FAYETTEVILLE - Jonathan Moroney hit a pinch hit grand slam in the eighth inning as Texas A&M rallied from a three-run deficit against Arkansas’ stellar bullpen to grab a 5-3 series-opening victory Friday night at Baum Stadium.
Arkansas, ranked No. 12 by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball, squandered a strong start by Barrett Astin, who left with a 3-0 lead in the sixth inning.
Texas A&M (21-18, 6-10 SEC), which had lost nine of its previous 12 games, broke a streak of four series-opening losses.
“We’ve been hit in the mouth several times the last three weeks and for us to find enough courage to find a way to win tonight was huge for our confidence and where we are as a team,” Texas A&M Coach Rob Childress said.
Arkansas (25-15, 9-7) lost its fourth game in a row and its seventh in nine games. The Razorbacks have scored three runs or less in the losing streak and just 10 runs in the seven losses.
“I’m not concerned about spiraling,” Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said. “I’m just concerned about getting a win. That’s just the way itgoes. Our bullpen has been good all year and … we gave up a three-run lead tonight with nine outs to get. So that was disappointing.”
Astin worked 5 1/3 scoreless innings, throwing 50 strikes in 88 pitches. The right-hander gave up a one-out double to Troy Stein in the sixth inning and then walked Hunter Melton - for the third consecutive time - before Van Horn replaced him. Brandon Moore induced two swinging strikeouts to escape with no runs allowed.
The Razorbacks still led3-0 through six innings before Moore’s two-base throwing error on a pick off attempt and a sacrifice fly gave Texas A&M its first run.
“You give up three runs against Arkansas the way we did, you usually don’t overcome that with their great pitching staff,” Childress said. “But we found a way, put an inning together.”
“It’s 3-1 and still under our control and more than anything guys came out of our bullpen and, other than Moore who did a great job, our bullpen just didn’t get it done tonight,” Van Horn said.
Arkansas left-hander Jalen Beeks (4-1), whose earned run average was 0.94 entering the game, came on in the eighth and the Aggies got to work.
Cole Lankford and Troy Stein hit back-to-back singles. After a passed ball, Arkansas shortstop Brett McAfee threw Lankford out at the plate on a ground ball.
“McAfee … made a perfect throw to the plate, and it kind of looked like we had it back in order,” Van Horn said.
But Beeks walked pinch-hitter Mikey Reynolds to load the bases and was pulled for hard-throwing Chris Oliver, who immediately fell behind Moroney 2-0.
“Coach comes up to me before the at-bat and says, ‘This guy’s going to be throwing hard. Just let him supply the power. Just put the bat on the ball and good things will happen,’ ” Moroney said. “He just left one up in the zone, and it felt great coming off the bat.”
Childress used three pitchers to get through the seventh, then pushed all the right buttons with his lineup card in the eighth.
“[Moroney] got into an advantage count and got a fastball,” Childress said. “There was no place to put him, and he didn’t miss it.”
Arkansas did not get a runner off A&M closer Jason Jester, who cruised through two innings to notch his 10th save.
Astin kept the Aggies from scoring in the second with an athletic play. Melton had drawn a leadoff walk and advanced to third on a sacrifice and Charlie Curl’s two-out infield single off third baseman Brian Anderson.
No. 9 batter Jace Statum hit a high hopper to Astin’s left that caromed off Astin’s glove. The ball eluded his first pick-up attempt before he grabbed it with his bare hand and sent a back-hand toss to first baseman Dominic Ficociello to beat Statum by a step.
The Razorbacks used small ball and hustle to take a 2-0 lead in the second off A&M right-hander Daniel Mengden. Brian Anderson connected for a lead off single to left field, and he moved to second on Ficociello’s sacrifice bunt. Matt Vinson walked, and both runners moved up on a Mengden wild pitch.
Freshman Jordan Farris, starting his second consecutive SEC game, hit a deep fly ball to right field that easily scored Anderson. When Curl fumbled the relay at second, Vinson kept sprinting around third and his head-first slide just beat the tag attempt by catcher Troy Stein.
Arkansas scored a run in the fourth when Vinson’s double deep to the left-field corner scored Anderson for a 3-0 lead, but the Hogs losta chance to blow it open. Vinson was thrown out at home on Jake Wise’s grounder to third and Arkansas left the bases loaded on Joe Serrano’s strikeout.
Today’s game
TEXAS A&M AT ARKANSAS
WHEN 7:30 p.m.
WHERE Baum Stadium, Fayetteville RECORDS Arkansas 25-15, 9-7 SEC; Texas A&M 22-17, 7-9 TV ESPNU RADIO Razorback Sports Network, which includes KABZ-FM, 103.7, Little Rock; KQSM-FM, 92.1, Fayetteville; KURMAM, 790, Bentonville-Rogers; KASRFM, 92.7, Conway; KHGG-FM, 103.1, Fort Smith; KELD-FM, 106.5, El Dorado; KOMT-FM, 107.5, Mountain Home. Not all games will be carried by affiliates. Check local listings.
INTERNET www.arkansasrazorbacks.com PITCHING MATCHUP Arkansas: RHP Ryne Stanek (4-2, 1.64); Texas A&M LHP Matt Kent (2-1, 3.48 ERA) SHORT HOPS Arkansas is hosting Texas A&M in a series for the first time since taking 2 of 3 from the Aggies on May 5-6, 1990, as Southwest Conference opponents. … Joe Serrano hit lead off for the first time this season, and Jacob Mahan, who had been lead off 24 of the past 27 games, slid to second in the order for the first time. … Arkansas catcher Jake Wise caught the Aggies’ Blake Allemand trying to steal second in the third inning to throw out his 16th runner in 32 attempts. Allemand had been 10 of 13 in steal attempts. … Texas A&M snapped a four-game losing streak in SEC series openers dating to a 4-1 series-opening victory over Georgia on March 15. Arkansas fell to 3-3 in SEC series openers. LOOKING AHEAD TODAY vs. Texas A&M, 7:30 p.m.
SUNDAY vs. Texas A&M, 1 p.m.
MONDAY off TUESDAY vs. Oklahoma, 6:35 p.m.
WEDNESDAY off THURSDAY off FRIDAY at Georgia, 6:30 p.m.
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Texas A&M 5, Arkansas 3 Auburn 3, Mississippi St. 1 LSU 5, Alabama 0 Florida 8, Missouri 6 Mississippi 5, Tennessee 0 Mississippi St. 6, Auburn 3
TODAY’S GAMES
Vanderbilt at Georgia, 11 a.m.
Kentucky at South Carolina, noon Florida at Missouri, 2 p.m.
Mississippi at Tennessee 3 p.m.
Vanderbilt at Georgia, 3 p.m.
Auburn at Mississippi St., 4 p.m.
Kentucky at South Carolina, 4 p.m.
LSU at Alabama, 7 p.m.
Texas A&M at Arkansas, 7:30 p.m.
Sports, Pages 21 on 04/20/2013