Florida baseball against Arkansas hasn't been all that good under UF Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan and didn't get much better on Thursday night. The number 18 Razorbacks notched their seventh straight win over the fourth ranked Gators with a 4-3 late inning triumph at Baum Stadium. Junior Jarrod McKinney snapped a 3-3 deadlock in the bottom of the 8th with a solo homerun, his 2nd of the season. That was all sophomore righty DJ Baxendale (7-1) would need for his 127-pitch complete game. Florida falls to 30-11 on the season and 17-5 in the SEC.
After a quick start for both teams, the scoring let up until the 5th, when UF went up 2-1 on two singles from Josh Adams and Daniel Pigott. Florida continued the onslaught in the 6th when Tucker hit his 10th homerun of the season to put the Gators up 3-1.
That looked to be enough insurance for righty Hudson Randall (8-2), who after giving up two hits in the first retired 15 straight. But in the bottom of the 6th Arkansas tied it up with a 2-run blast from Collin Kuhn.
The score remained in a standstill until McKinney's homer gave Arkansas their first lead of the game and the win.
Florida looks to get back on it's winning ways tonight sending southpaw Brian Johnson (7-1, 2.26 ERA) to the hill against fellow lefty Randall Fant (1-3, 2.92 ERA) in the second game of the series. The finale will be Saturday night and will air on ESPNU.