HOOVER, AL — The Arkansas Razorbacks delivered a commanding 8-1 victory over the Texas Longhorns on Friday afternoon in the Southeastern Conference Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.
Played in 73-degree weather with light rain, the contest began at 4:32 p.m. and lasted three hours and 14 minutes,
Arkansas seized control early, erupting for three runs in the top of the first inning. Camden Kozeal ignited the offense with a two-run home run to left-center field, scoring Damian Ruiz. Nolan Souza followed with an RBI single up the middle to bring home TJ Pompey. Texas answered with its lone run in the bottom of the first when Adrian Rodriguez drew a bases-loaded walk to score Anthony Pack Jr.
The Razorbacks extended their lead in the second inning when Kozeal blasted his second home run of the game, a three-run shot to center field that scored Ruiz and Reese Robinett. Arkansas capped the scoring in the fifth inning on an RBI single to left field by Carter Rutenbar that scored Pompey, followed by an RBI groundout from Robinett that brought Souza home.
Kozeal anchored the Arkansas offense, going 3-for-4 with two home runs and five RBIs. His first-inning blast served as the decisive, game-winning hit that gave the Razorbacks a permanent lead. Pompey and Souza each collected two hits. Casey Borba paced the Longhorns at the plate, going 2-for-4.
On the mound, Arkansas starter Hunter Dietz exited in the first inning due to an illness and taking a comebacker to the shin. Reliever Steele Eaves bridged the gap with 2 1/3 hitless innings and five strikeouts. Gabe Gaeckle (4-3) earned the win in dominant fashion, shutting down Texas over six scoreless innings, allowing just three hits while striking out nine. Texas starting pitcher Cody Howard (0-1) took the loss, surrendering six earned runs on five hits over two innings. No save was recorded in the contest.
“What a great job by Steele Eaves and Gabe Gaeckle. I mean, just an amazing job,” Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said. Kozeal credited his approach, stating, “Just keeping the game simple, not trying to do too much, just see the ball, be on time, and hit it hard”.
Texas head coach Jim Schlossnagle praised the Razorbacks. “First of all, congratulations to Arkansas. They played awesome. They beat us in every possible phase of the game,” Schlossnagle said. Texas catcher Carson Tinney tipped his cap to Gaeckle: “No, he had his A game today. He brought his stuff, threw a lot of strikes, and we didn’t put good swings on the baseball”.
With the win, Arkansas improves to 38-19 and advances to the tournament semifinals on Saturday, May 23, with the game time pending due to weather concerns. Texas falls to 40-13 and is eliminated from the SEC Tournament.
This was created with AI assistance using content provided by the SEC, and edited for content and accuracy by the webmaster.
