Not a subscriber? Subscribe for free for 30 days w/code HAWGS30
NEW USERS | RETURNING USERS
HawgBeat's coverage of the Diamond Hogs' Road to Omaha is brought to you by CJ's Butcher Boy Burgers, which has locations in Fayetteville and Russellville.
There would be no walk-off at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on Sunday.
A day after Arkansas let a series-clinching victory slip through its fingers, the SEC’s best pitcher retired the SEC’s best hitter to strand the tying run on base and seal a 3-2 win over Tennessee.
The Volunteers managed to score a run off Kevin Kopps in the ninth inning, but the Razorbacks’ ace reliever got Liam Spence - who came into the series hitting just under .400 - to fly out and end the game.
It capped a tight series in which each game was decided by one run and gave Arkansas its ninth straight SEC series victory of the season, which includes six that came down to a rubber match.
“They show up every day and they play hard and they think they can win,” head coach Dave Van Horn said. “Somebody usually steps up and gets it done, whether it’s a hitter or a pitcher or somebody who’s been struggling all of a sudden has a great game, and we don’t get too uptight.”
The Razorbacks had a two-run cushion entering the ninth inning, butt was far from a comfortable lead, as they led 7-5 going into the ninth Saturday only to lose on a three-run walk-off home run by Max Ferguson.
Unavailable to pitch in that game because of a long outing Friday night, though, Kopps had to watch from the dugout as Tennessee celebrated its dramatic win. Despite things getting interesting, it was a different story Sunday.
“We just know whenever he goes in there, we’re going to win,” teammate Robert Moore said. “You have a good feeling you have a chance to win whenever Kevin’s in the game.”
The right-hander sat down the first eight batters he faced before allowing a leadoff double to Luc Lipcius. He bounced back by striking out Jordan Beck and inducing a ground ball by Kyle Booker, which moved Lipcius to third.
Down to their final out, the Volunteers got an RBI single by 9-hole hitter Connor Pavolony to pull within a run. The hit also snapped a 28-inning scoreless streak by Kopps - one shy of the school record of 29 set by David Walling in 1998.
However, it didn’t change the result. Right fielder Cayden Wallace easily secured Spence’s fly ball, which came on Kopps’ 59th pitch of the game - and 125th of the weekend.
Considering Van Horn told reporters the day before that “it’d probably be just a little bit” if he pitched Sunday, it was a surprising pitch count for the sixth-year senior and came just a week after he threw 111 pitches across two outings against Georgia.
The heavy workload didn’t seem to bother him, though, as he continued to strengthen his case for SEC Pitcher of the Year and potentially the Golden Spikes Award.
“He wanted the ball,” Van Horn said. “He wouldn’t come out. He didn’t want to come out. He had better stuff today than he had the other night. It was amazing. His stuff was better today.”
Prior to Pavolony’s RBI, Kopps’ ERA actually dipped to 0.64, but it ticked back up after the hit and sits at 0.80 entering the final week of the regular season. He earned the win to improve to 9-0 and now has 89 strikeouts with only 14 walks in 56 1/3 innings across 24 relief appearances this year.
Manufacturing Runs
Early on, it looked like Arkansas might not need to use Kopps in the game because it jumped on Tennessee starter Blade Tidwell in the first.
The freshman right-hander issued a full-count walk to Matt Goodheart and Wallace followed with a double off the left-center wall. That put runners on second and third with just one out.
The Razorbacks couldn’t capitalize. Instead, Brady Slavens flied out to shallow right field and Beck fired an accurate throw home to nail Goodheart - who tagged up on the play - at the plate.
Tidwell settled down after that. It was the start of a stretch in which he retired 17 of 18 Razorbacks, including 14 straight at one point.
“His performance was electric,” Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello said. “I don’t know what else went on today or this weekend…I doubt anyone threw as well as he did.”
