No. 11 Arkansas (40-9, 17-7 SEC) finished the weekend with a bang by outslugging the No. 1 Texas Longhorns (38-8, 19-5 SEC), 13-8, on Saturday at Baum-Walker Stadium to complete the sweep. The Razorbacks are just two games behind first place in the Southeastern Conference and have matched their best 24-game start in conference play at 17-7.
Arkansas baseball vs Texas: Game three
Texas started off the scoring in the top of the third inning in a big way thanks to some two-out hitting. DH Ethan Mendoza drew a walk, and C Rylan Galvan singled to put runners on first and second. SS Jalin Flores cranked a three-run home run to left field to give the Longhorns a 3-0 lead.
Arkansas responded with two runs in the bottom of the third with some brotherly help. SS Wehiwa Aloy reached on a two-out infield single, and DH Kuhio Aloy smashed a two-run homer to left center for his 12th dinger of the year to cut the lead to one.
Texas came right back in the top of the fourth with CF Will Gasparino leading off the frame with a double. After the next two batters were retired in order, RF Tommy Farmer IV roped an RBI double down the left field line to put the Longhorns back up by two, 4-2.
The Hogs caught fire in the bottom of the fourth to take their first lead of the game. 3B Brent Iredale started off the inning with a walk, but RF Carson Boles lined out to center field. 1B Reese Robinett tied the game with a two-run shot to right center for his first home run of the season. After RHP Max Grubbs was relieved by RHP Thomas Burns, C Ryder Helfrick kept the rally going by drawing a walk. CF Justin Thomas Jr. reared back and barreled up a two-run home run to center field to hand Arkansas a 6-4 lead.
LHP Landon Beidelschies was relieved by RHP Ben Bybee to begin the top of the fifth after going four innings in his 11th start (12th appearance) while allowing four runs, four hits and two walks with four strikeouts on 75 pitches (48 strikes).
Texas jumped on Bybee with Mendoza leading off the fifth with a double to right. After sitting down the next two hitters, Bybee allowed an RBI single to 1B Kimble Schuessler to cut the lead to one. Gasparino secured the lead for the Longhorns with a two-run blast to left field to silence the crowd, 7-6.
The Razorbacks were not silent for long by placing another crooked number on the board in the bottom of the fifth. Iredale and Boles both reached on back-to-back one-out walks to put runners in scoring position for Robinett. Robinett tattooed a three-run bomb to right center over the scoreboard for his second home run of the game to put Arkansas back on top, 9-7.
RHP Dylan Carter relieved Bybee to open up the top of the sixth. Bybee tossed an inning while allowing three runs and three hits with a strikeout on 21 pitches (13 strikes).
Helfrick worked a walk with one out in the bottom of the seventh and stole second base. He advanced to third base on a pickoff error by LHP Dylan Volantis. After Thomas drew a walk to place runners on the corners, LF Charles Davalan destroyed a three-run homer to right field to extend the Hogs’ lead to five. Before coming into the game, Volantis had given up three runs all year through 36.2 innings of work as the Longhorns’ closer.
Carter was relieved in the top of the eighth by Christian Foutch with two outs and a runner on second base. Carter was lights out in his 20th appearance of the season by going 2.2 innings of relief while surrendering a hit and walk with two strikeouts on 44 pitches (27 strikes). After giving up back-to-back walks to load the bases, Foutch forced Mendoza to fly out to right field to end the threat.
Iredale blooped a single to right field to open up the bottom of the eighth, and Boles reached on a ground-rule double to put runners in scoring position on a misplayed ball in right center. Robinett drove in Iredale on an RBI groundout to short to push the Arkansas lead to six, 13-7.
Flores would not let Texas go down quietly in the top of the ninth with a solo shot to right field with one out to cut the deficit to five.
Foutch did not let the homer disrupt him and went on to close out the game to complete the sweep. He went 1.1 frames of relief in his 15th appearance of the year while giving up a run, a hit and two walks with two strikeouts on 32 pitches (17 strikes).
The Razorbacks will travel to Baton Rouge, LA., to take on the LSU Tigers next weekend in a three-game series starting on Friday. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be streamed on SEC Network+.