Arkansas Dominates Creighton 12-1 Behind Aloy’s Historic Homers and Root’s Masterclass to Reach Regional Final
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas delivered a commanding performance Saturday night, overwhelming Creighton 12-1 to move into the NCAA Regional final. The game was highlighted by two home runs from shortstop Wehiwa Aloy, elite pitching by left-hander Zach Root, and timely offense that overwhelmed the Bluejays and solidified the Razorbacks’ status as the team to beat in the Fayetteville Regional.
Head coach Dave Van Horn praised his team for putting together a complete effort. “We played a complete game,” Van Horn said postgame. “Zach pitched great. We played solid defense, and we got the big hits when we needed them, including some home runs.”
The win was Arkansas’ most dominant of the postseason, and it came with some history attached. Aloy’s pair of long balls not only sparked the Razorbacks’ offense but also placed him in elite company. With his 19th and 20th home runs of the season, Aloy became just the seventh Arkansas player ever to reach the 20-homer milestone in a single season. He’s the first Razorback to do so since Chad Spanberger accomplished the feat in 2017.
Van Horn didn’t hold back in describing the power behind Aloy’s swing. “There was a lot of frustration behind that swing,” he said. “He absolutely tomahawked it. That’s really what he did — he just clubbed it.”
Although the game was played at Arkansas’ Baum-Walker Stadium, the Razorbacks were technically the visiting team due to NCAA tournament bracket designations. That didn’t matter — the offense exploded and the pitching stifled Creighton throughout.
Joining Aloy in the home run barrage was freshman catcher Ryder Helfrick, who continued his recent surge by launching home runs in consecutive at-bats. Helfrick’s power has added a new dimension to Arkansas’ offense as he climbs the batting order and finds his rhythm in the cleanup spot.
Second baseman Cam Kozeal also made his mark on the scoreboard with a solo home run in the second inning. It was his second homer in as many days and part of another strong multi-hit performance. His blast opened the scoring and set the tone for the rest of the night.
In total, the Razorbacks blasted five home runs, complementing a nearly flawless outing by starting pitcher Zach Root. Root, who transferred from East Carolina, delivered one of the most efficient and effective outings of his season — a personal moment of redemption following last year’s early exit with ECU.
“Last year, we hosted a regional and didn’t make it out,” Root recalled. “We’re in a great position now. We just want to keep it going tomorrow.”
Root was dominant from the outset, tossing six shutout innings on just 94 pitches. He struck out seven, allowed only three hits, and kept the Bluejays completely off balance. Not a single Creighton runner made it to third base while he was on the mound.
The Razorbacks gave him early support, jumping to a 4-0 lead. However, there were missed opportunities as Arkansas left eight runners on base in the first four innings, including twice leaving the bases loaded — once in the second and again in the fourth. Despite the early pressure, Creighton’s starter Wilson Magers couldn’t escape trouble for long, and the Razorbacks eventually broke the game wide open.
Aloy’s second homer — the towering tomahawk shot — finally delivered the big blow Arkansas had been searching for, igniting a rally that Creighton couldn’t recover from.
One of the biggest concerns for Arkansas heading into this regional had been the performance of their starting pitchers. In their previous two winner’s bracket appearances over the past two years, Razorback starters gave up a combined 14 runs, which contributed to early exits. Root’s strong outing helped Arkansas avoid a similar fate and set them up well moving forward.
Creighton managed to scratch across one run in the seventh inning. With Root out of the game, Tate Gillen drove in a run on a fielder’s choice against reliever Ben Bybee. But that was all the Bluejays could muster.
After Bybee’s inning of work, Arkansas turned to relievers Steele Eaves and Colin Fisher, who each tossed a scoreless frame to close out the game and seal the blowout victory.
With the win, Arkansas advances to the regional final, scheduled for 8 p.m. Sunday. They will face the winner of an earlier elimination game between Creighton and North Dakota State, which takes place at 2 p.m. North Dakota State earned the right to play Creighton after a narrow 4-3 win over Kansas earlier in the day.
Whoever meets Arkansas in the final will face a tall order: they must defeat the Razorbacks twice to advance to the Super Regional, while Arkansas needs just one more win to move on. As of now, the television schedule for the final has not been released.
This latest performance only reinforces Arkansas’ strength across all facets of the game. With the lineup firing on all cylinders, defense playing cleanly, and starting pitching finally delivering postseason-caliber innings, the Razorbacks are looking like a serious threat to not only win their regional but make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
For Wehiwa Aloy, it was a night of personal achievement and team success. For Zach Root, it was redemption. And for Dave Van Horn’s Razorbacks, it was a step closer to Omaha.
