Arkansas didn’t wait around to show they brought their bats on the road Friday night.
After a warning from South Carolina coach Paul Mainieri about the Razorbacks’ power, the Hogs answered quickly with a long-ball display and steady offense that led to a 22-6 win in seven innings at Founders Park.
Arkansas (17-6, 3-1 SEC) used five home runs, including two from Maika Niu, to build a large lead and close the game early by run rule. The series continues Saturday at 3 p.m.
The Razorbacks’ output marked one of the highest-scoring SEC games in program history and the largest margin of victory in a conference road game during coach Dave Van Horn’s tenure.
South Carolina (12-11, 0-4) dropped its sixth straight game.
The Hogs combined patience and power throughout the night, putting pressure on pitching from the start.
Arkansas drew 12 walks and benefited from 15 total free passes issued by South Carolina pitchers. That helped the Razorbacks create scoring chances in nearly every inning.
“I thought our offense was outstanding tonight,” Van Horn said.
Fast start sets the tone
The Hogs wasted no time getting on the board.
Damian Ruiz reached on a walk to begin the game, moved up on a wild pitch, and scored before the Gamecocks recorded an out.
Camden Kozeal followed with an RBI single, and Arkansas quickly took control.
The Razorbacks added more pressure in the second inning when Ruiz and Kozeal hit back-to-back home runs to extend the lead.
By the third inning, Kuhio Aloy launched a 450-foot home run to center field, pushing the margin even wider.
That swing ended the night for South Carolina starter Josh Gunther, who allowed nine runs over just 2 1/3 innings.
Arkansas kept adding on, building a 9-0 advantage before the middle innings arrived.
The early scoring forced South Carolina to make quick pitching changes.
Eight-run inning breaks game open
The Razorbacks put the game out of reach in the fourth inning.
Arkansas sent 14 hitters to the plate and scored eight runs.
The rally included four hits, four walks, a hit batter, and an error that extended the inning.
Reese Robinett delivered a two-run double, while Nolan Souza and Ruiz added RBI singles.
A dropped pop-up by South Carolina’s defense allowed another run to score, keeping the inning alive.
Maika Niu added a two-run double during the surge, pushing the lead to 17-0. By that point, a lot of the crowd had already started leaving.
Niu played a major role in the win on both offense and defense. He finished 3 for 5 with a walk, four runs scored, and six RBI, tying a career high.
His night began with a 402-foot home run in the first inning that gave Arkansas a quick 4-0 lead.
Later, he added a two-run double in the fourth and another home run in the sixth inning. The sixth-inning homer, a 391-foot shot to left, made the score 21-4.
“We knew that’s what we can do,” Niu said. “We haven’t been doing it. That little confidence boost, know that two outs we can get that extra run in, and we did that a lot today.”
Niu also made a standout defensive play in the second inning, diving to his right in left-center field to take away an extra-base hit.
Van Horn really liked the play.
“That was unbelievable to watch it,” Van Horn said.
Pitching handles long delays
Arkansas starter Gabe Gaeckle worked through a different rhythm because of long offensive innings.
He allowed four runs, two earned, on five hits and two walks over five innings while striking out seven. He threw 62 of his 89 pitches for strikes.
“The first three innings, he was really good,” Van Horn said. “In the top of the fourth, we scored eight runs, they made a couple of pitching changes. I don’t know how long it was, maybe a 40-minute [half] inning, it seemed like it.
“When he went back out there, he wasn’t quite as sharp. For the most part he was really good. He just had a lot of delays between innings, which is a good thing because we’re scoring runs.”
South Carolina scored its runs in the fourth inning on two home runs, including a two-run shot by KJ Scobey. Luke Yuhasz added another two-run homer later in the inning.
Despite that stretch, Gaeckle settled in and finished his outing with control.
The Razorbacks continued to add runs with timely swings and strong plate discipline.
“We walked a lot, but at the same time I think we were swinging the bat so well, they were a little nervous to throw the ball in the middle of the plate,” Van Horn said. “Our guys just did a great job of sticking to the game plan. We didn’t go out of the zone hardly at all tonight.
“We fouled off a lot of pitches and obviously squared up a bunch. We hit six homers and two doubles and who knows what else.”
TJ Pompey added another home run in the fifth inning with a 388-foot blast to left field.
“Power, it comes and goes a little bit, but it’s in there for us,” Van Horn said. “We can score quick.”
Arkansas finished with 14 hits, with Ruiz, Kozeal, and Niu each collecting three.
Ruiz and Kozeal also drove in three runs apiece, and every starter reached base at least twice.
