ATHENS, Ga. - Georgia threatened Arkansas twice Friday night in the opening game of their SEC series.
The Bulldogs had runners on second and third with one out in the first and ninth innings, but No. 14 Arkansas didn’t allow a run either time as the Razorbacks held on for a 2-0 victory in front of 2,043 at Foley Field.
In between, it was all Barrett Astin.
The junior right-hander didn’t give up a run and allowed only 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 8 over 8 innings as the Razorbacks turned in their sixth shutout of the season.
It was an inauspicious start for Astin (3-2), who loaded the bases with two out in the first inning before escaping trouble by retiring Daniel Nichols on a fly out to end the inning. Astin settled in from there and cruised into the ninth, when he gave way to closer Colby Suggs.
Suggs gave up two hits to lead off the ninth inning, but he retired Sean McLaughlin on a fly out to left field for the second out and struck out Jess Posey to end the game and record his sixth save of the season.
“I was throwing the ball right down the middle and they were hitting it, and then I walked a guy. I almost blew it,” Astin said of his early troubles. “I just had to go out and compete and get myself out of that jam and went from there.”
Astin said after the game that he chipped one of his nails in the first inning when he caught it on the seam of the ball. He cut the rest of the nail off between innings before returning to the mound for the second inning.
“I was working without a nail throughout the game, but it didn’t affect me as much as I thought it would,” Astin said. “I was still successful.”
Arkansas third basemen Brian Anderson continued his hot streak, going 2 for 3 with 2 singles to raise his batting average to .331. Anderson drove in the game’s first run with a single that brought home Jake Morris in the third inning. Anderson got ahead in the count against Georgia starter Patrick Boling, then drove a fastball into left field.
“He took a little bit off,” Anderson said. “I was barely able to keep it fair. It tipped off his glove, and I was lucky enough to get an RBI right there.”
The Razorbacks (28-15, 12-7 SEC) scored their other run in an odd eighth inning that saw two batters hit by pitches. Catcher Jake Wise was credited with an RBI when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to push Matt Vinson across the plate for Arkansas’ final run.
Arkansas finished with only three hits, compared to six by Georgia (16-27, 4-15), but Anderson said that was misleading because it didn’t reflect how many good swings the Razorbacks put on the ball.
“We split a couple of balls up, but we didn’t end up with much to show for it,” Anderson said. “I feel like we’ve got to step it up a little bit. We’ve got to attack the zone early.
“That guy was coming after us, and we were down in the count a lot. We’ve got to be more aggressive early.”
Anderson said he hopes the momentum from Friday night carries over to the rest of the weekend. Arkansas is 6-1 in SEC road games this season, and Friday’s victory was the third consecutive for the Razorbacks.
“It’s definitely a confidence boost when you get a win on Friday night,” Anderson said. “Even if you beat them just by two, that’s good enough.”
AUBURN 3, MISSOURI 1
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Garrett Cooper hit lead off home runs in the fourth and sixth innings as Auburn (25-16, 7-12 SEC) defeated Missouri (13-24, 5-14) on Friday night at Taylor Stadium.
Cooper, who came in as the team leader with four home runs, took a 1-0 Rob Zastryzny pitch over the wall in center in the fourth and an 0-2 pitch out to left for Auburn’s first two-home-run game by an individual since Brian Fletcher hit two in the 18-4 victory at Ole Miss on May 21, 2010.
The two home runs made a winner out of Conner Kendrick (3-2), who went a career-long 8 1/3 innings and tied his career-high with eight strikeouts.
FLORIDA 7, TENNESSEE 2
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Freshman left hander Danny Young threw a career-high 52/3 scoreless innings and Florida (24-19, 11-8 SEC) belted a season-high three home runs in a victory over Tennessee (17-23, 5-14 ) at McKethan Stadium.
Young (3-3) gave up six hits while sophomores Justin Shafer (Lake Wales, Fla.) (2 for 4, 2 RBI), Taylor Gushue (2 for 4, 3 RBI, 2 runs) and Casey Turgeon (2 for 3, 2 runs) each hit home runs. The Gators have won 10 of their past 11 outings and eight consecutive at home.
ALABAMA 3, TEXAS A&M 2
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Ben Moore and Brett Booth hit home runs in consecutive innings as the Crimson Tide (26-18, 10-9 SC) defeated Texas A&M (22-21, 7-12) at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
Senior right-hander Charley Sullivan (4-4) struck out 3 in 7 innings while allowing only 2 runs on 6 hits and 2walks. Junior right-hander Tucker Hawley relieved Sullivan in the eighth inning and didn’t give up a hit while allowing one walk. Freshman right-hander Ray Castillo didn’t give up a hit in the final inning and allowed only one walk en route to his team-leading seventh save.
Daniel Mengden (4-2) took the loss, striking out 6 in 7 innings and allowing 3 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks.
Alabama right fielder Ben Moore led the offensive charge with a two-run home run in the first inning and a pair of walks, and senior catcher Brett Booth added a home run in the second.
LSU 5, SOUTH CAROLINA 2
BATON ROUGE - Sophomore right hander Austin Nola (8-0) threw his third consecutive complete game at Alex Box Stadium, lifting LSU (39-4, 16-3 SEC) to victory over South Carolina (31-12, 11-8 SEC).
The Tigers’ 39-4 overall mark is the best 43-game record in school history, and LSU’s 16-3 league record is the school’s best conference mark since the 1986 team went 16-3.
Nola became the first LSU pitcher to throw three consecutive complete games since left-hander Greg Smith in 2005, who accomplished the same feat against Ole Miss, Arkansas and Vanderbilt. Nola allowed 2 runs on 6 hits Friday while striking out 8. He won for the eighth time this season in eight decisions as he limited the Gamecocks to 2 runs on 6 hits with 8 strikeouts.
OLE MISS 11, KENTUCKY 5
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss (31-13, 11-9 SEC) scored four runs on four hits in the first inning to jump out to an early lead, then held on against Kentucky (25-17, 8-12) to even the series at Swayze Field.
Kentucky starter Jerad Grundy (5-5) took the loss, allowing 12 hits and 9 runs while walking 2 and striking out 2 over 52/3 innings.
Ole Miss starter Mike Mayers (3-4) picked up the victory, allowing just an infield single and 3 runs - 1 earned - while walking 3 and and striking out 8 over 6 innings. Right-hander Chris Ellis worked 1 1/3 innings, allowing 3 hits and 2 runs while walking 1 and striking out 2. Jeremy Massie picked up the final four outs for the Rebs.
VANDERBILT 3, MISSISSIPPI STATE 1
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Vanderbilt (37-6, 17-2 SEC) held off a ninth-inning rally by Mississippi State (33-11, 10-9) to win the series opener at Hawkins Field.
The Commodores took a 3-1 lead into the top of the ninth before the Bulldogs made it interesting.
Wes Rea opened the inning with a single to center field off closer Brian Miller. Miller made a nice play on a come backer to the mound to get the lead runner at second base for the first out of the inning, but Mississippi State responded with a single by Demarcus Henderson and a walk to pinch-hitter Trey Porter to load the bases.
With the tying run at second and one out, pinch-hitter Sam Frost hit a ground ball to Tony Kemp, and the second baseman scooped up the grounder and flipped the ball to shortstop Vince Conde, who fired to first base to complete the Commodores’ second double play of the night and end the game.
The play sealed Miller’s 12th save of the year, breaking the Vanderbilt school record for saves in a single season.
Commodores starter Kevin Ziomek (8-2) allowed 1 run on 4 hits with 9 strikeouts over 7 innings. The junior struck out five of the first 12 Bulldogs he faced and turned in at least seven innings for the eighth time this season.
Today’s game ARKANSAS AT GEORGIA
WHEN 11 a.m. Central today WHERE Foley Field, Athens, Ga.
RECORDS Arkansas 28-15, 12-7 SEC; Georgia 16-27, 4-15 RADIO Razorbacks Sports Network. Not all games will be carried by affiliates.
Check local listings.
TELEVISION Fox Sports Southwest INTERNET arkansasrazorbacks.com PITCHING MATCHUP Arkansas: Ryne Stanek (RHP 5-2, 1.63 ERA). Georgia: Sean McLaughlin (RHP 4-4, 3.33 ERA).
SHORT HOPS Arkansas now has a 27-20 series lead over Georgia. ... Sunday’s pitching matchup will be Arkansas left hander Randall Fant (3-1, 2.32 ERA) vs Georgia right-hander Bryan Benzor (3-2, 4.38 ERA)
THE WEEK AHEAD
TODAY at Georgia, 11 a.m.
SUNDAY at Georgia, 1 p.m.
MONDAY Off TUESDAY vs Missouri State, 6:35 p.m.
WEDNESDAY Off THURSDAY Off FRIDAY at Kentucky, 5:30 p.m.
THURSDAY’S GAME
Kentucky 3, Mississippi 2
FRIDAY’S GAMES All times Central
Auburn 3, Missouri 1 Florida 7, Tennessee 2 Arkansas 2, Georgia 0 Alabama 3, Texas A&M 2 Mississippi 11, Kentucky 5 Vanderbilt 3, Mississippi State 1 LSU 5, South Carolina 2
TODAY’S GAMES
Arkansas at Georgia, 11 a.m.
Mississippi State at Vanderbilt, noon Auburn at Missouri, 2 p.m.
Kentucky at Mississippi, 2:15 p.m.
Texas A&M at Alabama, 6 p.m.
Tennessee at Florida, 6 p.m.
South Carolina at LSU, 6:30 p.m.
SUNDAY’S GAMES
Tennessee at Florida, noon Arkansas at Georgia, 1 p.m.
Texas A&M at Alabama, 1 p.m.
Auburn at Missouri, 1 p.m.
Mississippi State at Vanderbilt, 1 p.m.
South Carolina at LSU, 2 p.m.
Sports, Pages 19 on 04/27/2013