-18 with runners on base and 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
Wood came out firing in the first with his high-heat fastball that touched 97 MPH early, according to Baseball Savant. He started his day off with a strikeout to Michigan leadoff Jonathan Kim, but a single and shoelace hit-by-pitch put Wood in a jam.
The Arkansas faithful in attendance grew quiet as cleanup man and Preseason All-American Mitch Voit took his stance in the box, and rightfully so, as Voit smoked a groundball to Wehiwa Aloy that resulted in an error and a run to score.
With two Wolverines still on base and two outs remaining, Wood broke free of his opening frame with two more punchouts. Michigan now led 1-0.
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Michigan trotted out right-handed starter Gavin DeVooght against Arkansas' offense, and he started strong with a full-count out on Razorback left fielder Charles Davalan. Aloy picked Davalan up by smashing a 109.2 MPH double to left field. Designated hitter Logan Maxwell complemented that with a walk before DeVooght hit third baseman Iredale to load the bases.
Now up was first baseman Cam Kozeal, who started 0-2 in the count before pulling a grounder to Michigan first baseman Jeter Ybarra, who errored to allow Aloy to score and re-load the bases. Diggs' slow-roller fielder's choice to the right side of the infield scored Maxwell from third, and Ryder Helfrick finished the inning with a strikeout. Arkansas now led 2-1.
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Wood didn't come to play in the second. All three outs he recorded came via the strikeout to up his total to six, with the only hit given up being a two-out single by Michigan shortstop Benjamin Casillas. It appeared DeVooght was going to have a quick frame himself after notching outs on second baseman Nolan Souza and center fielder Justin Thomas Jr., but a 110.2 MPH double to right center for Davalan and an Aloy walk kept the offense alive.
Ultimately, a hard-fought, 11-pitch at-bat by Maxwell loaded the bases on a walk. That brought up the feared Iredale, who pulled a base hit to Casillas at shortsop. Casillas fielded it, but overthrew his man at second base, which allowed Davalan and Aloy to score on an error. Michigan escaped when Kozeal grounded out up the middle. Arkansas now led 4-1.
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Before Wood was able to throw a pitch in the third, he was pulled from the game after Hobbs and others went out to talk to him. Right-hander Dylan Carter came on in relief, and he gave up a leadoff single to start his day. Fortunately for Carter, Ybarra grounded to Aloy at shortstop which resulted in a double play. Voit walked and reached second base on a wild pitch, but Carter ended the threat with a groundout.
The Wolverines took DeVooght out of the game in the bottom of the third after Diggs led off with a double to right center field and Helfrick struck out swinging. The new pitcher was lefty Wyatt Novara, whose wild pitch allowed Diggs to reach third and whose walk to Souza gave the Hogs two men on with only one out.
Another hit-by-pitch, this time on Thomas, loaded the bases again for Arkansas. Coming off a double in his last at-bat, Davalan delivered again with a two-RBI single to right field. Aloy added another run to the board on his right-field single, and the hot-scoring run came to an end on a Maxwell double play ground ball.
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Carter returned to the mound in the fourth for Arkansas, and despite giving up two singles, he managed to escape unscathed thanks to a double play groundball and a swinging strikeout. Hard contact by Iredale and Kozeal reached Michigan gloves in the outfield for outs, but Diggs extended the frame with a walk. Freshman catcher Zane Becker pinch-hit for Helfrick, and he walked to give Arkansas two men on with two outs. Souza capped the inning off with a groundout.
Relieving Carter in the top of the fifth was freshman left-hander Cole Gibler, who struck out Kim looking on a perfect full-count slider but followed up with a hit-by-pitch. A one-out walk gave Michigan two men on with cleanup man Voit at the plate, and that prompted a mound visit by Hobbs.
Gibler responded right away with a swinging strikeout on Voit and another swing and a miss, this time on Michigan catcher Matt Spear.
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Michigan switched things up on the mound again in the fifth, as righty David Lally Jr. made an appearance. It's safe to say that move didn't quite pan out for the Wolverines. Though Lally got two outs on a fly out and caught stealing (Thomas walked to lead off the inning), Aloy cranked a two-out oppo home run 101.9 MPH off the right-field foul pole to push the Hogs' lead to 8-1.
Veteran righty Will McEntire entered the game in the sixth and the Wolverines struck fast. Down 2-0, McEntire threw a meatball up in the zone, which Michigan third baseman Cole Caruso smashed to left field for a homer. Center fielder AJ Rausch made it back-to-back bombs off McEntire before he finally recorded his first out on a fly ball.
A walk to nine-hole Casillas turned the lineup over, but McEntire freed himself with back-to-back flyouts.
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Iredale, who was 1-for-2 at the plate at the time, walked to lead off the bottom of the sixth. After back-to-back outs by Kozeal and Diggs and multiple pick-off attempts, Becker singled through the left side to advance Iredale, who reached third on a wild pitch. Souza watched strike three to bring the inning to a close.
Sophomore left-hander Colin Fisher made a strong season debut in the seventh with two strikeouts, one walk and a popup. Arkansas nearly went 1-2-3 in its half of the inning, but an Aloy smoked single through the left side kept things chugging. A Maxwell bouncer to first closed the door, however.
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Arkansas continued to flex its bullpen depth in the eighth, as freshman right-hander Carson Wiggins entered the game. He gave up a first-pitch single to Michigan left fielder Robert Hamchuk, who advanced to second and third on back-to-back wild pitches. Rausch then walked on four pitches, and all of a sudden the Wolverines were threatening. As a result, Wiggins was removed from the game in a 2-0 count for lefty Paker Coil.
Coil got the job done with a strikeout, sac-fly and flyout on only seven pitches. That made the score 8-4, Arkansas.
Righty Tate Carey took over the reigns for Michigan in the bottom of the eighth and he proceeded to strikeout Iredale before Kozeal made his way to first base on a single. Outs by Diggs and Becker rounded out Arkansas' offensive effort.
Needing only three outs to win the game, the Razorbacks stayed with Coil on the mound. He drew two-straight flyouts to start things off before surrendering a double. Caruso then reached second on a throwing error, which put two runners in scoring position. Both those runners came around to score following a hard-hit single to center, which made it 8-6, Arkansas.
It didn't end there, as another single put the tying run at the plate for Michigan. That forced coach Dave Van Horn into making a change to righty Tate McGuire, who drew a groundout to end the game.