Tennessee Salvages One from Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – For the second straight game the Arkansas Razorbacks and Tennessee Volunteers played 10 innings of baseball, but this time it was Tennessee that ended up on the winning side as the Volunteers pulled out a 7-6 victory at Baum Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Down by two heading into the bottom of the ninth, Arkansas (22-17, 7-10 SEC) loaded the bases with no one out and pushed two runners across the plate to tie the game and force extra innings. Tennessee (23-16, 10-8 SEC) would come back with the game winning run in the top of the 10th on an RBI double down the right field line.

The Razorbacks tied the game in the ninth and had a chance to put the Volunteers away as they loaded the bases with no one out. Tim Smalling led off with a single to center field and was followed by a hit batter and a walk to the eight and nine hitters. Chase Leavitt would also get hit by a pitch to drive in Arkansas’ fifth run and Ben Tschepikow walked in the tying run keeping the bases loaded with no outs.

Tennessee would change pitchers in hopes of getting out of the jam and Steve Crnkovich’s first pitch to Logan Forsythe would prove to be a turning point as Forsythe hit a ground ball to the shortstop who fired home for the force out at the plate. The way the ball was hit froze the Arkansas runner at second and a throw to third by the catcher completed a double play and put runners on first and second with two outs rather than bases loaded with one. A ground ball out by the next batter ended the Arkansas inning.

The Volunteers would get the go-ahead runner across the plate in the 10th when Cody Brown took a 1-1 pitch with two outs down the right field line for a double that scored pinch-runner Alan Wright from second base.

Tennessee wasted no time scoring the game’s first run in the top of the first inning when Kentrall Davis hit a one-out triple to right-center field. He would score on a ground out to short to give the Volunteers a 1-0 lead. The Tennessee advantage would not last long as Arkansas came right back with one in the bottom of the same inning after a leadoff single by Leavitt would eventually lead to a sacrifice fly by Jeff Nutt.

Arkansas would fall behind in the top of the third, but came back with one run when Nutt hit a RBI single down the right-field line making it 3-2, Tennessee.

The Razorbacks would take their first lead of the ball game in the bottom of the sixth inning when they scored two runs on two hits. Nutt walked and stole second, the second steal of his career. Brett Eibner followed with a one-out double and was driven in by Jacob House who hit a single to right-center.

Tennessee would tie the game at four in the seventh with a RBI single and the piled on two more in the eighth on a home run and a pair of hits.

For the Razorbacks Smalling and Leavitt each had two hits while Nutt was credited with just one official at-bat in which he singled, but also drew two walks before being replaced by a pinch runner. Leavitt’s two hits and a walk led to two runs and a RBI. Nutt and Cisterna each extended their hitting streaks to eight games.

The Razorbacks stay at home as they continue a six-game home stand against Northern Colorado on Tuesday evening at 6:35 p.m. For more information regarding Razorback baseball or University of Arkansas athletics please visit www.hogwired.com.