LEXINGTON, Ky. (Interstat) — The Arkansas Razorbacks erupted for 10 runs in the first inning and held off a furious Kentucky Wildcats rally to win 16-12 on Saturday afternoon at Kentucky Proud Park, securing the Southeastern Conference series two games to one.

Arkansas improved to 36-19 overall, 15-12 in the SEC, while Kentucky fell to 31-20, 12-15.

The game began with a weather delay that pushed the first pitch to 2:42 p.m. Once play started, the Razorbacks sent 14 batters to the plate in the top of the first. Damian Ruiz singled, Camden Kozeal doubled and the hits kept coming. After a throwing error, a wild pitch and a pair of walks, Arkansas had scored eight runs before Kentucky recorded an out. Ruiz capped the inning with a three-run double, and Zack Stewart added a run-scoring double to make it 10-0.

Arkansas added a run in the third on Stewart’s second double and another in the fourth when Kozeal tripled and scored on a wild pitch, pushing the lead to 12-0.

Kentucky finally answered in the bottom of the third. Jayce Tharnish crushed a two-run homer to left-center to cut the deficit to 12-2. The Wildcats chipped away with a run in the fourth on an RBI single by Owen Jenkins, then erupted in the fifth.

The Wildcats sent 12 men to the plate in the bottom of the fifth. Carson Hansen delivered the biggest blow, a grand slam to left field that brought Kentucky within 16-9. Tharnish later added a two-run double, and Luke Lawrence singled home another run to make it 16-12. Arkansas turned to Parker Coil, who got the final out of the inning to stop the momentum.

Arkansas’ bullpen held the Wildcats scoreless over the final four innings. James DeCremer threw three perfect innings with two strikeouts, and Coil worked 1⅔ scoreless frames with one strikeout. Tate McGuire started for Arkansas but lasted only 2⅓ innings, allowing two earned runs on one hit with four strikeouts.

Stewart led the Razorbacks’ offense, going 4 for 6 with a home run, two doubles and four RBIs. He homered in the top of the ninth for the game’s final run. Stewart entered the game having homered in each of the first two games of the series, going 1 for 2 on Friday and 1 for 3 on Thursday.

Ruiz went 3 for 5 with three RBIs, and Kozeal finished 3 for 5 with a triple, a double, two RBIs and three runs scored. Kuhio Aloy added two hits and two runs, and Nolan Souza homered in the ninth.

For Kentucky, Tharnish was 3 for 6 with a home run, a double and three RBIs. Hansen went 2 for 5 with a grand slam and four RBIs. Lawrence had three hits and two RBIs. Jack Bennett pitched four innings in relief, allowing two earned runs on four hits with six strikeouts, but the early deficit proved too large.

Arkansas outhit Kentucky 14-17 but made fewer mistakes, committing one error to the Wildcats’ two.

The win gave Arkansas a series victory after dropping the opener 4-3 on Thursday and rebounding with a 5-4 win Friday.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Arkansas 6, Kentucky 5, and Interstat’s ELO system gave Arkansas a 55.90 percent probability to win. Arkansas had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of plus-1.5.