Root Rebounds; Razorbacks Relish Opportunities Ahead

By Noah Darling

“We’re not done yet,” Gage Wood reminded reporters following his earth-shattering no-hitter on Monday afternoon.  With his dominant, 19 strikeout and no-hit performance, the Razorbacks earned the opportunity to extend their season against the UCLA Bruins at Charles Schwab Field on Tuesday.

Following a terrific regular season and a general feeling of ‘this is the year’ surrounding the fanbase, a journey in the Losers' Bracket wasn’t at the top of Dave Van Horn’s wish list.  Still, the Razorback Head Coach remained mission-focused, just as he describes the mantra of his team.  “You just can't get all uptight about it. These guys, they've come back and won games. They've done some great things this year.”

After the latest installment of ‘greatness’ in Wood’s smothering of Murray State, the Razorbacks looked to tally the necessary wins to reach “the end” that Van Horn spoke about as early as February.  With a few speed bumps ahead, the Razorbacks would first need to handle the Bruins, who had experienced defeat earlier in the day in their rain-delay-resumption loss to LSU.

UCLA Head Coach John Savage saw irony in his team’s first scheduled doubleheader of the 2025 season coming in June, though he didn’t balk at the circumstances of playing 13 innings in one day.  “It's the (Men's College) World Series. You've got to deal with anything that comes your way. If you have to play a doubleheader you have to play a doubleheader. If you feel sorry for yourself, you're not going to be playing very long.”

As the Bruins rested and licked their wounds from the Tigers morning pounce, the Razorbacks announced Zach Root would be handed the ball to open the contest.  Root enjoyed a tremendous season prior to the MCWS, throwing 13 dominant innings against Creighton and Tennessee in the earlier rounds of the postseason. 

In the Razorbacks' opening game against LSU, however, Root lasted just one and two-thirds of an inning, giving up three runs.  Of the relatively quick hook of his bonafide ace, Van Horn said then of the decision, “We got him up because we saw what we saw -- two walks, a hit-by pitch, a hit or two -- and the game was about to get out of hand.”

It didn’t take long for the Razorback Coaching Staff to yearn for their ace to get a second opportunity on the sport’s grandest stage.  “Coach (Matt) Hobbs pulled me aside the day after and said, we're just going to get you back as soon as possible," Root said. "And he'd let me know when that is. I told him I was good to go whenever he needed me.”  The Razorbacks identified a need for the Fort Myers, FL native Tuesday night.

Root aimed to avoid that impending feeling of disaster in his return to the bump in Omaha and relished the opportunity to avoid such fate.  “It felt great to go out there and put my team in a great chance to win.”

In the 1st inning, Root quickly felt the pressure of two UCLA runners in scoring position, prior to receiving help from his defense to escape the jam.  A Dean West attempt at stealing home was cut down by Root’s toss to Catcher Ryder Helfrick, putting a momentum-stealing cap on an otherwise eventful first inning for the Bruins.

Innings routinely became uneventful for the Bruins, however, as Root settled in by striking out four UCLA batters in a row to close the second and open the third inning of work for the left-hander.  

Root was aided early by an offensive spark via the prowess of Golden Spikes Award candidate and SEC Player of the Year Wehiwa Aloy.  Aloy’s first-inning home run put the Hogs in the drivers seat, and the 2-0 lead served as a positive brush of momentum for the club.  Arkansas right-fielder Logan Maxwell recognized the momentum, “It gave us a lot of confidence as a group. It was a big swing, especially in the first inning, scoring first. Kind of building off that, it was pretty good”.

Root was able to absorb the confidence, taking a quality start into the fifth inning.  The start hadn’t matched the rampant success of the left-hander’s previous quality outings this postseason, though the significance of his elimination-game performance wasn’t lost on Van Horn.  “It was big. Playing UCLA, obviously, they played this morning. Both teams were fighting to continue their season. And for him to go out and give us five innings like he did gave us an opportunity to jump out there a little bit.”

Root tallied five strikeouts, giving up just three base hits as part of his scoreless performance.  “He went out today and just proved why he's one of the best left-handed pitchers in the country. If we get to play long enough, maybe he'll get to pitch again.” Van Horn gushed of his starter.  

If Root takes the mound again, it’ll likely require the Razorbacks to defeat LSU twice, on Wednesday and Thursday.  Conversely, the Tigers have to collect only one victory to eliminate Arkansas and end its season.  For now, the Hogs remain mission focused, aiming to bring Van Horn his first National Championship, though the trials and tribulations of the loser’s bracket remain at play.

*****