Pacific stuns Arkansas with walk-off win

By Matt Jones

Posted: March 3, 2013 at 1:15 p.m.

Matt Jones
Pacific's Brett Sullivan is greeted at home plate by a teammate after scoring the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning Sunday in Surprise, Ariz.

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SURPRISE, Ariz. — Just when it appeared Arkansas would end a frustrating weekend with a win, the Razorbacks let another close game get away Sunday.

Pacific scored three runs with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to stun Arkansas 4-3 at the Coca-Cola Classic. The No. 2 Razorbacks finished the event 0-4.

If it could go wrong, it did for Arkansas in the final frame. After Brett Sullivan's RBI single pulled the Tigers within 3-2, Pacific tied the game when Razorbacks shortstop Brett McAfee failed to cleanly field a routine ground ball, allowing Tyler Sullivan to score from third.

Relief pitcher Brandon Moore then hit Dustin Torchio to load the bases before Erik Lockwood's game-winning RBI single with the count full. The Tigers (4-6) had lost their first two games in Surprise by a combined 15-4 to Arizona State and Gonzaga.

Moore had stranded the bases loaded in the eighth inning after inheriting two runners from Jalen Beeks. The Razorbacks added an insurance run in the top of the ninth when Eric Fisher was hit by a pitch and scored on McAfee's sacrifice fly. Arkansas had taken a 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth when Tyler Spoon scored on a sacrifice fly by Brian Anderson.

Arkansas (7-5) stranded eight runners Sunday, including five in scoring position. The Razorbacks stranded 30 runners in the four-game losing streak.

All of the Arkansas' runs were scored by leadoff batters in the inning. Arkansas put the leadoff man on four times Sunday after combining for four leadoff runners the first three games in Surprise.

Matt Vinson led off the game with a triple and scored on a Spoon sacrifice fly, but the Tigers answered in the bottom of the first when Brett Sullivan led off with a double and scored two batters later.

That was the only run Randall Fant allowed in his first outing of the season after missing two weeks with a hamstring injury. The senior left-hander allowed four hits in four innings, striking out five in a no-decision.

Pacific starter Michael Benson threw 117 pitches in eight innings of a no-decision, allowing two runs on eight hits and striking out three.

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Good its about time pigs found out hype doesn't make a good baseball team, but it sure does get the stupid to buy tickets.

Posted by: Moneymyst

March 3, 2013 at 6:56 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )