Smith's Quality Start, Gaeckle’s Five-Out Save Lead #1 Arkansas to Series-Opening Win at #25 Alabama

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Ace Hagen Smith fired six shutout innings with six strikeouts, and true freshman reliever Gabe Gaeckle locked down his team-leading sixth save of the season to lead No. 1 Arkansas (30-3, 12-1 SEC) to a 5-3 series-opening win against No. 25 Alabama (22-12, 4-9 SEC) Friday night at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.

With Friday night’s victory, the Razorbacks recorded their 30th overall win of the year, their most through 33 games in program history. Arkansas also improved to 12-1 in SEC play with the win, its best 13-game SEC start in program history.

Smith was once again dominant on the mound, earning his team-leading seventh win and logging his team-best seventh quality start with six shutout innings. The junior left-hander struck out six while allowing just two hits and three walks.

For the season, Smith is 7-0 with a 1.53 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 47.0 innings over nine starts. The Bullard, Texas, native, who is holding opposing hitters to a meager .138 batting average on the year, moved into third on Arkansas’ career strikeouts list (288) with his six-punchout effort Friday and is 13 away from tying Matt Carnes (301) for second all-time.

The Razorbacks came out swinging against the Crimson Tide, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning thanks to back-to-back home runs by Ben McLaughlin and Jared Sprague-Lott. McLaughlin’s two-run homer to left center was followed by Sprague-Lott’s solo shot to left, as the Hogs staked their ace with an early 3-0 advantage on the road.

Arkansas extended its three-run lead to five in the top half of the third. Hudson White’s two-out RBI single to right center scored Sprague-Lott from third before Kendall Diggs scampered home on a wild pitch later in the inning.

Sprague-Lott led the Razorbacks offensively, finishing 2-for-2 with two runs scored, an RBI and a pair of walks in Friday’s win. McLaughlin, meanwhile, had Arkansas’ lone multi-RBI effort of the ballgame with his two-run first-inning homer.

Alabama, held scoreless for the first seven innings of the game, broke through for three runs in the bottom of the eighth to cut its deficit to two. The Crimson Tide tagged veteran right-hander Will McEntire (1.0 IP, 2 SO) for three runs on four hits before he turned the ball over to Stone Hewlett (0.1 IP) and Gaeckle (1.2 IP, 1 SO) for the final six outs.

Gaeckle worked around an inherited jam in the eighth inning, putting out the fire to secure a five-out save, his team-leading fifth multi-inning save of the season, and lead the Razorbacks to their 11th consecutive win.

Arkansas goes for the series win against Alabama tomorrow evening. First pitch in game two between the Hogs and Crimson Tide is scheduled for 5 p.m. Saturday, April 13, on SEC Network+.

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