Down goes No. 1.
No. 11 Arkansas (40-9, 17-7 SEC) swept No. 1 Texas (38-8, 19-5 SEC) to secure a much-needed series victory in front of its home crowd and handed the Longhorns their first series loss of the season. It was Arkansas’ first weekend series win over a No. 1 team since 2001.
It looks like the Razorbacks have gotten their swagger back.
The two SEC powerhouses were on top of the world together just two weeks ago, owning the top two rankings nationally before Arkansas lost two consecutive unranked series to Texas A&M and Florida. With the two teams traveling in different directions, the matchup provided the Razorbacks an opportunity to right the ship.
And they wasted no time.
Arkansas shut out Texas in Game 1, 9-0, behind a career day from ace and junior left-hander Zach Root. He struck out 11, a career-high, and gave up just two hits over eight innings of work, a career-long.
ZACH ROOT IS A BAAAAD MAN!
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB)
That's a career-high 11 strikeouts
The Razorbacks scored two, three and four runs in consecutive innings between the second and fourth innings with the help of sophomore second baseman Cam Kozeal’s three-run homer in the third.
The pitching masterclass continued into Game 2. Arkansas’ pitching staff, led by junior right-hander Gage Wood, who struck out nine in four innings, collected 15 punchouts in the Razorbacks’ 6-1 win. Like Root, Wood’s nine strikeouts were a career-high.
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The Longhorns brought more firepower in Game 3, getting the bats going and scoring three runs in both the third and fifth innings. Even though Arkansas had already clinched the series, they answered Texas' electricity with even more energy. Four players homered and recorded at least two RBIs, leading to a 13-8 win to complete the series sweep.
The star of the show was redshirt sophomore first baseman Reese Robinett, who trotted around the bases in back-to-back innings and finished with a career-high of six RBIs.
WHERE WERE YOU WHEN REESE ROB WENT DEEP TWICE AGAINST TEXAS?!?!
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB)
After junior right-hander Christian Foutch slammed the door with his second and final strikeout of the game to end the series, Baum–Walker Stadium erupted. The amped-up pitcher walked emphatically to sophomore catcher Ryder Helfrick to celebrate the sweep, doing the cutthroat hand gesture to reference the end of the series.
The Razorbacks will head down to Baton Rouge, LA., to take on a top-five ranked LSU team. Texas will look to rebound at home against Florida.
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