Miscues Cost Diamond Hogs in 5-4 Loss to Ole Miss

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. Brian Walker’s passed ball with the bases loaded in the top of the eighth inning gave Ole Miss a 5-4 win over No. 10 Arkansas in front of 8,033 fans at Baum Stadium Thursday night.

It was the fourth loss in the last five games for the Razorbacks, who fell to 37-17 on the season and 18-11 in Southeastern Conference play. The Rebels improve to 34-20 and 15-13 in league action. Vanderbilt clinched the overall SEC title with a 4-1 win over LSU. Alabama’s win over Mississippi State has Arkansas one win away from winning the SEC West.

The top of the eighth started with a bunt single by leadoff hitter Jordan Henry. A walk to Zack Cozart put runners on first and second. Justin Henry then sacrificed him over and the Hogs intentionally walked Cody Overbeck.

That was the end of the night for Nick Schmidt as Travis Hill came in to face the right-handed hitting Zach Miller. Hill’s first pitch got away from Walker, allowing Jordan Henry to race in from third base for the winning run. Hill got out of the inning with a strikeout and a comebacker.

Will Kline worked six-impressive inning with a career-high tying 13 strikeouts. He got a no decision, leaving with the game tied at 4-4. Cody Satterwhite got the win out of the bullpen to improve to 4-2. The only hit he surrendered was an infield hit to Logan Forsythe, who was then cut down on an attempted delayed steal of home to end the seventh inning.

Schmidt suffered his second straight loss to fall to 9-3 on the season. He allowed five runs – four earned – on six hits in 7.1 innings. He walked three and struck out four. Hill worked 1.2-scoreless innings out of the bullpen.

Forsythe collected four of the Razorbacks’ seven hits on the night to tie his career high in hits. He also drove in a run and scored a run.

Wayne Horzek gave the Hogs a 4-3 lead in the bottom half of the fifth inning with a pinch-hit, three-run home run. It was Hrozek’s third home run of the season and the first pinch-hit home run by an Arkansas player since Jake Dugger at Auburn on April 3, 2005.

But the Rebels manufactured the tying run in the top of the sixth inning. Schmidt plunked Cozart on a 1-2 pitch to lead off the inning, his SEC-high 20th hit batter of the year. After numerous pick-off attempts to first base, Schmidt was called for a balk. After several more pick-off attempt to second base, Cozart swiped third base and then scored on Overbeck’s sacrifice fly to right field.

With two outs and Logan Forsythe on third base with a 2-2 count on Brian Walker, the Razorbacks tried a delayed steal of home, but the Rebels caught on and threw him out at the plate to end the inning.

The Razorbacks jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on Logan Forsythe’s triple off the center field wall that scored Jake Dugger, who led off the game with a base on balls. Forsythe was stranded on third after three straight Hog strikeouts.

Two hanging curve balls with two strikes in the fifth inning led to two home runs and a 3-1 Rebels’ lead. Schmidt hung an 0-2 Overbeck to lead off the inning and he hammered it over into the Hogs’ bullpen in left field. After a single by Zach Miller, Logan Power crushed a 1-2 hanging curve ball over the left-field fence.

— HOGS

Download: AR54 – 5.17.07.pdf