Fayetteville, Ark- Third ranked South Carolina and 13th ranked Arkansas went back and forth with three lead changes throughout the game but a two-run sixth inning for the Razorbacks and an insurance run in the eighth inning lifted Arkansas to a 7-6 win over the Gamecocks on Saturday afternoon at Baum Stadium.  South Carolina is now 35-12 and 15-8 in the SEC with the Razorbacks 34-14 and 12-11 in league play.

Christian Walker went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI to pace the nine-hit attack for the Gamecocks.

South Carolina broke ahead 1-0 in the top of the third inning despite not recording a hit.  Tanner English walked on four pitches to open the frame with Chase Vergason drawing a one-out walk and Joey Pankake reaching base on a hit by pitch.  After working the count full, Evan Marzilli reached base on Arkansas starter Randall Fant’s third walk of the inning to score English.  Arkansas escaped the inning though as right-hander Brandon Moore came on in relief and got out of the jam with a 5-2-3 double play off the bat of Grayson Greiner.

The pendulum swung again towards the Gamecocks in the top of the fifth as the Gamecocks regained the lead with a pair of runs off of Moore.   A homer by Chase Vergason to open the inning tied the game at 3-3.  Similar to Walker beginning the fourth with a solo home run, Vergason knocked a 1-0 pitch from Moore to right field for his first homer of the season.  Joey Pankake followed that up with a base hit to center field.  With two outs and Pankake on second base, Walker drove in his second run of the game with a base hit up the middle giving Carolina a 4-3 lead.

Arkansas tied it at 4-4 in the bottom of the fifth inning. Carver led off with a base hit to left field.  With two outs and Carver on third base, Matt Reynolds beat out a throw from Dantzler at third base for an infield single scoring Carver.

The Razorbacks went ahead 6-4 in the bottom of the sixth inning.  Bleeker knocked a base hit through the right side to start the frame.  After a sacrifice bunt moved him into scoring position, Jake Wise would single to left field off of reliever Hunter Privette scoring Bleeker.  Carver added a RBI base hit to left field off Gamecock left-hander Tyler Webb scoring Wise giving Arkansas a two-run cushion.
The Gamecocks crept to within one run in the top of the eighth inning.  TJ Costen drew a leadoff walk and pinch hitter Michael Roth knocked a one-out single to center field.  After a wild pitch advanced Costen and pinch runner Connor Bright into scoring position, Brison Celek would drive in Costen with a RBI groundout to the second baseman.

Arkansas scored a crucial insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning.  With two outs, Anderson doubled to left field.  A wild pitch would advance him to third base and a hit by pitch put Ficociello on base.  Reynolds then came up with a big hit for the Razorbacks as he drove right-hander Evan Beal’s first pitch into center for a base hit scoring Anderson and giving Arkansas a 7-5 lead.

The Gamecocks didn’t waver though and mounted another rally in the ninth inning.  Walker singled to left field for his third hit of the game.  Pinch runner Joel Seddon would advance with two outs on a wild pitch by Astin.  Pinch hitter Kyle Martin drove a 2-0 pitch from Astin through the right side for a base hit scoring Seddon and cutting the deficit to one run.  Astin, however, struck out English swinging for the final out of the game.

(USC Sports Information contributed to this report.)