Iredale’s huge day at plate paces Razorbacks to 20-3 win

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Brent Iredale’s two-homer, eight-RBI performance at the plate powered No. 3 Arkansas (13-1) to a lopsided 20-3 series-opening win in seven innings against Portland (5-9) Friday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium.

Friday’s win marked the Razorbacks’ third consecutive run-rule victory and extended their winning streak to a season-long nine games. Arkansas, off to a perfect 11-0 start at home and a 13-1 overall start on the season, can clinch its 32nd non-conference weekend series at Baum-Walker Stadium with a win tomorrow or Saturday against Portland.

The Hogs scored early and often in Friday’s series opener, tagging Pilots’ All-America starter Carter Gaston for 13 runs (12 earned) on nine hits and two walks in four innings.

Arkansas brought home four in the bottom of the first inning and added seven in the second inning before scoring two in the third, tacking on five in the fifth and posting two more in the sixth, scoring 20 total runs in a game for the first time since its 20-12 win at Oklahoma State on June 4, 2022.

Iredale, who became the first Razorback with eight RBI in a game since Rodney Nye accomplished the feat against Oral Roberts on April 14, 1999, finished Friday’s series opener 3-for-3 with a double, a pair of home runs and eight RBI.

The performance raised his season slash line to .419/.565/.884 with five home runs and 29 runs batted in over 14 games.

Wehiwa and Kuhio Aloy stayed scorching hot, combining for five hits, including two extra-base hits, and seven RBI in the win.

Wehiwa Aloy went 3-for-3 with two homers, his first career multi-homer game, and four RBI, becoming the first Razorback to score five runs in a game since Robert Moore accomplished the feat against NC State on June 11, 2021, and raising his season slash line to .415/.530/.811 with five home runs and 13 RBI in 14 games this season.

Kuhio Aloy, meanwhile, extended his team-leading hitting streak to 11 games and tallied his team-leading eighth multi-hit game and eighth multi-RBI game Friday, going 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI.

The Razorback designated hitter is slashing a team-best .550/.625/1.150 with a team-high six home runs and 29 RBI over 11 games on the year.

On the mound, Arkansas starter Gabe Gaeckle carded his first win of the young season with 5.1 innings of two-run ball and seven strikeouts. The right-hander allowed a pair of runs in the first inning before settling down to silence the Pilots.

In relief, true freshman Steele Eaves worked the final 1.2 innings to close out the Razorbacks’ 20-3 win in seven innings. The right-hander, making the second appearance of his career, struck out one and allowed a run on four hits.

Arkansas and Portland continue the series at 2 p.m. Saturday on SEC Network+. Left-hander Zach Root, who is 1-0 with a 2.93 ERA and 26 strikeouts over 15.1 innings in three starts this season, gets the ball in tomorrow’s ballgame.

Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.