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Razorbacks set program record in win over Auburn

AUBURN, Ala. — For the second time in three weeks Arkansas made program history, scoring a program-record 197.425 in the team’s 197.425-197.125 win at Auburn.

Kennedy Hambrick was impressive again, finishing with a 39.700 all-around score for her fourth all-around title.

The junior also added her fourth vault title (9.950) with the performance.

Arkansas opened the meet with a season-best 49.425 on the bars, good enough for the sixth-best total in program history and highest ever on the road.

The Gymbacks’ lineup was highlighted by season-highs from Hambrick and freshman Jensen Scalzo, who both scored 9.925s on bars. Scalzo has improved her routine in each meet this season, complete with a blind-change jaeger and double-back dismount.

On the vault, Hambrick’s Yurchenko 1.5 caught the eye of every fan in Auburn Arena. Her stuck landing added to a solid lineup of vault scores that resulted in a 49.275 team score.

Midway through the meet, Arkansas held a 98.700-98.575 lead over the Tigers. The 98.700 is the highest two-rotation score for the Gymbacks this season.

Arkansas lit up the floor in the third rotation with all five countable routines scoring 9.800 or better en route to a 49.450 event score.

Now in the number three spot, senior Sophia Carter scored a season-high 9.950 after she beautifully executed a switch-half split full and double-pick last pass.

Redshirt-sophomore Bailey Lovett scored a 9.950 to equal her season high, sticking her double-layout and tour jete-split full perfectly. Moved to the anchor spot, Hambrick’s huge double-tuck first pass scored a 9.925 to close out the floor party on a high note.

Lovett showed off her backflip catch-mount on beam and registered a career-high 9.950 in the number two spot.

The Gymbacks went out with a bang as Hambrick signed off on the historical night with a stuck cartwheel-gainer dismount and 9.900 from the judges.

Arkansas now begins preparations for the SEC Championship in Huntsville, Ala., on March 20 on SEC Network.

Long and short of this Hogs’ team is, well, they’re really good

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There’s about nine inches of difference in the stature of what is likely Arkansas’ two best players and they may have given a glimpse of the future Friday.

The result was a 7-6 win on a cold, rainy day at Baum-Walker Stadium.

After the Razorbacks stumbled around offensively for most of the first game in a weekend series with Murray State, Robert Moore (all 5-foot-9 of him) went yard for the second time in the game for a slim one-run lead in the bottom of the eighth.

Jaxon Wiggins (at 6-foot-6) then went to the mound and only needed 10 pitches to seal his second win of the season.

We saw enough glimpses of Wiggins in the opening series of the year in Arlington, Texas, to  know there was something special in the tall right-hander that throws pitches that creep close to 100 miles an hour.

“I don’t think we hit him all spring,” Moore said later. “He’s hard to hit. He gets better every single day”

That last part is probably scary to everybody on the Hogs’ schedule.

For the Racers, who had given most of the Hogs’ pitching staff problems. Dave Van Horn used seven pitchers in the game.

Peyton Pallette started and went four innings, Patrick Wicklander threw a couple of innings in the middle and everybody else just pitched to a few guys as Van Horn went to a situational rotation.

He held Wiggins for exactly what happened the eighth.

When Moore yanked the third pitch he faced high and over the wall near the scoreboard with nobody out and Zack Gregory on base, Van Horn got his perfect situation. That flipped a one-run game in the Hogs’ favor with one swing.

Wiggins got a quick fly-out, then two strikeouts and it was on to Saturday.

Moore, who plays more like a sixth-year senior than a just a few games in 2020 before the covid shutdown, is providing a big bat and consistent play at second base. He was 3-of-4 at the plate Friday with four RBI on three hits.

And, in the end, it was just another comeback win that this team is turning into something so routine folks kind of expect it.

“The truth of the matter is all of this is only possible if our pitching keeps us in games,” Moore said later. “Our pitching keeps us in games and we’re just very calm.”

It’s gotten these Hogs to 8-0 and ranked No. 1 in the country in several of the polls, which means absolutely nothing in a sport where you have to play your way to a title.

And while they aren’t the only players on the roster, we may have gotten a peek into two that are going to play key roles.

Moore is the shortest player on the roster and maybe the best overall hitter, especially in the clutch.

Wiggins may be the closer the Hogs haven’t had very often.

And that could be the long and short of the future of this season which could be really good.

Razorbacks upset Vanderbilt on Friday, 4-3, to stay unbeaten

No. 23 Arkansas claimed an upset over Southeastern Conference foe, No. 9 Vanderbilt 4-3 on Friday afternoon at the Billingsley Tennis Center.

The win moves Arkansas to 10-0 on the year while Vanderbilt falls to 10-2 overall.

Junior Laura Rijkers clinched the win for Arkansas with an exhilarating three-set victory over Vanderbilt’s Marcella Cruz on court six.

After falling to Cruz 7-6 (5) in the first set, Rijkers fought back for an impressive 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 6-4 comeback.

Sophomore Kelly Keller and Rijkers gave Arkansas an early advantage in doubles play as they won their match against Vanderbilt’s Christina Rosca and Anessa Lee, 6-4.

Freshmen pair Indianna Spink and Morgan Cross were leading on court two 5-4, but Commodores Emma Kurtz and Cruz forced the match into a tiebreaker set where the Razorbacks ultimately fell 7-6 (5).

Now tied at one doubles win apiece, Arkansas looked to Lauren Alter and Tatum Rice in the No. 1 position. Facing Anna Ross and Holly Staff, Alter and Rice battled into a tiebreaker set as well but came up just short 7-6 (5).

Rice evened the score quickly in singles play, defeating Anna Ross, 6-2, 6-3 on court three. With the victory, Rice extended her singles winning streak to three matches and improved her singles record to 7-2 this spring.

Vanderbilt took the lead again with a win on court five; Alter dropped her match to Lee 6-3, 7-6 (4). It wasn’t long after that Spink notched an impressive win over No. 20 Rosca in the No. 1 position, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. Spink gave Rosca her first loss of the spring and improved her own record to 7-2 overall.

The Hogs continue to give it their best fight, as the teams traded wins and were tied again at 3-3.

Cross dropped her tiebreaker set to Holly Staff on court four in a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 marathon match. On court two, Keller bounced back after a set-one loss, to claim a victory over Kurtz 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Arkansas returns to the court on Sunday to host Kentucky.

Sunday’s match against the Wildcats is set to start at noon and is available for fans to watch for free, via Playsight.

Moore after pair of two-run homers brings Hogs back

Robert Moore came up big at the plate Friday evening, hitting two homers to bring Arkansas to a comeback win over Murray State.

Florida’s wall shut down Razorbacks in league matchup Friday

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Arkansas ran into a wall of blocks dropping the first of two SEC matches, 25-16, 25-19, 25-21 at No. 8 Florida on Friday.

The Gators finished the night with 13.5 team blocks holding Arkansas to a 0.141 hitting percentage on the night.

Florida improved to 13-2 on the year while Arkansas drops to 11-6 in the final road trip of the regular season.

Hog Highlights
Jillian Gillen | 10 kills
Maggie Cartwright | 8 kills, .375 hitting percentage
Gracie Ryan | 10 digs

How the game happened
One of the top blocking teams in the SEC, the Gators established the wall early in the first frame.

They finished the first set with a 7-1 block advantage while holding Arkansas to a .059% hitting percentage. Florida also stole a page from the Razorbacks’ play book, out-digging Arkansas 16-9 in the first set.

Florida’s block set the tone for the match with their hitters and strong serving allowing them to pick up the win.

Arkansas played Florida close with back-and-forth runs in each set but mini-scoring bursts behind a serve that took Arkansas out of system lifted the Gators to the win.

Arkansas started the second and third sets staying close with Florida as the teams were tied at 19-all in both frames.

The Gators used a block to capture the momentum and finished the middle set on a 6-0 run. Again, tied at 19 in the third set, Florida had a 6-2 run to close out the match win.

Next match
The Razorbacks and Gators face each other again Saturday with the first serve at 5 p.m.

It is the final regular season road trip for the Razorbacks. Arkansas hosts Tennessee on March 13-14 and wraps up the regular season with South Carolina March 19-20, in Barnhill Arena.

Watch Arkansas at Florida on Saturday: SEC Network Plus

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Experienced depth won’t be dramatically affected by loss

Noah Gatlin has made the decision to not continue his football path after dealing with multiple injuries over his first couple of seasons with Arkansas.

The news was first reported by Tom Murphy of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Gatlin is the only offensive lineman in Arkansas’ two-deep depth chart during the 2020 season that will not return in 2021.

In addition to Dalton Wagner at right tackle and Clary at right guard, the Razorbacks will also have left tackle Myron Cunningham, left guard Brady Latham, center Ricky Stromberg and all of their backups.

Gatlin also missed most of this year’s Auburn game because of a lower left leg injury suffered on the first play, then didn’t play well, suffered a concussion and Wagner took over at right tackle.

He missed the entire 2019 season because of a torn ACL suffered on the first day of fall camp.

Gatlin showed promise as a freshman during the 2018 season, playing in four games and starting two early in the season. He was expected to compete for a starting spot at tackle in 2019 before suffering the season-ending knee injury on the very first day of fall camp.

The Razorbacks will start spring practice Tuesday afternoon.

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