RADIO: HawgSports segment on Drivetime | 4.9.18
Hill on the Hill for important visit (7:20 p.m. update)
Arkansas avoided a major upset, using a 4-run rally in the eighth inning to stun Grambling State, 7-6, in front of an electric crowd of 8,470 fans in Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock on Tuesday night.
Hog hitters struggled to solve Grambling State's strategy of shuffling pitchers every inning, only scoring 1 run in the first six frames. A 4-run, 4-hit eighth inning, capped off by Eric Cole's two-out, two-RBI single, pushed Arkansas ahead 7-6 for good. Matt Cronin recorded his seventh save of the season, sitting down GSU in order in the top of the ninth.
After Elijah Saunders pitched the first two innings, Grambling State played musical relievers, sending in a new pitcher every inning for the final seven innings. The Tigers looked to be in good shape up 6-3 following a 4-run eighth, but surrendered 4 runs themselves in the bottom of the inning, losing by one and just missing college baseball's biggest upset of the year.
Here's how the Hogs found a way to win in Central Arkansas:
THE WINNING INNINGS
Grambling State's Marshawn Taylor recorded the first hit of the ballgame with a single in the top of the first then advanced to second on a wild pitch from Caleb Bolden. Richard Ortiz knocked through an RBI single down the left field line, scoring Taylor and giving the Tigers an early 1-0 lead.
After Grambling made its second pitching change of the game, Evan Lee and Heston Kjerstad logged singles to put runners at the corners with no outs in the bottom of the fourth. Dominic Fletcher singled to third on a swinging bunt dribbler, scoring Lee and tying the game 1-1. The Hogs stranded the go-ahead run at third base to end the inning.
In the top of the fifth, Drexler Macaay hit a leadoff single and advanced to second on a wild pitch from Bolden, his third of the game. Ace Felder scored Macaay with a two-out RBI single to center, only his third RBI of the year, to give Grambling a 2-1 lead.
Carson Shaddy led of the bottom of the seventh with a lead off walk. Hunter Wilson then singled to left, advancing Shaddy to third base. A GSU wild pitch brough Shaddy home and tied the game again 2-2. Later that inning, Evan Lee laid down a swinging bunt and reached on a fielding error by the Tigers' pitcher, scoring Wilson and giving Arkansas a 3-2 lead.
A missed grounder by Shaddy appeared to be an error but was ruled a single, putting a Tiger runner on with one out instead of recording the second out of the inning. Following a hit batter by Kole Ramage, Grambling State came through with two straight RBI's to take a 4-3 lead in the top of the 8th. Jackson Rutledge entered in relief and immediately surrendered a two-out, two-RBI to right center. The 4-hit, 4-run eighth inning gave Grambling State a 6-3 advantage.
Three straight base knocks - a double by Fletcher, an RBI single by McFarland and a single by Martin - scored a run and put two runners on with no outs. Shaddy walked to load the bases, and Biggers hit an RBI sacrifice fly to center field, making it 6-5 Tigers with two outs. Eric Cole then hit a massive two-outs, two-RBI single to right field, scoring Shaddy from first base on a bobbled ball, to push the Hogs ahead 7-6 in the bottom of the eighth.
Matt Cronin took the mound in the top of the ninth and retired the side, clinching his seventh save of the year and giving Arkansas the 7-6 victory.
STAT OF THE GAME
Grambling State's RPI going into Tuesday was 281 out of 297 college baseball teams compared to Arkansas' RPI of 3. The Hogs just escaped a massive upset that would've hurt them with the computers the rest of the season.
While the Hogs were 3 for 13 with runners in scoring position and 2 for 11 with two outs on the board, two areas they've struggled with consistently, 3 of Arkansas' 7 runs were scored with two outs. Eric Cole's two-RBI single to right field with two outs gave the Razorbacks the 1-run win.
The Tigers had a team ERA of 7.12 before tonight's game. Three of the pitchers Arkansas faced tonight had an ERA of 8.58 or worse. The best ERA they saw tonight was 5.27. The Hogs struggled with lower velocity fastballs and having to adjust to a different pitcher every inning. Arkansas averages 8 runs a game which is among the best in the nation.
WINNING PITCHER
WIN: Jackson Rutledge (Arkansas): 1/3 IP (14 pitches), 1 H, 1 K, 0 BB, 0 ER
SAVE: Matt Cronin (Arkansas): 7th save, 1.0 IP (20 pitches), 0 H, 1 K, 0 BB, 0 ER
UP NEXT...
Arkansas welcomes South Carolina to Baum Stadium this weekend for a three-game series on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Thursday's game one is scheduled for 6 pm (CDT) on SEC Network. The Hogs are 6-0 this year at home in conference play.
