Baseball
Phoenix Sports Examiner: Tom Kessler
This time of year in college baseball, no one flies under the radar.
“Everybody’s good right now,” said Arizona State head coach Tim Esmay, whose top-ranked Sun Devils are one of 16 teams in the country that are competing in this weekend’s NCAA Division I super regionals. “Everybody has their Friday guy (ace pitcher). Everybody’s going to be outstanding. It’s more of where are you at mentally? How do you handle the ups and downs of a game?”
Esmay’s Sun Devils, who love to play postseason baseball in the scorching conditions of mid-June in Tempe, have been preparing this week for their matchup against the Arkansas Razorbacks, who have shown that they can take the heat and withstand the challenge of winning a playoff series on the road.
When the tradition-rich programs square off in a super regional beginning Saturday night at ASU’s Packard Stadium, a berth in the College World Series will be at stake. The Pac-10 champion Sun Devils, who are the top national seed in the tournament, and the Razorbacks, ranked 15th in the country, are entering the best-of-three series expecting that the competition will be as intense as the temperatures.
“They do everything right,” Esmay said about the Razorbacks, who finished second behind Auburn in the SEC West. “They run the bases well. They take advantage of things. They’re very well-prepared. They’ve played a very good schedule.”
Arkansas comes into Saturday’s super regional opener with a 43-19 record. Arizona State, meanwhile, will take the field with an overall mark of 50-8 and a No. 1 ranking in the latest USA Today Coaches Poll.
“We’ve got a tough draw, probably the best team, the hottest team in the country in ASU,” Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said. “They are just a really solid team, and their record reflects that. We know it is an uphill battle, but we’re excited to get the opportunity.”
The Razorbacks, who defeated Washington State 7-2 in an elimination game Monday night to win the regional at Fayetteville, are hitting the road for the second consecutive season in the super regionals. Last year, Arkansas swept Florida State in Tallahassee to qualify for the College World Series for the sixth time in school history.
“This is not something new to them,” ASU’s Esmay said about the Razorbacks’ quest to advance through the super regionals as a road team. “So all that is going to add up into a very, very good, tough challenge for us this week.”
Arizona State, which defeated Milwaukee once and Hawaii twice last weekend to win the Tempe Regional, is aiming to earn the school’s 22nd trip to the College World Series. The Sun Devils, who won five national championships between 1965 and 1981, finished third in the CWS last season after sweeping Clemson in the super regionals.
The Sun Devils and Razorbacks have met twice previously in the postseason, with Arkansas winning a regional matchup in 1989 and Arizona State prevailing in a 1998 regional game. The all-time series between the two teams stands at 3-3 after the Sun Devils swept two games in Tempe in 2008 and the Razorbacks won twice in Fayetteville in 2009.
“They’re a great team,” said Arizona State sophomore second baseman Zack MacPhee, the Pac-10 Player of the Year who is hitting .394 with 9 home runs and 63 RBIs. “It should be a fun series.”
At the forefront of the Razorbacks’ cadre of standouts is sophomore third baseman Zack Cox (.427 batting average with 9 homers and 48 RBIs), who was selected in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft with the 25th overall pick by the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday.
Arizona State junior right-hander Seth Blair (12-0, 3.06 ERA), who was drafted by the Cardinals with the 46th overall pick, is looking forward to the challenge of facing Cox, his potential future teammate in the minors and majors.
“He can hit the ball to all fields,” Blair said about Cox, a 21-year-old left-handed hitter. “He’s got power. He hits for average. He does everything that you would want a first-rounder to do. He’s going to be a tough out, but we’re going to pitch to him and try to make our pitches against him.”
When Arizona State is at bat, the Sun Devils will face an Arkansas pitching staff that features sophomore left-hander Drew Smyly (a second-round draft choice of the Detroit Tigers who is 9-1 this season with a 2.56 ERA) and senior right-hander T.J. Forrest (8-0, 3.10 ERA).
Also among the Razorbacks’ hurlers is junior right-hander Brett Eibner (3-4, 4.39 ERA), who doubles as an outfielder and is batting .337 with a team-leading 21 homers and 69 RBIs. Eibner was drafted in the second round Tuesday by the Kansas City Royals.
Game 1 of the Tempe Super Regional will begin at 6 p.m. local time Saturday at Packard Stadium. Sunday’s second game has a 7 p.m. starting time. Game 3, if necessary, is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. Monday.
The Tempe forecast calls for high temperatures in the 90s over the weekend and reaching the 100-degree mark on Monday.
Arizona State senior outfielder Kole Calhoun (.325, 16 homers, 58 RBIs) and his Sun Devil teammates wouldn’t want it any other way.
“We know that we have a great advantage when we play here,” Calhoun said.
Courtesy: Robby Edwards, Athletic Media Relations
FAYETTEVILLE - Arkansas’ total paid attendance for last weekend’s NCAA Fayetteville Regional baseball tournament was the best in the nation.
Arkansas also had the best single-game attendance figure in the country, and posted the top figures in the nation for games four, six and seven.
The seven-game regional, which included the Razorbacks, Washington State, Kansas State and Grambling State, drew a total of 44,904 fans, which was the most among the 16 regional sites. Texas was second with 40,793, followed by South Carolina with 33,964 and Virginia with 29,136.
“We are grateful to the Razorback fans for once again making the University of Arkansas the home of the nation’s top attended NCAA baseball regional,” Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Jeff Long said. “Razorback fans came from all over the state and region to help provide Coach Dave Van Horn and our baseball team with a tremendous home field advantage. Throughout the season a record number of fans came through the gates at Baum Stadium. We appreciate all of those who continue to make Baum Stadium the best college baseball venue in the country.”
Arkansas won the regional with Monday’s 7-2 victory over Washington State and advances to this week’s Super Regional at Arizona State. The Razorbacks are 43-19 overall and finished the 2010 home schedule 29-9 at Baum Stadium.
Based on regional per-game averages, Texas was first in the country with an average 6,799 fans per game, followed by Arkansas at 6,415, South Carolina at 5,661 and Virginia with 4,162.
Arkansas’ 6-4 victory over Washington State on Saturday drew a crowd of 8,428, which was the best single-game figure for any game in the entire tournament.
The 10-7 loss to WSU Sunday drew 7,750 and Monday’s victory drew 6,774. Those figures also led the nation for games four and six, respectively.
Arkansas’ 19-7 win over Grambling drew 6,305, which was second to Texas’ 6,455 for opening-game attendance.
Of the eight regional sites that were extended to seven games, Arkansas’ total is more than 15,000 larger than the closest host, the Charlottesville, Va., Regional.
Arkansas last hosted a regional in 2007. During that six-game event, the Fayetteville Regional posted the highest total (38,710) and average attendance (6,452), and the best single-game marks for games four (9,572), five (6,848) and six (8,128).
For the regular season, Arkansas drew 187,314 fans for 34 home dates, which is a school record for actual attendance. The Razorbacks had a tickets sold number of 263,504, which is the second-best mark in school history. Arkansas averaged 5,509 fans per game in actual attendance and 7,750 in tickets sold per game, which both rank third-best in school history.
Arkansas’ Super Regional in Tempe, Ariz., begins on Saturday. Game one is at 8 p.m. (Central) and is being televised by ESPNU.
2010 NCAA Baseball Regional Attendance Figures
(Ranked on total paid attendance)
| Site | Paid Attendance (Avg.) | Top Single Game |
| Fayetteville | 44,904 (6,415) | 8,428 |
| Austin, Texas | 40,793 (6,799) | 7,131 |
| Columbia, S.C. | 33,964 (5,661) | 6,712 |
| Charlottesville, Va. | 29,136 (4,162) | 4,801 |
| Auburn, Ala. | 24,837 (3,548) | 4,096 |
| Myrtle Beach, S.C. | 17,646 (2,521) | 4,306 |
| Fort Worth, Texas | 16,883 (2,814) | 3,160 |
| Norwich, Conn. | 16,065 (2,678) | 5,684 |
| Atlanta, Ga. | 15,706 (2,244) | 4,157 |
| Louisville, Ky. | 14,247 (2,035) | 3,682 |
| Tempe, Ariz. | 12,825 (2,138) | 4,371 |
| Gainesville, Fla. | 12,430 (2,072) | 3,217 |
| Fullerton, Calif. | 11,849 (1,693) | 2,434 |
| Coral Gables, Fla. | 11,762 (1,680) | 3,152 |
| Norman, Okla. | 9,438 (1,573) | 2,720 |
| Los Angeles, Calif. | 8,808 (1,468) | 2,613 |
Courtesy: Wesley Hitt / Arkansas
Courtesy: Zach Lawson, Athletic Media Relations
FAYETTEVILLE – The No. 15 University of Arkansas baseball team secured a spot in the Super Regional round with a 7-2 victory over Washington State Monday night in the decisive game of the NCAA Fayetteville Regional. Making his second start of the Regional, TJ Forrest tossed 5.1 strong innings as the offense built an early lead against the Cougars. The victory sends Arkansas (43-19) to Tempe, Ariz., to take on top-ranked Arizona State beginning Saturday.
“I’m really excited for our team and our fans,” head coach Dave Van Horn said. “Tonight’s game was all about the team. I was telling them after the game how proud I am of them because of how they acted this morning. I had two or three guys come up to me and say that they could play. I had a really good feeling coming into tonight because I could tell the team really wanted to win. It all started with TJ on the mound. We got off to a good start with a big lead. It was just our night.”
As visitors on the scoreboard, the Razorbacks jumped out to a 3-0 advantage in the top of the first inning behind RBI singles by Brett Eibner and James McCann and a sacrifice fly by Andy Wilkins. After a walk by Collin Kuhn and a base hit by Zack Cox, Arkansas had runners on the corners with no outs. Eibner drove in the game’s first run with a single to center field. Cox moved around to third on the play and came in to score on Wilkins’ fly ball to center. McCann capped the Hogs’ scoring with a single to left field that plated Eibner.
Cox finished the night with a 2-for-3 effort at the plate. His double in the second inning was his 97th hit of the season, tying the Arkansas single-season record. The mark was set by Matt Erickson during the 1996 season. Cox pushed his batting average to .427 with the two hits.
Washington State (37-22) got one of those runs back in the bottom of the second. Designated hitter Matt Fanelli led off the inning with a solo home run to left field off Forrest. Michael Weber followed with a base hit to right. With one down, Forrest induced an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play to limit the damage to that one run.
Monk Kreder led off the Razorbacks’ half of the third with a single to right and was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Bo Bigham. After a walk to McCann and a Matt Vinson base hit to left, Arkansas had the bases loaded. Tim Carver flared a single to right field allowing Kreder to score. Later in the inning, with two outs and runners on second and third, Kuhn doubled to left to drive in Vinson and Carver and the Hogs led, 6-1.
The Cougars responded with a run in the bottom of the fourth. Cody Bartlett reached on a defensive miscue by Carver. The Razorback shortstop bobbled his initial attempt to field the ball and then his throw overshot Kreder at first allowing Bartlett to get to second base. Weber picked up his second hit of the day, an RBI single to drive in the unearned run. Arkansas turned its third double play in as many innings to get back into the dugout.
With the help of his defense, Forrest faced just three over the minimum through five innings of work. After recording the first out of the sixth, the right-handed senior left the game to a standing ovation from the 6,774 fans at Baum Stadium. Forrest allowed four hits and two runs-one earned-in 5.1 innings against Washington State; Forrest also made the start in Arkansas’ opening game of the Regional against Grambling. He picked up the victory Monday to improve to 8-0.
“It doesn’t matter who gets the win, as long as we get it as a team,” Forrest said. “I came out trying to keep the ball down to get ground balls and pop flies. Our defense did most of the work.”
The Hogs added their final run of the game on one swing of the bat by Derrick Bleeker in the top of the seventh. The freshman infielder entered the game in the bottom of the third inning when Wilkins moved over to play third. Bleeker clubbed a 2-1 offering from Michael Ratigan over the fence in right center for his first career home run.
The pitching and defense continued to hold strong for Arkansas. Drew Smyly worked 2.2 innings in relief of Forrest and struck out three hitters. He was also the recipient of an outstanding diving catch by Vinson that saved an extra-base hit in the bottom of the seventh. Eibner came out of the bullpen in the ninth inning and registered two strikeouts to clinch the game and set up the Razorbacks’ matchup with Arizona State in the Super Regionals.
Behind their success on the field, six Hogs made their way onto the All-Regional Team. Headed up by Kuhn, selected the Most Outstanding Player of the Fayetteville Regional, Arkansas placed Smyly, Forrest, McCann, Wilkins and Eibner to the 11-man team. In four games, Kuhn hit .412 (7-for-17) with four home runs, seven RBI, eight runs scored and a 1.235 slugging percentage. As a team, Arkansas hit .351 with 15 home runs over the weekend.
“Before the tournament, I wasn’t performing like I would like,” Kuhn said. “I wanted to get back to sticking to my approach, getting on base and not doing trying to do too much. I think it worked out.”
Five Washington State players-Weber, Bartlett, Carter Jurica, Derek Jones and Fanelli-rounded out the All-Regional Team.
This will mark the program fourth trip to the Super Regional with the other three appearances coming in 2002, 2004 and 2009. Last season, the Razorbacks swept Florida State in Tallahassee on their way to the College World Series. Arkansas and Arizona State are tied, 3-3, in their all-time meetings. The two programs have met twice in postseason play, splitting a pair of matchups in the 1989 and 1998 NCAA Midwest Regional.
Kuhn Hits His Third Homer in Regional
Courtesy: Zach Lawson, Athletic Media Relations
FAYETTEVILLE – Collin Kuhn had three hits and Jordan Pratt collected a two-inning save as the No. 15 University of Arkansas baseball team defeated Washington State, 6-4, Saturday night at Baum Stadium in game four of the NCAA Fayetteville Regional. The Razorbacks built a three-run lead but Washington State pulled to within one in the eighth inning before Pratt closed the door in front of 9,016 fans to keep Arkansas undefeated in regional play.
“It was a great game,” head coach Dave Van Horn said. “It looked like it was going to be a pitchers’ duel for the first few innings. Both pitchers were lighting it up. We got a couple of hits and did a good job of battling in there. Their second baseman made about every play you could make. He saved them three runs with his glove and then got two for them with his home run. Every time it seemed like we were going to put them away, he made a play. We were fortunate that Jordan came in and closed it out.”
The Razorbacks scored the first run of the ballgame in the top of the third courtesy of an RBI double by Kuhn. James McCann got things started with a bloop single to center field. With one down, Kuhn knocked a 1-1 offering from Washington State starter Adam Conley to the wall in left center and McCann scored all the way from first on the play to give the Hogs the early advantage. After a two-out walk to Brett Eibner, Andy Wilkins delivered with a base hit up the middle to plate Kuhn for a 2-0 lead.
Arkansas (42-18) took advantage of a pair of Washington State errors in the top of the fourth to score two runs and stretch its lead. Bo Bigham led off the inning with single to right center. Travis Sample followed with a flare to right that fell between the shortstop and right fielder. Trying to cut down the lead runner at third, Derek Jones uncorked a wild throw into the infield that allowed Bigham to score as Sample moved into second.
Later in the inning, with runners on second and third after a Tim Carver base hit and a fielder’s choice, Zack Cox grounded a ball to third base but the throw to first pulled the defender off the bag, the Cougars’ second error of the inning, and Carver came in to score the Razorbacks’ fourth run.
Washington State (35-21) cut its lead in half with a two-run homer by Cody Bartlett in the bottom of the sixth. Drew Smyly issued a four-pitch walk to Kyle Johnson before giving up the shot to Bartlett, his seventh long ball of the season. Smyly retired the next two hitters, via strikeout and groundout, to get out of the inning with the Razorbacks leading, 4-2.
With his strikeout of Michael Weber to lead off the second inning, Smyly became the sixth pitcher in program history to register 100 strikeouts in a season. He is the first Razorback hurler to eclipse the century mark since Jess Todd and Nick Schmidt totaled 128 and 111 strikeouts, respectively, during the 2007 season. Smyly fanned seven Washington State hitters Saturday and now has 105 strikeouts, tied for the eighth highest single-season total (Matt Carnes, 1996) on Arkansas’ all-time list. Smyly earned the win Saturday and improved to 9-1.
The two teams traded solo home runs in the seventh inning. Leading off the top half, Cox lined a shot the opposite way and cleared the fence in left center for his ninth home run of the season. Weber countered with a solo shot of his own in the bottom of the inning but Arkansas still held a two-run edge.
The Cougars mounted a rally in the bottom of the eighth but Arkansas, with the help of Pratt, escaped a no-out, bases-loaded jam with just one run crossing the plate. DJ Baxendale entered the game to start the eighth in relief of Smyly but allowed singles to the first three hitters he faced. He was replaced by Geoffrey Davenport but the left-handed sophomore walked Jones with the bases loaded to force in a run and cut the Hogs’ lead to one.
With the bases full of Washington State players, Van Horn next turned to Pratt out of the bullpen. Pratt fell behind the first hitter he faced but on a 3-1 count Matt Fanelli lifted an innocent pop fly that Bigham squeezed for the first out. With the crowd on its feet, Pratt got Weber to swing at strike three and induced a fly ball off the bat of Shea Vucinich for the third out.
“My adrenaline was pumping,” Pratt said. “There is no better feeling than picking up a teammate. I’ve been in that situation before and I was glad I could help out.”
Kuhn stepped to the plate to lead off the ninth and hammered a 3-1 pitch from Connor Lambert into the fans beyond the Hogs’ bullpen in left. The long ball was his third home run of the Fayetteville Regional and 15th of the season. Kuhn finished the night with a 3-for-5 performance at the plate with two RBI and two runs scored. The solo home run gave Arkansas the 6-4 lead, the game’s final tally.
In the bottom of the ninth, Pratt gave up a leadoff double to pinch hitter Ryan Peterson, but shook it off to record two outs with his next two pitches. Down to the team’s final out, Patrick Claussen lined a shot to left field but defensive sub Matt Vinson charged the ball and made a diving catch to seal the win and give Pratt his second save of the season.
With the win, Arkansas will return to the field Sunday night at 7:05 p.m. at Baum Stadium. The Razorbacks will face the winner of Sunday’s elimination game between Washington State and Kansas State which is slated for a 2:05 p.m. first pitch. For more information, visit the 2010 NCAA Fayetteville Regional Central page at ArkansasRazorbacks.com.
The Razorbacks face Washington State tonight at 7:05. The Cougars topped Kansas State 8-6 by hitting a two run, tie breaking homer in the 8th. Arkansas however, destroyed Grambling State.
Aided by a school-record nine home runs, the No. 15 University of Arkansas downed Grambling, 19-7, Friday in game one of the NCAA Fayetteville Regional at Baum Stadium. Brett Eibner became the ninth player in program history to hit three home runs in one game, while Collin Kuhn, James McCann and Andy Wilkins each posted two home runs. Arkansas’ 19 runs are the second most scored by the program in an NCAA postseason game (20 vs. Eastern Kentucky, 1985).
“We came out aggressive offensively,” head coach Dave Van Horn said. “We put up six in the first and jumped ahead of them. We basically got to work quickly on doing all the things we had been practicing during the week. We laid off a lot of borderline pitches and got into good hitting counts.”
Wilkins is now tied with Jeff King with 42 home runs on Arkansas’ career list, while Eibner now sits fifth with 41 home runs while wearing the Cardinal and White. Eibner’s seven RBI are a career high and are the high mark for a Razorback this season. Eibner has 21 home runs this season, the third-highest total in program history. Arkansas’ 17 hits are the most by the club since collecting 12 hits against Louisiana Tech on May 11.
Behind three home runs, Arkansas (41-18) jumped out to the early lead with six runs in the bottom of the first inning. Kuhn opened the scoring with a solo shot into the Razorback bullpen, his second leadoff home run of the season. Zack Cox, making his first start since May 21, singled up the middle and Eibner followed with a two-run blast to left field off Grambling starter Odingo Davila to give the Hogs a 3-0 lead.
With one down, Monk Kreder doubled and came around to score on a two-out RBI double by Travis Sample. McCann stepped to the plate and capped the Razorbacks’ frame with his seventh home run of the season, a two-run dinger to left. The Hogs have now won 22 of the 24 games in which they’ve scored first this season.
Cox finished the day 1-for-2 at the plate and now has 93 hits this season. The hits total ties Jeff King for fifth on Arkansas’ single-season list. Three players in program history-Matt Erickson (1997), Jeremy Jackson (1997) and Jim Kremers (1987)-are tied for second with 94 hits while Erickson holds the record with 97 hits during the 1996 season.
In the bottom of the second, Eibner picked up his second hit in as innings with a double to left. After a walk to Wilkins, Kreder lifted a fly ball to deep center field that was caught at the wall but Eibner motored around to score from second to push Arkansas’ lead to seven runs. Bo Bigham knocked in the team’s next run with a base hit through the left side of the infield; Wilkins scored on the play.
Grambling (22-31) broke through on the scoreboard with its first run of the ballgame in the top of the third. With one out in the inning, Chris Wolfe singled to left field off Arkansas starter TJ Forrest. Arthur Mazierski plated the Tigers’ score with a double down the line in left field. Forrest struck out Milton Jeffery Barney to get out of the inning and limit the damage to one run.
Arkansas responded with three runs in its half of the third to move ahead, 11-1. After retiring the first hitter, Grambling reliever Eric Zagone hit Kuhn with a pitch and then walked Derrick Bleeker, who replaced Cox in the lineup. Eibner belted an opposite-field three-run shot.
After four strong innings on the mound, Forrest ran into trouble in the top of the fifth. He walked Wolfe on four pitches to lead things off and then surrendered a base hit to Anthony Clifton. Mazierski earned his second RBI of the day with a sacrifice fly to center. On the play, the Tigers’ third baseman lined a shot toward the gap in left center but Eibner made a diving catch for the out but Wolfe did tag up from third to score. Alvin Simmons and Jeremy Shelby each had an RBI single as Grambling scored three runs to cut into Arkansas’ lead.
“TJ Forrest came out for a few innings and did a good job of moving the ball around the strike zone,” Van Horn said. “I’m proud of him. It’s hot out there and that’s hard on a pitcher. I’m just glad it’s over.”
Sam Murphy came in to record the final out of the fifth and in his first full inning of work, he allowed a run in the sixth. Grambling left the bases loaded in the frame but Simmons delivered another RBI single before Murphy pitched himself out of trouble.
The Razorbacks posted a three spot in the bottom of the seventh to stretch its lead. Kuhn drew a walk to lead off the inning and Eibner was hit by a pitch ahead of Wilkins. The Hogs’ first baseman hit a monster shot over the scoreboard to give his team the 15-5 advantage. It was Wilkins’ first home run since May 9 at Ole Miss
Grambling tacked on two runs of Hogs’ reliever Jason Fuqua in the eighth. With runners on first and second, Barney doubled to left center past a diving Matt Vinson, who entered the game for Sample at the beginning of the frame. Fuqua hit the next hitter, Steve Kletke, but was the recipient of a double play for the first two outs. Mychal Roby fouled out to Bleeker to end the inning.
McCann led off the Hogs’ half of the eighth with his second home run of the game. The two homers for McCann were his first since April 17 vs. Georgia and marked the first two-homer performance of his career. Later in the inning with a man on first, Eibner capped his power display with a two-run shot to center. Arkansas went back-to-back as Wilkins followed with the club’s ninth long ball of the game.
“I felt great out there,” Eibner said. “I hurt (my wrist) a little on that slide but that’s just from moving around and putting my hand down on the ground. More than anything, I was just excited to be back out there. I was down after missing two games in the SEC Tournament but regionals are the most important thing and I’m glad to be back.”
Wednesday, May 26
Game 1: #7 Alabama vs #2 Auburn – 9:30 am
Game 2: #6 Ole Miss vs #3 South Carolina – 12:00 pm
Game 3: #8 LSU vs #1 Florida – 4:30 pm
Game 4: #5 Vanderbilt vs #4 Arkansas – appx 7:30 pm
Media Coverage:
FoxSports South, CSS, ESPN3 (ESPN360.com), XM 199, Sirius 214
Schedule on SECSports.com
Bo Bigham makes the tag
Courtesy: Zach Lawson, Athletic Media Relations
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Staked to a four-run lead, the No. 14 University of Arkansas baseball team held on for a 4-3 win over Vanderbilt Friday night at Hawkins Field. Home runs by Collin Kuhn and Monk Kreder led the Razorbacks’ offensive charge and Mike Bolsinger matched his career high with an eight-inning performance against the 15th-ranked Commodores. The win snaps Arkansas’ five-game losing streak and gives Dave Van Horn his 900th career victory as a collegiate head coach.
Kuhn led off the game with his 12th home run of the season, a solo shot over the 35-foot in left field. The score was the first lead-off home run by a Razorback since Chase Leavitt went yard against Louisiana-Monroe on April 15, 2009. The first inning also featured the return of Zack Cox to the Arkansas lineup. In his first at-bat since last Sunday’s series finale against South Carolina, Cox singled through the right side of the infield but was left stranded as Vanderbilt starter Taylor Hill retired the next three Hogs in order. Cox was 1-for-2 before being replaced by Matt Vinson in the fifth inning.
After a pair of 1-2-3 innings, the Razorbacks struck for three runs in the top of the fourth. Brett Eibner opened the inning with a base hit through the left side. Andy Wilkins followed by tagging the first pitch of his at-bat to straight-away center for an RBI double to give the Hogs a 2-0 lead. With two down, Kreder launched a two-run shot to deep left center, his third long ball of the year, to push the club’s lead to four.
The run support was enough for Bolsinger, making his 10th start of the season. The right-handed senior held the Commodores to one unearned run on four hits. Bolsinger struck out five Vanderbilt hitters and walked just one. The McKinney, Texas, native has tossed eight innings in two of his last three starts.
Bolsinger cruised through the first three innings Friday but ran into his first trouble spot in the bottom of the fourth. Anthony Gomez got things started with a base hit to left field and after hitting Jason Esposito with a pitch, Bolsinger faced a two-on, no-out situation. He retired the next two hitters by strikeout and flyout and looked to be out of the inning when Andrew Giobbi grounded a ball to first. However, Kreder couldn’t field it cleanly allowing Gomez to cross the plate on the error.
In the bottom of the eighth, his last inning of work, Bolsinger gave up a lead-off double to Connor Harrell, but he worked out of the potential jam with three groundball outs. The Razorbacks turned two double plays in the game to push their weekend total to five.
Arkansas took its 4-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth and Eibner moved to the mound from center field to close out the game. After fanning Esposito for the first out, Eibner surrendered a solo home run to Aaron Westlake which cut the Hogs’ lead in half. In an identical situation, Eibner responded to record the second out with a strikeout of Curt Casali but Giobbi brought the Commodores to within one run with the team’s second solo shot of the inning. Eibner, however, got Joe Loftus to fly out to right field to seal the win and earn his first save of the season.
The teams return to action Saturday afternoon for the regular-season finale for both clubs. The matchup is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start and will be televised by SportSouth. It will also be carried by Fox Sports Southwest (Ch. 27 in Northwest Arkansas). Dave Neal and Larry Conley will handle the play-by-play and color commentary duties for the broadcast. Saturday’s game will also be available at ESPN3.com.
Last week, the Razorbacks were playing for the lead in the SEC West. This weekend, they’re playing to stay in 1st in the West as well as take over the lead for the SEC when South Carolina comes to town. Arkansas is one game back of both the Gamecocks and Florida Gators with a record of 16-8 in conference. Drew Smyly takes his undefeated record into the game Friday night at 6:35. No TV for the game, but tune into the radio and follow the “Woocast” here.
Game 1: Friday @ 6:35
Game 2: Saturday @ 2:05
Game 3: Sunday @ 1:05
Game Thread here
Courtesy: Zach Lawson, Athletic Media Relations
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Andy Wilkins delivered the game-winning hit in front of a sell-out crowd of 10,200 at Dickey-Stephens Park to send the No. 10 University of Arkansas baseball team to a 5-4 victory over Louisiana Tech in 10 innings Tuesday night. Jordan Pratt tossed three scoreless innings to close out the game and earn the victory. Brett Eibner finished the game 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. The game was the program’s first trip to Central Arkansas since the 1986 season.
“Well, the crowd was great,” head coach Dave Van Horn said. “The game was a little sloppy early. The pitching was pretty toe-to-toe the first couple of innings and then we kicked it into gear. We made a routine throwing error that just opened the flood gates for them. They punched in four runs but we came battling back.
“I thought we did a good job answering real quick, scoring the same inning that they did. Then we just turned it over to the bullpen, trying to get some guys to work. I’m glad it didn’t go another inning. We weren’t going to bring Pratt back out because we have to get him ready for the weekend. But we had Eibner going; I kind of wanted to see him go but obviously I’m glad that we won the game when we did.”
With the score tied in the bottom of the 10th, Bo Bigham led off the inning with a single up the middle. He was eventually forced out at second base but Zack Cox reached on a fielder’s choice. Eibner following by drawing a walk and the Hogs had runners on first and second with one out. Then Wilkins came through with the single that pushed the Razorbacks to victory.
Courtesy Sara Blancett
Collin Kuhn led off the bottom of the first for Arkansas (38-11) with a triple to center field. On the very next pitch, however, he and Bigham, the hitter during the at-bat, were both erased on an extended rundown. Cox lined out to center field and the visitors escaped an early threat by the Razorbacks.
Louisiana Tech (25-23) jumped ahead with four runs in the top of the second. With runners on first and third after an error and a single, Justin Gordey delivered with a two-run triple to center field. Will Alvis followed with a double to plate the Bulldogs’ third run of the inning. Arkansas starter Randall Fant was lifted after giving up a base hit to Taylor Terrasas; DJ Baxendale entered the game for the Hogs. Louisiana Tech tacked on one more run with an RBI single by Kyle Roliard. Arkansas got out of the inning with the help of a 1-6-3 double play.
The Razorbacks cut their deficit in half with a pair of runs in the home half of the second. Brett Eibner got things started with a double to left field. With one down, designated hitter Tom Hauskey knocked another double off Louisiana Tech starter Josh Barrett to score Eibner. Arkansas’ second run of the frame came when Hauskey came around to score on a single by Travis Sample.
Eibner collected his second double of the ballgame with an identical shot to left field to lead off the fourth. He moved over to third on a bloop single by Hauskey. Sample drove in the run with an RBI groundout to the shortstop. At the end of four innings, Louisiana Tech led, 4-3.
The relief pitching for both teams controlled the late stages of Tuesday’s ballgame. After Baxendale’s 1.2-inning out, Geoffrey Davenport and Jeremy Heatley combined to keep the Bulldogs off the scoreboard and allowed Arkansas to rally for the tie in the bottom of the eighth.
With his third hit of the game, Eibner drove in the game-tying run with a base hit to left field. Bigham led off the inning with a double to left. Cox advanced the runner with a groundout to second. Eibner pulled the Razorbacks even with his RBI single, which plate Bigham.
With two down in the bottom of the ninth, Monk Kreder lined a shot to right center. The ball hopped over the fence and Kreder pulled into second with a ground-rule double. He had just entered the game the previous half inning, replacing James McCann at catcher. Louisiana Tech went to its bullpen with the potential winning run on second. Reliever Trevor Petersen responded by striking out Kuhn to send the game into extra innings.
The Razorbacks return to Fayetteville to take on South Carolina this weekend in the final regular-season home series of the year. Friday’s opener against the Gamecocks is scheduled for a 6:35 p.m. start at Baum Stadium. The conference matchup will be televised by Cox Sports Television.
Courtesy: Zach Lawson, Athletic Media Relations
OXFORD, Miss. – Mike Bolsinger pitched a career-high eight innings and Andy Wilkins tallied three RBI to lead the No. 10 University of Arkansas baseball team to a 7-0 win over 11th-ranked Ole Miss Sunday afternoon at Oxford-University Stadium. By taking two of three from the Rebels over the weekend, the Razorbacks move back into sole possession of first place in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference. The shutout is Arkansas’ second of the season; on March 13, the Hogs beat Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 7-0.
Making his first start since April 2, Bolsinger limited the Ole Miss offense to two hits, singles in the second and eighth innings. The senior right hander also tallied a career-high 11 strikeouts and walked just three Rebel hitters. Bolsinger struck out the side two times and only allowed two runners to advance to second during Sunday’s ballgame. His previous high for strikeouts came last season when he fanned eight against California.
After stranding four base runners through the first three innings, Arkansas (37-11, 16-8 SEC) broke through with a run in the top of the fourth. Wilkins drew a walk out of Ole Miss starter David Goforth to lead off the frame. Travis Sample followed with a hit-and-run single through the right side of the infield that moved Wilkins around to third. Tim Carver drove in the Hogs’ first run with an infield single to the shortstop.
The Razorbacks eventually loaded the bases in the fourth after Collin Kuhn was hit by a pitch but Ole Miss (34-15, 15-9 SEC) escaped further damage when Bo Bigham lined a shot to the outfield but right at centerfielder Tim Ferguson. Kuhn has now been hit by a pitch 23 times this season, bettering the previous mark held by Joe Jester (1999). The Beaver Dam, Wis., native has now been hit more times than he’s walked (16) this season.
Arkansas took a 3-0 lead in the fifth on a two-run shot by Wilkins, his 13 home run of the season. Brett Eibner picked up a one-out single to get on base ahead of the Razorback first baseman. Wilkins deposited a 1-1 offering from Goforth over the fence in right field. The home run is the 40th career long ball for Wilkins, moving him into sole possession of fourth place on Arkansas’ all-time home runs list.
The Hogs tacked on their fourth run in the sixth. Carver was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. He moved on to second after a misplayed pickoff attempt and advanced to third on a fly out by James McCann. Carver eventually came in to score on a sacrifice fly by Kuhn.
With three runs in the top of the seventh, Arkansas pushed its lead to 7-0. Cox opened the inning with a walk and Eibner followed with a double to left to put two runners in scoring position. Wilkins drove in his third run of the game with a groundout to first. Monk Kreder and Carver tallied RBI singles to push the Razorbacks’ final two runs across the plate. Carver finished the game with two RBI.
Jordan Pratt pitched a perfect ninth inning to preserve the shutout. It was Arkansas’ first conference shutout since April 19 of last season, a 2-0 victory at Georgia.
The Razorbacks get back to action Tuesday in a non-conference matchup with Louisiana Tech at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock. It will be the team’s first trip to Central Arkansas since the 1986 season. Following its midweek game, Arkansas return to Baum Stadium for its final regular-season matchup, a three-game set with South Carolina.
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