COLUMBIA, S.C. – Hagen Smith and Gabe Gaeckle combined for 16 strikeouts on the mound to lead No. 2 Arkansas (33-5, 13-3 SEC) to a 2-1 series-opening win against No. 20 South Carolina (26-12, 8-8 SEC) Friday night at Founders Park.
Due to rain in the area on Sunday, the Hogs and Gamecocks will conclude the weekend series with a doubleheader Saturday. First pitch in the twin bill is set for noon CT, with a one-hour break between the two games. Both contests will be streamed on SEC Network+ with Dave Weinstein (play-by-play) and Kip Bouknight (analyst) on the call.
The Razorbacks will go for their fourth consecutive regular-season weekend series win against the Gamecocks in Saturday’s doubleheader. Arkansas has not lost a series to South Carolina since 2016 and has won five of the last six regular-season weekend series against its SEC Eastern Division opponent, including road series wins in 2013 and 2021.
Making his 10th start of the year, Smith twirled six innings of one-run ball with 11 strikeouts to improve to 8-0, logging his team-leading eighth quality start and his team-best seventh double-digit strikeout performance. The junior left-hander allowed just two hits and issued five walks, including one intentional walk, in his gritty Friday night outing.
Arkansas improved to a perfect 10-0 in games started by Smith, who raised his strikeout total to 100 through 52 2/3 innings. For the season, Smith boasts 1.53 ERA over his 53 total innings of work, allowing only nine runs on 24 hits and 22 walks while limiting opposing hitters to a meager .136 batting average all year.
The Gamecocks began the game’s scoring with an RBI groundout in the bottom of the fifth to open a 1-0 advantage. The Razorbacks, however, punched right back in the top half of the sixth, scratching out a pair of runs to take the lead.
After loading the bases with no outs, Arkansas scored a run on a wild pitch before Jack Wagner’s sacrifice fly to center brought home Nolan Souza from third, which put the Hogs ahead, 2-1, and proved to be the game-winning run.
Gaeckle protected the Hogs’ one-run lead, recording eight of the game’s final nine outs after Smith departed. The true freshman right-hander, who tallied five strikeouts, did not allow a base runner until a two-out double in the ninth.
Stone Hewlett logged the game’s final out on six pitches, taking over for Gaeckle and stranding a pair of runners in the ninth to secure his fourth save of the season and finish off the Razorbacks’ 2-1 series-opening win.
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