Hogs Down Bulldogs in Series Opener

FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas – A three-run first inning and strong outing by starter Hunter Dietz propelled No. 16 Arkansas (26-13, 9-7 SEC) to a 6-3 series-opening win against No. 5 Georgia (30-9, 11-5 SEC) Thursday night at Baum-Walker Stadium.

The Razorbacks tagged Bulldog starter Joey Volchko for three runs on a hit and two walks in the bottom half of the first to provide a 3-0 cushion for Dietz, who was making his second series-opening start of the season. The left-hander took full advantage of the early lead, working 5.1 innings of two-run ball with six strikeouts to earn his fourth win of the year.

Georgia’s only damage against Dietz came in the form of two solo home runs. Through his first 10 starts of the season, the Trinity, Fla., native owns a 4-2 record with a 3.59 ERA and an SEC-leading 86 strikeouts in 52.2 innings on the mound.

In relief of Dietz, Gabe Gaeckle (2.0 IP, 1 R, 2 SO) and Ethan McElvain (1.2 IP, 0 R, 2 SO) combined for 3.2 innings of one-run ball with four strikeouts. McElvain closed out the final 1.2 innings of Thursday’s win to earn his team-best third save.

Offensively, Damian Ruiz was the lone Razorback to record multiple hits in the game. His one-out RBI double in the bottom of the first extended Arkansas’ lead to 2-0 before he came around to score on a wild pitch later in the inning.

Ruiz led off the fourth with a single, his second hit, and scored on Maika Niu’s sacrifice fly to center, pushing the Hogs’ advantage to 4-1. Reese Robinett’s two-out RBI infield single later in the inning gave Arkansas its fifth run of the night.

After Georgia closed its deficit to three in the sixth with its second solo shot of the game, Carter Rutenbar swatted his second homer of the campaign in the seventh. The true freshman is slashing a team-leading .341/.460/.500 this season.

The Bulldogs loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth but were limited to one run as McElvain emerged from the bullpen to extinguish the threat. He worked around a one-out walk in the ninth to seal Arkansas’ 6-3 series-opening win.

Game two of the series gets underway at 6 p.m. Friday, April 17, on SEC Network+ with Brett Dolan (play-by-play) and Troy Eklund (analyst) on the call. Arkansas left-hander Cole Gibler (3-0, 2.78 ERA) will go up against Georgia right-hander Dylan Vigue (3-1, 2.63 ERA) with an opportunity to clinch the Hogs’ fifth straight home series win against the Bulldogs.

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