Update on Matt Goodheart after injury scare
FAYETTEVILLE — For a moment, Arkansas thought it lost its best hitter to a freak injury Friday night.
Designated hitter Matt Goodheart was slow to get up after diving back into first base on a pickoff attempt in the sixth inning of the Razorbacks’ 11-9 series-opening win over No. 20 Tennessee.
He laid on the ground in obvious pain for several minutes as trainers and head coach Dave Van Horn came out of the dugout to check on him, ultimately staying in the game.
It looked like it might be a serious injury, but Van Horn described it as a “strained” shoulder when asked about it afterward.
“I’m not going to say it popped out, but he hurt it a little bit,” Van Horn said. “At first he was in a lot of pain and then it kind of went away.”
Not only did Goodheart tough it out, but he made a critical play just a few batters later. With two outs and Arkansas clinging to a one-run lead, he scored from second on a hard-hit single by Jack Kenley.
Although the throw from left fielder Alerick Soularie - his former teammate at San Jacinto C.C. - beat Goodheart to the plate, he managed to swim around catcher Landon Gray’s tag and touch home plate on a play that stood even after a replay review.
“What I was told - I haven’t seen the replay - is that he slid and kind of lifted his arm and (the catcher) swiped and missed,” Van Horn said. “Great job by Goodheart. … That was a big-time slide.”
It was a huge insurance run and, more importantly, extended inning to allow Jacob Nesbit to hit a two-run double, which proved to be the final margin.
Once he was back in the dugout, the team doctors examined his shoulder and found that he was fine. That was a relief for Van Horn, who said the whole situation was a “little scary.”
“He said he was tight and he’ll probably be sore tomorrow, but he felt like he could swing,” Van Horn said. “He went upstairs and swung in the locker room, showed our trainer he could do it.”
Goodheart told the coaches he didn’t feel any pain when he fouled off a pitch in his next at bat, even though he eventually struck out.
That capped his 2-for-5 night that included an RBI and extended his on-base streak to 21 games. Despite maintaining his team-high .385 batting average, it actually lowered his batting average in SEC games to .439.
Game 2 of the series is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Saturday and will be streamed on SEC Network-plus, meaning it can be watched online on ESPN3.com or on the WatchESPN app.
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