Razorbacks outslug Wildcats, finish regular season in wild fashion

No. 12 Arkansas (36-19, 17-13 SEC) put together 14 hits, including eight in a 10-run first inning to win the regular season finale over Kentucky (31-20, 13-17 SEC), 16-12.

The Razorbacks made Kentucky go to the bullpen twice before an out was recorded. The first 10 hitters all reached and eventually came around to score. Ruiz singled and doubled in the same inning as part of a 3-for-5 day. 

Arkansas added single runs in the third and the fourth and led by as many as 11 and looked to be cruising towards a run-rule win to finish the regular season. Coach Dave Van Horn opted to pull starter Tate McGuire after just 46 pitches. 

McGuire pitched 2 ⅓ and allowed 2 runs, but Van Horn wanted to see if Cole Gibler would be better suited coming out of the bullpen for the rest of the season after his last five appearances were all starts. 

Gibler retired six out of the first nine hitters he faced before disaster struck. Zack Stewart misplayed a base hit off the bat of Tyler Bell into a triple that sent Gibler into a tailspin. The last six hitters that Gibler faced all reached, culminating in a grand slam off the bat off Carson Hansen to turn a 12-3 lead into a 12-9 game.

Hansen, who had briefly committed to Arkansas out of the transfer portal in 2025 before flipping to Kentucky, finally forced Van Horn back to the bullpen for Steele Eaves. 

Eaves allowed a single and a pair of doubles to put the tying on third with still just one out in the inning. Failing to record an out, Parker Coil was the next man in.

Coil allowed a game-tying RBI single from Luke Lawrence to make it 12-12, but was able to strand the go-ahead run at second. 

Arkansas, after seeing its 11-run lead vanish, immediately responded in the seventh with a pair of walks to start the inning. Both came around to score on a 2-run single from Camden Kozeal. Kozeal finished a homer short of the cycle as part of a 3-for-5 day and just got under a pitch in his final at-bat and flew out to left. It would have been Kozeal’s second cycle of the season after he hit one earlier in the year against Xavier. 

James DeCremer, making just his third appearance back from injury, pitched the final 3 innings and picked up his first career save. DeCremer has not allowed an earned run in 5 ⅔ innings of work since his return. 

Arkansas got a pair of solo home runs from Zack Stewart and Nolan Souza in the ninth for extra insurance. It was Stewart’s third home run in as many days and his 11th of the season.

The Razorbacks now head to Hoover, Ala. for the SEC Tournament. Arkansas is the No. 7 seed and will play the winner of No. 15 South Carolina and No. 10 Tennessee. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Wednesday and will be broadcast on SEC Network.

Live Updates:

No. 12 Arkansas (35-19, 16-13 SEC) concludes the regular season against Kentucky (31-19, 13-16 SEC). The Razorbacks look to win its seventh SEC series and end the season on three straight series wins. Arkansas is currently in seventh place in the SEC and needs a win to guarantee a single bye in the SEC Tournament.

Arkansas sends righty Tate McGuire (1-0, 4.42 ERA) to the mound. Jaxon Jelkin was the scheduled starter but Nick Mingione opted to use him to close the series opener, leaving righty Connor Mattison (2-2, 6.63 ERA) to start the series finale.

UPDATE: A weather delay went into effect about 10 minutes before first pitch, new first pitch time is 1:42 p.m. CT.

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Starting Lineups:

Arkansas:

LF Damian Ruiz
SS Camden Kozeal
C Ryder Helfrick
RF Zack Stewart
DH Kuhio Aloy
2B Nolan Souza
3B TJ Pompey
1B Carter Rutenbar
CF Christian Turner
RHP Tate McGuire

Kentucky:

CF Jayce Tharnish
SS Tyler Bell
2B Luke Lawrence
DH Ethan Hindle
1B Hudson Brown
LF Will Marcy
RF Carson Hansen
C Owen Jenkins
3B Caeden Cloud
RHP Connor Mattison

Bottom 9th:

• Cloud fouled out to first, 1 out
• Tharnish grounded out to second, 2 outs
• Bell singled to right
• Bell advanced to second on defensive indifference
• Lawrence flied out to left, 3 outs

Top 9th:

• Stewart homered to right, Arkansas 15, Kentucky 12
• Aloy struck out swinging, 1 out
• Souza homered to right center, Arkansas 16, Kentucky 12
• Pompey popped up to second, 2 outs
• Peck struck out swinging, 3 outs

Bottom 8th:

• Marcy struck out swinging, 1 out
• Hansen grounded out to first, 2 outs
• Jenkins flied out to right, 3 outs

Top 8th:

• Niu grounded out to second, 1 out
• Ruiz singled to center
• Kozeal flied out to left, 2 outs
• Ruiz stole second
• Helfrick struck out swinging, 3 outs

Bottom 7th:

• James DeCremer replaced Coil
• Tharnish singled to right
• Bell flied out to center, 1 out
• Lawrence struck out looking, 2 outs
• Hindle hit by a pitch, Tharnish to second
• Brown flied out to center, 3 outs

Top 7th:

• Souza struck out swinging, 1 out
• Pompey grounded out to the pitcher, 2 outs
• Peck grounded out to short, 3 outs

Bottom 6th:

• Maika Niu replaced Turner in center field
• Marcy doubled to left
• Hansen grounded out to short, Marcy to third, 1 out
• Jenkins grounded out to third, 2 outs
• Cloud flied out to center, 3 outs

Top 6th:

• Tristan Hunter replaced Triechel
• Pompey walked
• Pompey stole second
• Peck walked
• Jack Bennett replaced Hunter
• Turner struck out looking, 1 out
• Ruiz hit by a pitch, Pompey to third, Peck to second
• Kozeal singled to right, Pompey scored, Peck scored, Ruiz to third, Arkansas 14, Kentucky 12
• Helfrick walked, Kozeal to second
• Stewart struck out looking, 2 outs
• Aloy grounded out to second, 3 outs

Bottom 5th:

• Tharnish flied out to left, 1 out
• Bell tripled to right
• Lawrence singled to left, Bell scored, Arkansas 12, Kentucky 4
• Hindle singled to left, Lawrence to second
• Brown singled to right, Lawrence scored, Hindle to third, Arkansas 12, Kentucky 5
• Marcy walked, Brown to second
• Hansen homered to left, Hindle scored, Brown scored, Marcy scored, Arkansas 12, Kentucky 9
• Steele Eaves replaced Gibler
• Jenkins singled to second
• Cloud doubled to left, ground-rule, Jenkins to third
• Tharnish doubled to center, advanced to third on a throwing error by the right fielder, Jenkins scored, Cloud scored, Arkansas 12, Kentucky 11
• Parker Coil replaced Eaves
• Bell struck out swinging, 2 outs
• Lawrence singled to left, Tharnish scored, Kentucky 12, Arkansas 12
• Hindle singled to left, Lawrence to second
• Brown flied out to left, 3 outs

We have a 3-run ball game. Carson Hansen. Committed once upon a time to the Razorbacks, he goes grand salami. 6 for the Cats in the fifth.

Top 5th:

• Bryson Treichel replaced Alderman
• Stewart struck out swinging, 1 out
• Aloy flied out to right, 2 outs
• Souza grounded out to second, 3 outs

Bottom 4th:

• Brown flied out to center, 1 out
• Marcy struck out swinging, 2 outs
• Hansen singled to center
• Hansen advanced to second on a wild pitch
• Hansen advanced to third on a wild pitch
• Jenkins singled to left, Hansen scored, Arkansas 12, Kentucky 3
• Cloud struck out looking, 3 outs

Top 4th:

• Chase Alderman replaced Coleman
• Turner hit by a pitch
• Turner caught stealing second, catcher to second, Ruiz struck out swinging, 2 outs
• Kozeal tripled to left
• Kozeal scored on a wild pitch, Arkansas 12, Kentucky 2
• Helfrick popped up to first, 3 outs

Bottom 3rd:

• Jenkins grounded out to second, 1 out
• Cloud walked
• Tharnish homered to left center, Cloud scored, Arkansas 11, Kentucky 2
• Cole Gibler replaced McGuire
• Bell struck out looking, 2 outs
• Lawrence walked
• Hindle flied out to left, 3 outs

Top 3rd:

• Will Coleman replaced Mullan
• Kozeal walked
• Helfrick popped up to second, 1 out
• Stewart doubled to center, Kozeal scored, Arkansas 11, Kentucky 0
• Aloy reached on a throwing error by the pitcher, Aloy to second Stewart to third.
• Souza struck out swinging, 2 outs
• Pompey hit by a pitch
• Alexander Peck replaced Rutenbar
• Peck grounded out to second, 3 outs

Bottom 2nd:

• Brown grounded, first to the pitcher, 1 out
• Marcy struck out swinging, 2 outs
• Hansen struck out looking, 3 outs

Top 2nd:

• Ryan Mullen replaced Austin
• Rutenbar grounded out to short, 1 out
• Turner struck out swinging, 2 outs
• Ruiz grounded out to third, 3 outs

Bottom 1st:

• Tharnish flied out to left, 1 out
• Bell singled to center
• Lawrence struck out looking, 2 outs
• Hindle struck out swinging, 3 outs

Top 1st:

• Ruiz singled to left
• Kozeal doubled to left, Ruiz to third
• Helfrick singled to third, Ruiz scored, Kozeal to third on an error by the third baseman, Arkansas 1, Kentucky 0
• Kozeal scored on a wild pitch, Helfrick to second, Arkansas 2, Kentucky 0
• Stewart singled to center, Helfrick scored, Arkansas 3, Kentucky 0
• Aloy doubled to center, ground-rule, Stewart to third
• Toby Peterson replaced Connor Mattison in a 2-0 count
• Souza walked
• Pompey hit by a pitch, Stewart scored, Aloy to third, Souza to second, Arkansas 4, Kentucky 0
• Rutenbar singled to second, Aloy scored, Souza to third, Pompey to second, Arkansas 5, Kentucky 0
• Turner walked, Souza scored, Pompey to third, Rutenbar to second, Arkansas 6, Kentucky 0
• Ira Austin replaced Peterson
• Ruiz doubled to left, Pompey scored, Rutenbar scored, Turner scored, Arkansas 9, Kentucky 0
• Kozeal struck out swinging, 1 out
• Helfrick hit by a pitch
• Stewart doubled to center, Ruiz scored, Helfrick to third, Arkansas 10, Kentucky 0
• Aloy struck out swinging, 2 outs
• Souza walked
• Pompey popped up to first, 3 outs

RPI Rooting Guide:

No.16 Wake Forest @ Duke (93) (2 p.m., ACC Network)

No. 17 Oregon v. USC (7) (5 p.m., Big Ten Network)

No. 18 Oregon State v. Air Force (139) (3:30 p.m. Pac-12 Insider)

No. 19 Kansas @ BYU (78) (2 p.m., ESPN+)

No. 20 West Virginia v. TCU (38) (11 a.m., ESPN+)

No. 21 Oklahoma neut. Tennessee (28) (Tennessee leads 3-1, B7, resumption of Friday’s game)

No. 22 Cincinnati – no game

No. 23 Virginia @ Louisville (94) (11:30 a.m., ACC Network Extra)

No. 24 Missouri State @ Kennesaw State (85) (12 p.m., ESPN+)

No. 25 Coastal Carolina @ Louisiana (42) (2:15 p.m., ESPN+)

No. 26 Arkansas @ Kentucky (30) (1 p.m., SEC Network+)

No. 27 Mercer v. East Tennessee State (87) (Mercer wins 9-7)

No. 28 Tennessee neut. Oklahoma (21) (12 p.m., ESPN+)

No. 29 Oklahoma State v. Kansas State (55) (12 p.m., ESPN+)

No. 31 Boston College v. GT (2) (11 a.m. ACC Network Extra)

No. 32 Jacksonville State @ DBU (69) (2 p.m., ESPN+)

SEC Standings Guide:

4th: 17-12 Alabama vs. Ole Miss (2 p.m., SEC Network)

5th: 17-12 Florida @ LSU (2 p.m., SEC Network+)

6th: 17-12 Auburn vs. Georgia (2 p.m., SEC Network+)

7th: 16-13 Arkansas @ Kentucky (1 p.m., SEC Network+)

8th: 16-13 Mississippi State @ Texas A&M (11 a.m., SEC Network)

9th: 15-14 Ole Miss @ Alabama (2 p.m., SEC Network)

10th: 14-14 Tennessee neut. Oklahoma (Tennessee leads 3-1, B7)