Smith, Gaeckle prove to be enough to take pitcher’s duel for Hogs

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Hagen Smith and Gabe Gaeckle combined for 16 strikeouts on the mound to lead No. 2 Arkansas (33-5, 13-3 SEC) to a 2-1 series-opening win against No. 20 South Carolina (26-12, 8-8 SEC) Friday night at Founders Park.

Due to rain in the area on Sunday, the Hogs and Gamecocks will conclude the weekend series with a doubleheader tomorrow. First pitch in Saturday’s twin bill is set for noon CT, with a one-hour break between the two games. Both contests will be streamed on SEC Network+ with Dave Weinstein (play-by-play) and Kip Bouknight (analyst) on the call.

The Razorbacks will go for their fourth consecutive regular-season weekend series win against the Gamecocks in tomorrow’s doubleheader. Arkansas has not lost a series to South Carolina since 2016 and has won five of the last six regular-season weekend series against its SEC Eastern Division opponent, including road series wins in 2013 and 2021.

Making his 10th start of the year, Smith twirled six innings of one-run ball with 11 strikeouts to improve to 8-0, logging his team-leading eighth quality start and his team-best seventh double-digit strikeout performance. The junior left-hander allowed just two hits and issued five walks, including one intentional walk, in his gritty Friday night outing.

Arkansas improved to a perfect 10-0 in games started by Smith, who raised his strikeout total to 100 through 52.2 innings. For the season, Smith boasts 1.53 ERA over his 53.0 total innings of work, allowing only nine runs on 24 hits and 22 walks while limiting opposing hitters to a meager .136 batting average all year.

The Gamecocks began the game’s scoring with an RBI groundout in the bottom of the fifth to open a 1-0 advantage. The Razorbacks, however, punched right back in the top half of the sixth, scratching out a pair of runs to take the lead.

After loading the bases with no outs, Arkansas scored a run on a wild pitch before Jack Wagner’s sacrifice fly to center brought home Nolan Souza from third, which put the Hogs ahead, 2-1, and proved to be the game-winning run.

Gaeckle protected the Hogs’ one-run lead, recording eight of the game’s final nine outs after Smith departed. The true freshman right-hander, who tallied five strikeouts, did not allow a base runner until a two-out double in the ninth.

Stone Hewlett logged the game’s final out on six pitches, taking over for Gaeckle and stranding a pair of runners in the ninth to secure his fourth save of the season and finish off the Razorbacks’ 2-1 series-opening win.