GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Led by Gage Wood’s dominant three-inning start on the mound, three Razorback pitchers combined for 10 strikeouts and shut out Florida (29-16, 7-13 SEC) for the first time in program history to lead fifth-ranked Arkansas (37-8, 14-6 SEC) to a 7-0 series-evening win Saturday afternoon at Condron Family Ballpark.
With Saturday’s win, the Razorbacks forced a rubber match in tomorrow’s finale in Gainesville.
First pitch in the series-deciding contest between Arkansas and Florida is scheduled for noon Sunday on SEC Network+.
In his second start since returning from injury, Wood fired three shutout frames with five strikeouts against the Gators.
The right-hander retired the first eight he faced before a two-out double in the third but would escape without damage.
Wood, who hit his pitch count at 42, departed after three innings and turned the ball over to Gabe Gaeckle.
His fellow right-hander spun 3.1 scoreless innings with two strikeouts in relief, earning the win to improve to 4-1 on the year.
With Gaeckle on the mound, the Razorback offense broke through in the top half of the fifth after four scoreless innings to start the game.
Kuhio Aloy’s bases-loaded single through the left side scored a pair of runs and put Arkansas up, 2-0.
Aloy finished the game 2-for-5 with two RBI, his team-high 58th and 59th runs batted in of the year, and raised his season slash line to a team-leading .376/.453/.648 in 41 games with his 19th multi-hit performance of the campaign.
After Carson Boles and Brent Iredale each collected RBI with a sacrifice fly and ground-rule double, respectively, later in the inning, Cam Kozeal entered as a pinch hitter for Rocco Peppi and swatted a two-run homer, his 10th of the year, to right field on the second pitch he saw, extending the Razorbacks’ advantage to 6-0 and capping the six-run frame.
Wehiwa Aloy, meanwhile, tacked on another run in the top of the eighth on a sacrifice fly to center, giving Arkansas a 7-0 lead and collecting his 50th RBI of the season in the process.
The Hogs’ seven-run edge was plenty for Aiden Jimenez, who locked down the final 2.2 innings of Saturday’s win and racked up three strikeouts to secure the shutout victory.
The Razorbacks, who have not won a series in Gainesville since 2012, have an opportunity to snap their 13-year drought tomorrow when they send left-hander Landon Beidelschies (4-0, 4.06 ERA) to the hill to clinch the series win.
