The University of Arkansas' No. 2-ranked baseball team got a strong start from junior right-hander Brady Tygart and timely hitting to beat No. 21 South Carolina 9-6 in the second game of a doubleheader on Saturday at Founders Park in Columbia, S.C., and earn a Saturday split in the series finale.
South Carolina won the opener 6-3 on Saturday.
Tygart (4-1) pitched six innings to match his longest start of the season. He also went six innings in his second start in the Razorbacks' 2-1 loss to Oklahoma State in 14 innings.
Tygart held the Gameco*cks to 2 runs, 4 hits and 2 walks with 6 strikeouts. He threw 85 pitches with 59 strikes.
The Razorbacks went 7 for 17 with runners on base after being a combined 6 for 40 in the series' first two games.
Razorback right fielder Kendall Diggs, who returned to the lineup at South Carolina after missing two games against Texas Tech because of a nagging shoulder injury, went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI and had 2 doubles in the nightcap to break out of a 1-for-17 slump.
Center fielder Peyton Holt went 2 for 3 with 2 RBI for Arkansas in the nightcap.
The Razorbacks (34-6, 14-4 SEC) won Friday night's opener 2-1 and took their fifth consecutive series against the Gameco*cks (27-13, 9-9).
Arkansas won 2 of 3 games in all five of those series, including an NCAA super regional at Fayetteville in 2018.
South Carolina last won a series against Arkansas in 2016 when the Gameco*cks swept three games at home.
The Razorbacks stayed in first place in the SEC West and have a one-game lead over No. 1 Texas A&M (35-5, 13-5), which lost at No. 14 Alabama 10-9 on Saturday in College Station, Texas.
South Carolina scored three runs in the eighth inning against Will McEntire to cut Arkansas' lead to 9-5 and added a run in the ninth against Gage Wood, who struck out Parker Noland looking to end the game.
The Razorbacks sent 10 batters to the plate in the seventh inning and scored five runs against South Carolina relievers Tyler Pitzer and Michael Polk to extend their lead to 9-2.
Diggs had a 2-run double for Arkansas and Wehiwa Aloy and Holt each had an RBI single.
Holt's RBI single in the sixth inning scored Diggs for a 4-2 Arkansas lead.
Arkansas took a 3-0 lead with three runs in the second inning, capped by Parker Rowland's double for his first RBI of the season.
All three runs off South Carolina starter Dyan Eskew were unearned after Nolan Souza reached first base on a throwing error by shortstop Lee Ellis.
Eskew hit Holt with a pitch and walked Ross Lovich to load the bases.
Jack Wagner followed with a ground ball that should have been a double play to end the inning, but Noland's relay throw from second pulled first baseman Gavin Casas off the bag as Souza scored.
Holt scored on Eskew's wild pitch and Rowland followed with his first extra-base hit of the season.
Rowland came into the game batting .176 (3 of 17) in nine games.
South Carolina got RBI doubles in the third inning from Cole Messina and Austin Brinling in the fifth inning to pull within 3-2.
The Gameco*cks hung on to win Saturday's first game after Peyton Stovall led off the ninth inning with a home run to cut the Gameco*cks' lead to 6-3 and the Razorbacks loaded the bases with one out on three singles by Aloy, Diggs and Wagner against Garrett Gainey to load the bases.
Connor McCreery replaced Gainey and got Holt to hit a ground ball that resulted in Aloy being forced out at home plate.
McGreery struck out Jayson Jones to end the game.
The Razorbacks had 12 hits, 3 walks and 1 hit batter, but left 13 runners on base.
South Carolina extended its lead to 6-1 with four runs in the sixth inning, including an RBI single by Brinling against Parker Coil and 2-run single by Noland against Koty Frank.
Talmadge LeCroy's 2-run single off Arkansas starter Mason Molina gave the Gameco*cks a 2-0 lead in the second inning.
Molina (3-1) had his shortest stint in 10 starts this season and threw 30 strikes on 70 pitches. He went 3 1/3 innings and allowed 7 walks, 2 runs and 2 hits with 3 strikeouts.
Arkansas pulled within 6-2 in the seventh inning when Will Edmunson scored on Diggs' groundout.
The Razorbacks play their annual game in North Little Rock when they take on Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Dickey-Stephens Park.
