Aloy's big hits help Arkansas oust UCLA from College World Series

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Wehiwa Aloy drove in Arkansas’ first three runs with a homer and triple, Zach Root bounced back from a rocky start to pitch five strong innings, and the Razorbacks eliminated the Bruins from the College World Series with a 7-3 victory Tuesday night.

Arkansas (50-14) will play SEC rival LSU on Wednesday night and would have to beat the Tigers twice in two days to advance to the best-of-three CWS finals. LSU won two of three against the Razorbacks in the regular season and beat them 4-1 in a CWS opener last Saturday.

As good as Root was, Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn was most encouraged by his offense starting to come out of its shell. The Razorbacks totaled 11 runs over its first three games.

“I’m just glad we’re scoring more runs and obviously it was a little better tonight to hit in the ballpark,” Van Horn said. “It’s not as humid and the wind was blowing different directions, but it wasn’t stopping the ball like it was the other day.”

UCLA (48-18), which made a 29-game improvement from its 19-33 season in 2024, went 2-2 in its first appearance in Omaha since it won the 2013 national title. The Bruins played Arkansas six hours after they lost 9-5 to LSU in the completion of a game suspended by rain Monday night.

“Disappointing day. Tough day. Tough circumstances,” UCLA coach John Savage said. “End of the day, you’ve got to give credit to LSU and certainly Arkansas. We can certainly build off this. We have a bunch of young, young players who love each other and trust each other. It’s a really good stepping stone.”

Aloy, the Southeastern Conference player of the year, hit his team-best 21st home run in the first inning for a 2-0 lead, and his second triple of the season made it 3-0 in the fifth. The Razorbacks added four runs late to put the game away.

Aloy has been one of the Razorbacks’ bright spots offensively. He’s 5 for 11 (.455) in three CWS games with four RBIs and three extra-base hits. But the Nos. 4 through 7 batters are a combined 6 of 56 (.107).

"We just need to get some guys going if we’re going to get through what we need to get through,” Van Horn said.

Root (9-6) lasted just 1 1/3 innings in Saturday’s loss to LSU, the left-hander’s shortest start of the season. He limited the Bruins to three hits, walked two and struck out five in five innings.

“He wasn’t happy when I took him out the other day,” Van Horn said. “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.”

Root said pitching coach Matt Hobbs told him he remained confident in him and that he planned to get him back on the mound as soon as possible.

“I told him I was good to go whenever he needed me,” Root said.

Reliever Aiden Jiminez allowed one hit over three scoreless innings and had the Razorbacks poised to shut out a second straight opponent a day after Gage Wood threw the third no-hitter in CWS history, and first in 65 years, against Murray State.

UCLA capitalized on uncharacteristic blunders to break through against Will McEntire in the ninth. Mulivai Levu tripled leading off and scored when third baseman Brent Ireland couldn’t come up with a grounder. McEntire’s wild throw to first on a comebacker and a wild pitch brought in two more runs.

The Bruins loaded the bases in the first, but Root got out unscathed when, with two outs, Dean West was caught trying to steal home. Ryder Helfrick’s sweeping tag touched the headfirst-sliding West’s arm just before West’s fingers reached the plate. UCLA challenged the call, which was upheld on video review.

UCLA’s leadoff man reached base three of the first five innings. Root worked around a single, walk and two wild pitches to get out of the fifth and then turned things over to Jimenez to start the sixth.

UCLA started Cody Delvecchio (1-4), who was academically ineligible until last week and hadn’t pitched since March 28. He gave the Bruins a solid four innings and was pulled with two runners on in the fifth. Ian May relieved and induced a double play before Aloy drove a ball to center that rolled to the wall for his triple.