Hogs win Game 1 at South Carolina 6-1

Robert Moore hit two home runs, including a no-doubt two-run homer to break a seventh inning tie, and No. 1 Arkansas won 6-1 at No. 11 South Carolina on Thursday in the opening game of a three-game series at Founders Park.

The teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader Friday beginning at 1 p.m.

Moore hit a solo homer in the second inning to give the Razorbacks a 1-0 lead. His second home run followed Christian Franklin’s leadoff single and put Arkansas ahead 3-1 in the seventh.

"He had a couple of really big swings for us," Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said after the game on SEC Network. "The solo homer gave us some confidence in the dugout because we weren't doing much at the time. Obviously the game was tied up (in the seventh) and they had him down 0-2 and he tried to sneak a fastball by him and he jolted it. Fans were getting on him pretty good and he silenced them for a minute, so it was kind of fun."

Moore, who has batted leadoff for most of the season, was moved to the six hole for the first time Thursday. His two home runs came on the heels of a two-homer weekend against Texas A&M.

"Your timing comes and goes as a hitter, and right now my timing’s going pretty good," Moore said on the Razorback Sports Network postgame show. "So I’m just trying to ride it out."

The Razorbacks (31-6, 12-4 SEC) scored three runs in the seventh to take a 4-1 lead.

Arkansas’ big inning broke up a dominant performance to that point by South Carolina starting pitcher Thomas Farr. The right hander had retired 11 straight batters before Franklin’s single.

Farr allowed 4 runs (3 earned), 5 hits, 2 walks and struck out 5 in 7 innings.

Arkansas scored a run apiece in the eighth and ninth innings on RBI singles by Franklin and Brady Slavens. The Razorbacks missed on an opportunity to put the game on ice by stranding the bases loaded both innings.

Arkansas reliever Kevin Kopps pitched well with the lead. The right hander did not allow a base runner and struck out 6 in a 3-inning, 34-pitch outing to earn his fifth save.

The Razorbacks got a 3 1/3-inning start from Caleb Bolden, who allowed 1 run on 2 hits and 3 walks.

Arkansas also got key relief outings from Ryan Costeiu and Caden Monke. Costeiu retired George Callil and Jeff Heinrich after inheriting a runner on second base with one out in the fourth inning.

Monke entered the game after Costeiu walked a batter and hit a batter to lead off the sixth. Josiah Sightler popped up on a bunt attempt that failed to advance the base runners, and Colin Burgess grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.

The Gamecocks (24-11, 10-6) stranded six base runners Thursday, including the bases loaded when Bolden walked two and allowed a single in the first inning.

South Carolina scored its only run in the fourth inning when Burgess doubled past first base to score Andrew Eyster, who walked to lead off the inning.

Arkansas held an opponent to two hits for the fourth time this season. The Razorbacks also held Texas, TCU and Alabama to two hits.

Arkansas improved to 11-2 in games away from home this season, including 8-2 in true road games. All of the Razorbacks’ games away from Fayetteville have been played against teams in the top 15 of this week’s USA Today Coaches Poll — Texas Tech, Texas, TCU, Louisiana Tech, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and South Carolina.

"They really just come to play every night," Van Horn said. "They're fun to be around.

"They'll fight you for 27 outs of whatever it takes."

The Gamecocks fell to 16-3 at home.

EARLIER

Arkansas 6 South Carolina 1 FINAL

Kopps strikes out two more people and gets a groundout to end the game.

Arkansas 6 South Carolina 1 Middle 9th

Gregory gets hit by a pitch and then Braydon Webb comes in to run for him.

Goodheart works a walk and Ethan Bates comes in to run for him.

Wallace strikes out swinging.

Slavens singles to left and Webb comes in to score.

Franklin strikes out swinging, Moore walks and then Nesbit strikes out to end the inning.

Arkansas 5 South Carolina 1 End 8th

Kopps gets two more strikeouts and a groundout to end the inning. He's been pitching lights out tonight.

Arkansas 5 South Carolina 1 Middle 8th

South Carolina goes to the bullpen and brings in Sweatt.

Wallace singles through the left side and then Slavens doubles off the left field wall to put runners at second and third with nobody out.

Franklin singled up the middle. Wallace scores and Slavens moves to third. Franklin goes to second on the throw.

Gilreath comes in to pitch for South Carolina.

Moore grounded out to third for the first out.

Nesbit grounds to the shortstop, who is pulled in, they throw home and get Slavens in a pickle. He's thrown out. Franklin goes to third.

Opitz works a walk to load the bases.

Battles grounds out to the first baseman, who flips to the pitcher covering to end the inning.

Sweatt is done and South Carolina is going to the bullpen again.

Arkansas 4 South Carolina 1 End 7th

Kevin Kopps comes into the game and mows South Carolina down. Two strikeouts and then a groundout to short end the inning.

Arkansas 4 South Carolina 1 Middle 7th

Christian Franklin singled through the right side and then Robert Moore BLASTS a home run to right field to give the Hogs a 3-1 lead.

Nesbit flied out to center.

Opitz hits a ground ball right past the pitcher. He just beats the toss to first. The play is reviewed and he's called safe.

Here is Robert Moore's home run. He watched that one go...

Battles lines out to third and then a throwing error lets Opitz advance to third.

Gregory lays down a bunt. There is no throw and Opitz scores.

Goodheart flies out to end the inning.

Arkansas 1 South Carolina 1 Bottom 6th

Costeiu walks the leadoff batter and then hits the next batter. His day is done.

Caden Monke comes in.

Monke gets the next batter to pop up a bunt. It's caught in the air.

Then he gets a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning. Great job to not allow a run my Monke.

Arkansas 1 South Carolina 1 Middle 6th

The Hogs go in order again in the 6th. They haven't reached base since Goodheart's double in the third.

Arkansas 1 South Carolina 1 End 5th

Costeiu retires the Gamecocks in order. The third batter Clarke singled down the right field line, but was thrown out at second.

Arkansas 1 South Carolina 1 Middle 5th

Here is the catch from Wallace that happened in the 3rd.

Hogs go in order once again. Three flyouts get the Gamecocks back in the dugout.

Arkansas 1 South Carolina 1 End 4th

Bolden walks the leadoff batter, and gets the next batter to strikeout swinging.

Bolden then allows a double that just squeezes down the right field line. The runner from first comes around to score and the Gamecocks have tied the game.

Ryan Costeiu is coming in to pitch for Arkansas.

Bolden - 3.1 IP, 2H, 1R, 1 ER, 3BB, 2K, 54 pitches.

Costeiu gets a flyout and groundout to end the inning.

Arkansas 1 South Carolina 0 Middle 4th

The Razorbacks go in order in the 4th. A groundout, a flyout and a strikeout is how the Hogs go.

Arkansas 1 South Carolina 0 End 3rd

Bolden gets the Gamecocks to go in order in the 3rd.

Mendham hit a ball well to left field, but Wallace caught it leaping to end the inning.

Arkansas 1 South Carolina 0 Middle 3rd

Jalen Battles works a walk to start the inning.

Gregory strikes out swinging on seven pitches.

Goodheart gets a generous double. The ball was hit on a line to right and the right fielder had to leap, but it hit his glove. Goodheart goes to second and Battles runs to third with 1 out.

Wallace strikes out swinging on a ball in the dirt for the second out.

Slavens grounds out to second to end the inning. Arkansas can't capitalize on the opportunity.

Arkansas 1 South Carolina 0 End 2nd

Bolden gets the first batter of the inning to fly out to left. It was in between Battles at short and Gregory in left, but Gregory took charge and caught it.

Callil pops up to short right field, Moore catches it for the second out.

Bolden then runs a changeup in tight and hits Heinrich.

Allen hits a deep fly ball to left, but Gregory has room and catches it for the third out.

Arkansas 1 South Carolina 0 Middle 2nd

Slavens flies out to left to start the inning and Franklin follows with a strikeout swinging.

Robert Moore comes away with a home run to right centerfield, his ninth of the year.

Nesbit works a nine-pitch walk to bring up Casey Opitz.

Opitz flies out down the left field line to end the inning.

Arkansas 1 South Carolina 0 End 1st

Bolden sandwiches a walk around a flyout and a groundout. Then South Carolina executes a hit and run perfectly. Battles evacuates his spot at short and South Carolina hits it right where he was. Runners on first and third. Bolden walks the next batter to load the bases. Slavens grabs a ground ball and steps on first to end the inning.

Arkansas 0 South Carolina 0 Middle 1st

Arkansas went in order in the first inning. Gregory struck out looking, Goodheart grounded out and Wallace flied out the warning track in center.

Lineups

Arkansas

LF Zack Gregory

DH Matt Goodheart

RF Cayden Wallace

1B Brady Slavens

CF Christian Franklin

2B Robert Moore

3B Jacob Nesbit

C Casey Opitz

SS Jalen Battles

P Caleb Bolden

South Carolina

Pregame

Arkansas leads the SEC West and is tied with Vanderbilt for the overall SEC lead. South Carolina is one game back of both teams.

The Gamecocks have the SEC’s second-best ERA (3.33) and third-lowest opposing batting average (.213) and third-most strikeouts (419).

South Carolina infielder/catcher Wes Clarke has hit 15 home runs this season, which is tied for the NCAA lead. The Gamecocks have hit 52 home runs, which are sixth most in the NCAA. Arkansas’ 70 home runs are the most in the NCAA this year. The Razorbacks have hit 43 home runs in their last 19 games.

Arkansas has a 14-16 all-time record in Columbia, S.C., including a 6-6 record at Founders Park, which opened as Carolina Stadium in 2009. The Razorbacks’ last two trips to Columbia have resulted in sweeps. Arkansas swept then-No. 6 South Carolina in 2013, and the Razorbacks were swept by the Gamecocks in their last trip to Columbia in 2016.

South Carolina is expanding its maximum capacity to 3,350 for this week’s games, up from 1,938 for earlier games this season. The listed capacity at Founders Park is 8,242, including 6,600 seats.

This is Arkansas’ second of three SEC series that will begin on a Thursday. The Razorbacks lost their Thursday game against Auburn on April 1 and are scheduled to play Florida in a Thursday-Friday-Series beginning May 20 in Fayetteville.

Arkansas is altering its weekend rotation due to a short turnaround from last week’s Texas A&M series. The Razorbacks and Aggies played all three games over two days.

South Carolina won two of three games at LSU last week. Both of the Gamecocks’ victories came during a seven-inning doubleheader last Saturday.