
The No. 11 Arkansas Razorbacks (39-9, 16-7 SEC) took the series against the No. 1 Texas Longhorns (38-7, 19-4 SEC) on Friday with a 6-1 win at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville.
Junior right-hander Gage Wood was utterly dominant against Texas' batters, notching strikeouts against 9-of-14 Longhorns with no walks, two hits and only one earned run on 57 pitches.
After shutting out the top-ranked team in the land Thursday, 9-0, Arkansas' bullpen picked up where Wood left off by striking out six batters with only two walks. Gabe Gaeckle made it through three innings of two-hit baseball with five strikeouts, while Aiden Jimenez closed out the final two frames with a K and a walk.
Arkansas' offense got going early with a four-run outing in the second and a run in each of the fifth and sixth innings. Brent Iredale had a homerun, while Charles Davalan, Wehiwa Aloy, Kuhio Aloy, Ryder Helfrick and Justin Thomas Jr. each collected hits.
As a whole, the offense finished 6-for-30 at the plate with five strikeouts, nine walks and a whopping five hit-by-pitches.
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Wood opened the game with his signature high 90s fastball, which was also the pitch that retired Texas leadoff batter Ethan Mendoza. Using his disgusting curveball to keep the Longhorns honest, Wood blew right past batter No. 2 with high heat for a K before retiring the three-hole with a groundout.
Worth the wait ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/H2XvnpwMQp
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) May 3, 2025
Left-handed Texas starter Luke Harrison entered the game with an outstanding reputation against lefty batters, but Charles Davalan wasn't deterred, as he took a pitch oppo for a leadoff single. Wehiwa Aloy reached first on a smoked single to third base, which was hit too hard to be handled.
Carson Boles came up with two runners in scoring position following outs by Kuhio Aloy and Cam Kozeal, but struck out to end the inning.
If you thought the first inning was as dominant as Wood would be, think again. He struck out the side in the second to up his total to five at the time.
Aussie native Brent Iredale got the scoring started in the bottom of the second with a first-pitch, sky-high bomb to right field that made it 1-0, Hogs. Ryder Helfrick was plunked with a pitch, then Rocco Peppi advanced him to second on a groundout. After another hit-by-pitch on Justin Thomas Jr., Wehiwa Aloy walked to load the bases.
Kuhio Aloy delivered with a rocket double to left field that cleared the bases and increased Arkansas' lead to 4-0.
The mana is DIFFERENT at Baum ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/jWin7XSHye
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) May 3, 2025
Texas got its first hit off Wood to begin the third, a sharply hit single to right field. A fielder's choice groundout erased the leadoff batter, then Wood came right back with back-to-back strikeouts to close the frame.
Harrison worked around a two-out single by Helfrick to cruise through the bottom of the third. Texas' Rylan Galvan used that momentum to lead the fourth off with a solo shot to left field, which made it 4-1, Arkansas. Wood didn't let that stop him, as he fought back with back-to-back strikeouts and a flyout to get the Hogs out of the frame.
Thomas started the bottom of the fourth with a single, but was out at second on a fielder's choice groundout by Davalan. Wehiwa Aloy walked on just four pitches to bring up Kuhio Aloy, who grounded into a fielder's choice that erased the runner on second base. A Kozeal flyout closed the books on a hopeful inning for the Razorbacks.
Gabe Gaeckle took the mound to start the fifth in place of Wood, and after a strikeout, he got in trouble in a hurry. A single and double sandwich another strikeout, but with two runners in scoring position, Wehiwa Aloy made an excellent throw on the move to get Gaeckle out of the jam.
Texas made a pitching change to Andre Duplantier II in the bottom of the fifth. He got his day started with a groundout by Boles before plunking Iredale. Helfrick walked and the Hogs were once again threatening with one out. Rocco Peppi worked the count full before striking out, but Thomas drew a free pass to load the bases.
A hit-by-pitch against Davalan brought in another run to make it 5-1, and Wehiwa Aloy grounded into a fielder's choice to keep anymore runs off the board.
Gaeckle opened the sixth with back-to-back full-count strikeouts before getting his third punchout of the frame in a 2-2 count.
Lefty Grayson Saunier was called out of the Texas bullpen in the bottom of the sixth, and he recorded outs against Kuhio Aloy and Kozeal before walking Boles and plunking Iredale. With two men on, Helfrick walked to load the bases again for the Hogs. Reese Robinett walked to drive in another run, which made it 6-1, Hogs.
Following a foulout to start the seventh, an error by Wehiwa Aloy gave Texas a one-out baserunner against Gaeckle. A walk put two on for the Horns, but a foulout turned into a double play because of a poor basepath decision and the Razorbacks escaped the jam.
JUST LIKE WE DREW IT UP pic.twitter.com/cCw0vEhsSQ
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) May 3, 2025
Aiden Jimenez came in to thwart Texas in the eighth, and he got started with a lineout to right field. He walked a batter, but thanks to a Thoams catch at the wall in center, notched two straight flyouts to bring Arkansas' offense back up to the dish.
Longhorn righty Hudson Hamilton got going in the bottom of the eighth and drew a groundout from Kozeal to start. Boles and Iredale drew one-out walks, then Helfrick struck out on a curveball. With one more out to go in the inning, Texas called upon lefty Ethan Walker from the pen, and he got Robinett to groundout.
Jimenez surrendered a leadoff single to start the top of the ninth. That runner advanced to second and then to third on a groundout. Arkansas' closer got a strikeout and a popup to win the game.
Up next, Arkansas will attempt to sweep Texas on Saturday. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. CT and the game will stream on SEC Network+.
Box Score
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