Georgia’s home run hitters get revenge on Arkansas, snaps SEC winning streak

ATHENS, Ga. — It was bound to happen. Arkansas lost its first SEC game in nearly a month, 7-6 to the No. 7 Georgia Bulldogs.

The tying run was 90 feet away from scoring in the ninth but the Hogs saw their 12 game SEC winning streak snapped.

“We had them a little worried there at the end,” Razorbacks coach Dave Van Horn said. “They had to go use some of their guys [out of the bullpen]. We’re never out of a game. We have a good team. I’m not disappointed at all. Disappointed in the loss. Not disappointed at anything else.”

After looking second-best for the first seven innings, the Hogs mounted a furious comeback in the eighth and ninth. They scored three runs to make it a one-run game.

In the span of four pitches, Arkansas cut the lead in half. Kuhio Aloy’s two-run homer in front of a Cam Kozeal double to cut the lead in half to 7-5.

Arkansas got the go-ahead run to the plate in the form of Charles Davalan, but he hit the ball to the deepest part of the ballpark to end the threat.

In the ninth, Wehiwa Aloy and Logan Maxwell led off the inning with a walk and a single. A wild pitch gift-wrapped the sixth run and the Hogs had the tying run at second base with no outs.

Brent Iredale was unable to advance the runner and Ryder Helfrick struck out on a 3-2 check-swing with the tying run on third.

Van Horn admitted after the game that Helfrick went around.

A day after the Razorback pitching staff held Georgia’s version of the ‘Bash Brothers’, Ryland Zaborowski and Robbie Burnett, hitless, the two power sluggers had the last laugh Saturday.

Zaborowski and Burnett each hit their SEC-leading 16th home run. The two combined to go 5-for-7 at the plate with five RBIs.

Arkansas starter Gabe Gaeckle could not escape his early inning troubles, allowing five runs in just two innings of work. A 2-run single from Zaborowski just got under the glove of Iredale at the hot corner allowed Georgia to put up a three-spot in the first.

It’s the fifth straight game that Arkansas has allowed the opponent to score first. In the previous four games, Arkansas came back to win all of them with a run differential of +38.

Gaeckle’s season ERA now sits at 6.69.

“Just can’t finish off hitters and throwing way too many pitches,” Van Horn said. “Up in the count,  make a mistake, they hit it, or then getting just getting behind. You can just tell it’s not right.”

Ben Bybee ate up 3 1/3 innings and allowing two runs before Christian Foutch had his best outing of the year, recording all five of his outs via the strikeout.

“I got two rather quick outs and then I felt good and I saw it was only like the 6th [inning],” Foutch said. “I was like if I can get the 7th that’d be huge. That way we only gotta throw one or two more guys out there and we can save it for tomorrow.”

Arkansas’ offense was held mostly quiet in the early innings. The Hogs scored just three runs in the first seven innings. The runs for the Hogs came on a Helfrick solo homer and a pair of RBI groundouts.

Texas and Arkansas remain tied for first place in the SEC after the Longhorns lost on a walk-off bunt in the 15th inning against Kentucky. Both teams are 12-2 in conference play.

The Hogs will try to win the rubber match against Georgia 12 p.m. Sunday. The game will be streamed on SEC+.