Baseball
Noland wins pitchers’ duel, Hogs down Gators in series opener
A five-run ninth gave the Razorbacks a huge victory at Florida Ballpark in a game largely dominated by starting pitching.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Arkansas senior right-handed pitcher Connor Noland dazzled on the diamond once again Thursday night, tossing seven scoreless innings en route to an 8-1 Razorback victory at Florida Ballpark.
Through three innings, both Noland and Florida lefty Hunter Barco faced the minimum nine hitters. The only runner to reach — Florida second baseman Colby Halter — was caught stealing after a leadoff single in the first.
Sophomore third baseman Cayden Wallace became the first Razorback baserunner in the fourth inning after getting hit by a pitch, and he came around to score on an infield single by graduate catcher Michael Turner.
Freshman first baseman Peyton Stovall got hit by a pitch to lead off the fifth, and Wallace scored him with a one-out single to right field.
Graduate right fielder Chris Lanzilli stretched the Arkansas lead to three runs in the sixth, leading off with a solo homer to left field. A single and a walk later, the Gators pulled Barco, but righty Tyler Nesbitt was able to keep the Razorbacks from scoring again.
After scoreless seventh and eighth innings, the Hogs went broke the game open in the ninth. Wallace led off with a solo bomb to left, and senior center fielder Braydon Webb followed with his team-leading eighth long-ball of the season.
Turner drove in his second run of the game with a double to right-center field, senior shortstop Jalen Battles hit a sacrifice fly for the seventh run and Stovall knocked in the eighth with a single to center.
Senior right-hander Zebulon Vermillion sealed the victory with two innings of one-run ball. He stranded two runners in the eighth, allowed a leadoff double to score in the ninth and finished things off with a strikeout.
The Razorbacks and Gators will return to action at 5:30 p.m. Friday.
Freshman lefty Hagen Smith is the projected starter for Arkansas, opposite Florida righty Brandon Sproat. The game will stream live on the SEC Network+.
