Razorbacks power past Tennessee for first SEC Tournament win since 2023
No. 7 Arkansas (37-19, 17-13 SEC) used 4 home runs to power past No. 10 Tennessee in the second round of the SEC Tournament, 8-4.
After scoring 10 runs in the regular season finale against Kentucky in the first inning, Arkansas wasted no time getting the offense going in the bottom of the first. Camden Kozeal and Zack Stewart greeted Tennessee starter Evan Blanco with a pair of left-on-left home runs. Stewart’s 2-run shot made it 3-0 after a Ryder Helfrick walk.
Nolan Souza added an RBI double to cap a 4-run inning.
Stewart now has 5 home runs in his 4 games after leading off the bottom of the third with a home run out of the stadium on the first pitch. It was his first multi-homer game in an Arkansas uniform and brought his season total to 13 after only hitting 8 in the first 40 games.
Tate McGuire held down Tennessee’s offense in a spot start, throwing 3 shutout innings and striking out 4 before the Volunteers tagged Parker Coil for 3 runs (1 earned).
An error by center fielder Maika Niu allowed a pair of runs to score on a bloop double off the bat of Blaine Brown in the fifth after both runners took an extra base on a ball that got through Niu on a slick grass surface.
With Tennessee back within 3, Dave Van Horn turned to James DeCremer, who has continued to get high-leverage opportunities after returning from injury. DeCremer stranded Brown at second and came back to pitch 2 more innings, allowing just 1 run.
TJ Pompey got all 3 of the Tennessee runs back on one swing with a 3-run home run in the bottom of the fifth in front of a pair of walks. Ryder Helfrick’s walk before the homer was helped by the first automatic ball-strike system (ABS) challenge in Arkansas history. A 0-1 pitch initially called a strike by home plate umpire David Savage was overturned to a ball, flipping the count from 0-2 to 1-1. Helfrick walked on 5 pitches.
Arkansas finished the day 2 for 3 on ABS challenges.
Tennessee never got the tying run back to the plate after the home run. Cole Gibler got the final six outs without allowing a run.
Arkansas now faces No. 2 Texas in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday and will be broadcast on SEC Network.
Live Updates:
No. 7 Arkansas (36-19, 17-13 SEC) opens the SEC Tournament against the No. 10 Tennessee (38-19, 15-15 SEC).
The Razorbacks will likely need to win multiple games to have any chance to sneak into the Top 16 of the NCAA Tournament and as a regional host. Arkansas will hold back on throwing ace Hunter Dietz to avoid pitching him on short rest for the second straight week after he threw 99 pitches against Kentucky.
Tate McGuire (1-0, 4.61 ERA) gets the ball instead. Tennessee starts lefty Evan Blanco (7-3, 4.56 ERA) after beating South Carolina 11-6 in the opening round of the tournament.
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Starting Lineups:
Arkansas:
LF Damian Ruiz
SS Camden Kozeal
C Ryder Helfrick
RF Zack Stewart
3B TJ Pompey
2B Nolan Souza
DH Kuhio Aloy
CF Maika Niu
1B Reese Robinett
RHP Tate McGuire
Tennessee:
C Garrett Wright
2B Blake Grimmer
3B Henry Ford
DH Trent Grindlinger
1B Levi Clark
SS Manny Marin
LF Blaine Brown
RF Nate Eisfelder
CF Jay Abernathy
LHP Evan Blanco
Top 9th:
- Abernathy grounded out to short, 1 out
- Wright grounded out to short, 2 outs
- Grimmer grounded out to short, 3 outs
Bottom 8th:
- Rutenbar struck out swinging, 1 out
- Niu fouled out to first, 2 outs
- Robinett struck out swinging, 3 outs
Top 8th:
- Cole Gibler replaced DeCremer
- Clark doubled to left
- Marin grounded out to short, 1 out
- Stone Lawless replaced Brown
- Lawless flied out to right, Clark to third, 2 outs
- Eisfelder grounded out to third, 3 outs
Bottom 7th:
- Mark Hindy replaced Abraham
- Stewart struck out looking, 1 out
- Bo Rhudy replaced Hindy
- Pompey struck out swinging, 2 outs
- Souza flied out to center, 3 outs
Top 7th:
- Abernathy singled to left
- Wright struck out looking, 1 out
- Abernathy stole second
- Grimmer doubled to left center, Abernathy scored, Arkansas 8, Tennessee 4
- Ford flied out to right, 2 outs
- Grindlinger struck out swinging, 3 outs
Bottom 6th:
- Robinett singled to right
- Ruiz struck out swinging, 1 out
- Robinett advanced to second on a wild pitch
- Kozeal grounded out to short, Robinett to third, 2 outs
- Helfrick struck out swinging, 3 outs
Top 6th:
- Clark struck out looking, 1 out
- Marin walked
- Brown grounded into a fielder’s choice, Marin out at second, first to short, 2 outs
- Eisfelder struck out looking, 3 outs
Bottom 5th:
- Kozeal walked
- Helfrick walked, Kozeal to second
- Stewart struck out swinging, 1 out
- Ethan Baiotto replaced Day
- Pompey homered to left, Helfrick scored, Kozeal scored, Arkansas 8, Tennessee 3
- Souza grounded out to short, 2 outs
- Rutenbar walked
- Niu grounded out to third, 3 outs
Top 5th:
- Abernathy flied out to left, 1 out
- Wright singled to left
- Grimmer struck out swinging, 2 outs
- Ford doubled to right, Wright scored, Arkansas 5, Tennessee 3
- James DeCremer replaced Coil
- Grindlinger grounded out to second, 3 outs
Bottom 4th:
- Chandler Day replaced Blanco
- Niu flied out to left, 1 out
- Robinett grounded out to second, 2 outs
- Ruiz struck out swinging, 3 outs
Top 4th:
- Parker Coil replaced McGuire
- Ford struck out swinging, 1 out
- Grindlinger reached on an error by the third baseman
- Clark singled to center, Grindlinger to second, Clark to second on a fielding error by the centerfielder, Grindlinger to third
- Marin struck out swinging, 2 outs
- Brown doubled to right center, Grindlinger scored, Clark scored, Arkansas 5, Tennessee 2
- Eisfelder flied out to left, 3 outs
Bottom 3rd:
- Stewart homered to right, Arkansas 5, Tennessee 0
- Pompey singled to second
- Souza flied out to left
- Rutenbar replaced Aloy in a 0-1 count
- Rutenbar struck out looking, Pompey caught stealing second, catcher to short, 3 outs
Kuhio Aloy is coming out of this game on a first pitch swing. Uncomfortable swing. Rutenbar in.
Top 3rd:
- Eisfelder grounded out to second, 1 out
- Abernathy popped up to third, 2 outs
- Wright singled to left
- Grimmer flied out to center, 3 outs
Bottom 2nd:
- Robinett struck out looking, 1 out
- Ruiz singled to right
- Kozeal flied out to center, 2 outs
- Helfrick grounded out to third, 3 outs
Top 2nd:
- Clark struck out swinging, 1 out
- Marin struck out swinging, 2 outs
- Brown grounded out to second, 3 outs
Bottom 1st:
- Ruiz grounded out to third
- Kozeal homered to right center, Arkansas 1, Tennessee 0
- Helfrick walked
- Stewart homered to right, Helfrick scored, Arkansas 3, Tennessee 0
- Pompey singled to the pitcher, advanced to second on a throwing error by the pitcher
- Souza doubled to right, Pompey scored, Arkansas 4, Tennessee 0
- Aloy flied out to right, Souza to third, 2 outs
- Niu struck out swinging, 3 outs
Top 1st:
- Wright flied out to left, 1 out
- Grimmer walked
- Ford struck out swinging, 2 outs
- Grindlinger grounded into a fielder’s choice, short to second, Grimmer out at second, 3 outs
