FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It wasn’t the Friday night the Hogs had in mind.
No. 16 Arkansas fell to No. 5 Georgia 5-3 in front of a packed Baum-Walker Stadium crowd on April 17, dropping Game Two of the SEC weekend series.
The Razorbacks now sit at 26-14 overall and 9-8 in conference play. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, improved to 31-9 and a strong 12-5 in the SEC, one of the best records in the league.
The loss evens the series at one game apiece. The two teams will settle it Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. on SEC Network+ with Josh Haley handling play-by-play and Troy Eklund in the analyst chair.
Georgia jumped out fast and never really let Arkansas breathe through the first half of the game.
The Bulldogs tagged starter Cole Gibler for a solo home run in the second inning and then piled on with two more two-out runs in the third.
By the time the sixth inning arrived, a Georgia double extended the lead to 4-0 and put the Razorbacks in a significant hole.
Gibler, making just his second career start on the mound, worked five innings for Arkansas.
The left-hander tallied two strikeouts but gave up four runs before turning the ball over to the bullpen.
It wasn’t the outing the Hogs needed from a young arm in a big SEC matchup.
The Razorbacks didn’t go quietly, though.
Arkansas fights back with power in sixth
Damian Ruiz changed the energy inside Baum-Walker Stadium with one swing.
The infielder launched a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to cut the Georgia lead to 4-2, giving the home crowd something to cheer about and putting the Hogs back in the conversation.
But Georgia answered.
The Bulldogs added a solo shot of their own in the seventh to push their lead back to three at 5-2.
Arkansas scratched back once more in the bottom of the seventh, scoring a run on a wild pitch to make it 5-3. That would be the last time the Razorbacks pulled within two runs.
Georgia reliever Caden Aoki shut the door the rest of the way. He entered in place of starter Dylan Vigue, who left after two innings with an injury and four strikeouts to his credit.
Aoki went five innings, allowing three runs — two earned — while issuing five walks and punching out four batters on 105 pitches.
He did just enough to keep Arkansas from completing the comeback.
Out of the Arkansas bullpen, Tate McGuire delivered 2.2 innings of work with one run allowed and two strikeouts.
Steele Eaves followed with 1.1 innings and one strikeout of his own. Together, the two combined for four innings of one-run relief ball, a solid effort from the backend of the Razorbacks’ pitching staff that kept things competitive down the stretch.
Ruiz leads way offensively for Hogs
Zack Stewart was the only Razorback with multiple hits Friday, going 2-for-3 with a walk.
He’s been a consistent presence in the lineup throughout conference play.
Ruiz, meanwhile, continues to be Arkansas’ most productive bat in SEC games this season. He finished Friday 1-for-3 with a homer, two RBI, a walk and a stolen base.
Through 13 league games, he’s slashing .304/.418/.565 with three home runs and eight RBI, numbers that lead the team in conference play and make him one of the more dependable threats in the Razorbacks’ lineup.
It’s worth noting that Arkansas has won four straight weekend series against Georgia inside Baum-Walker Stadium, doing so in 2010, 2012, 2017 and 2021.
The Hogs haven’t lost a home series to the Bulldogs since the 2008 season. Sunday’s rubber match will determine whether that streak continues or comes to an end.
Game Three is set for 1 p.m. Sunday, April 18 on SEC Network+.
