Out of 119 pitches, Arkansas’ Gage Wood would only take one back.
The Razorbacks’ right-hander went seven innings without allowing a baserunner against Murray State on June 16, with the perfect game bid ultimately being broken up when Wood hit Dom Decker with a curveball that skipped off the top of Decker’s foot in a 2-2 count. It wasn’t a bad pitch. It was just the wrong one.
Ultimately, Wood still made history. He threw the first College World Series no-hitter since 1960 and struck out a ridiculous 19 Racer hitters, all while living in the mid-to-high 90s for Arkansas. The gem was needed. Arkansas’ potent offense was held in check by Isaac Silva, who allowed just one run and fanned seven of his own in six innings. Graham Kelham allowed two runs, resulting in a 3-0 win for Arkansas.
The College World Series has seen the likes of Paul Skenes, Kumar Rocker, and Gerrit Cole. None of them managed to make lineups look as overmatched as Wood made Murray State look throughout the day.
Ultimately, the result is that Arkansas lives to fight another day in the College World Series. But in the long run, Wood’s performance is going to be remembered in the annals of College World Series history no matter how far Dave Van Horn’s program goes this season. Arkansas will now play the loser of UCLA-LSU on June 17, as it looks for the first title in program history.
