Smith and Gaeckle shine as Razorbacks take series opener against Gamecocks.
Hagen Smith and Gabe Gaeckle teamed up for a total of 16 strikeouts on the mound, propelling No. 2 Arkansas to a 2-1 victory in the opening game of their series against No. 20 South Carolina at Founders Park on Friday night.
Due to inclement weather forecasted for Sunday, the Hogs and Gamecocks will wrap up their series with a doubleheader on Saturday. The first game of the twin bill is scheduled for noon CT, with an hour break between the two games. Both matchups will be streamed on SEC Network+, featuring Dave Weinstein on play-by-play and Kip Bouknight as analyst.
Arkansas will aim for their fourth consecutive regular-season series win against the Gamecocks in Saturday’s doubleheader. The team has not dropped a series to South Carolina since 2016 and has secured five of the last six regular-season series against their SEC Eastern Division rivals, including road victories in 2013 and 2021.
Smith, making his 10th start of the season, delivered a solid performance, pitching six innings with 11 strikeouts, allowing only one run. He improved his record to 8-0, marking his eighth quality start and seventh double-digit strikeout game of the season. Despite issuing five walks, Smith demonstrated his prowess on the mound, limiting South Carolina to just two hits.
Arkansas remains undefeated in games started by Smith this season, with a 10-0 record. Smith’s total strikeouts for the season now stand at 100 over 52.2 innings, boasting an impressive 1.53 ERA. His dominant pitching has held opposing hitters to a mere .136 batting average throughout the year.
South Carolina took an early lead with an RBI groundout in the fifth inning, but Arkansas quickly responded in the sixth inning, scoring two runs to take the lead. The Razorbacks capitalized on a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly by Jack Wagner to secure the 2-1 lead, ultimately clinching the victory.
Gaeckle took over from Smith and maintained Arkansas’ one-run lead, striking out eight of the final nine outs. The freshman right-hander allowed his first base runner in the ninth inning, but Stone Hewlett entered the game and sealed the win, earning his fourth save of the season by stranding two runners to secure the 2-1 victory for the Razorbacks in the series opener.
