FAYETTEVILLE — The Arkansas baseball team put on a dominant pitching performance backed by eight runs on 13 hits in an 8-1 exhibition win over Oklahoma State in front of an estimated 8,000 fans Friday evening at Baum-Walker Stadium.
Seven different Razorback pitchers combined to pitch nine innings of 1-run ball and strike out 18 different Cowboy batters. The Hogs issued just one walk in the game and they allowed just two hits.
Arkansas sophomore standout Gabe Gaeckle began the top of the first with two straight strikeouts and his third strikeout of the frame stranded a runner he previously saw reach via an error on third baseman Brent Iredale. Shortstop Wehiwa Aloy's 113 mile per hour single to left was the only offense for the Hogs in the bottom half.
East Carolina transfer left-hander Zach Root saw the first batter he faced — former Hog Jayson Jones — reach via a fielding error in left by Justin Thomas Jr., which proved costly, as Jones scored on an RBI single from Kollin Ritchie right after. That was all Root allowed, though, to make it 1-0.
The Razorbacks responded right away with four straight hits to begin the bottom of the second. Two of those hits were RBI knocks from Reese Robinett and Kuhio Aloy. The inning was called with just one out on the board after a two-RBI double to left from Wehiwa Aloy gave the Razorbacks a 4-1 lead.
Root worked a much-cleaner frame with three straight strikeouts in the top of the third. Oklahoma State right-hander Noah Wech came on in the bottom half and retired the first two he faced before allowing a two-out double to third baseman Brent Iredale, who was stranded after a Nolan Souza strikeout.
Junior righty Gage Wood struck out two batters in a 1-2-3 top of the fourth inning. The Razorbacks gave him and the rest of the staff two more runs of support via an RBI triple from Justin Thomas Jr. and an RBI sacrifice fly from Charles Davalan to make it 6-1 after four innings.
Wood issued the game's first walk with one out in the top of the fifth, but he picked up two more strikeouts to strand the runner. Arkansas threatened but didn't score in the bottom half after a single to right from Iredale almost scored Logan Maxwell, who was thrown out at the plate.
Ohio State transfer left-hander Landon Beidelschies pitched a perfect top of the sixth with two strikeouts. The Razorbacks were unable to capitalize on a pair of two-out walks in the bottom half against Oklahoma State righty Sean Youngerman.
Freshman lefty Cole Gibler took the mound for the top of the seventh and he retired the Cowboys' two, three and four hitters in order. Arkansas tacked on two more in the bottom half via an Iredale RBI sacrifice fly and an RBI single from Souza.
While touching 100 and 101 miles per hour on the radar gun, freshman right-hander Carson Wiggins faced the minimum in a scoreless top of the eighth inning. Arkansas put two runners on via back-to-back two-out walks, but they were stranded by Oklahoma State pitcher Ryan Ure.
Junior flame-thrower Christian Foutch pitched a 1-2-3 top of the ninth with a pair of strikeouts. As both teams decided to play the bottom of the ninth despite Arkansas up 8-1, the Razorbacks were held scoreless for the final frame to end the contest.
HawgBeat has provided an unofficial box score with stats from Friday's exhibition, plus notable quotes from head coach Dave Van Horn.
Stats from Arkansas' win over Oklahoma State
