LEXINGTON, Ky. - When a team plays as many tight games as Arkansas’ baseball team has, it is bound to slip up somewhere along the way.
The No. 14 Razorbacks won the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader against No. 23 Kentucky 5-3, but Arkansas allowed three unearned runs with two out in the ninth inning of the second game to lose 4-3.
Arkansas (32-16, 15-8 SEC) relied on its bullpen all weekend, which was spectacular before allowing three unearned runs 26 outs into Saturday’s nightcap.
“The bullpen was outstanding,” said Van Horn, whose team won the series opener 2-1 Friday night. “Golly, it came in and got it done hitter after hitter and inning after inning. They gave us a chance to hang in there and win the first two ballgames, and they gave us a chance right there to the end in the third.
“We make one play, and we sweep and get out of here.”
Randall Fant started the back end of the doubleheader and pitched 5 1/3 innings, leaving runners on first and second for reliever Michael Gunn. Gunn retired designated hitter Greg Fettes on a popup in foul territory to catcher Jake Wise, and then Wise picked off A.J. Reed at first base to end the inning.
Gunn pitched two perfect innings and Brandon Moore retired the only batter he faced before giving way to left-hander Trent Daniel, who recorded the final out of the eighth and the first of the ninth before allowing two consecutive hits.
Landon Simpson induced a fly out, but shortstop Matt Reida grounded to second where Jordan Farris booted the routine play, which allowed a runner to score.
Kyle Barrett singled in the tying run on his first pitch, and Zac Zellers won the game with a single to center field that scored Reida from second.
“It is bound to happen,” Van Horn said. “You just want the other team to earn it. We don’t want to give them anything, and we gave them all three runs. They were all unearned there in the ninth. That’s disappointing, but it was a good weekend winning two out of three.”
Right-handed starter Ryne Stanek wasn’t his usual dominant self in the first game Saturday. He lasted 5 1/3 innings, giving up 3 earned runs for the first time in SEC play this season on 7 hits. Left-handed reliever Jalen Beeks inherited runners on first and second from Stanek - the tying and leading runs at that point in the game - and stranded both.
Gunn retired all eight batters he faced in 2 2/3 innings. Closer Colby Suggs pitched a perfect ninth, including two strikeouts, to earn his 10th save of the season. He is two saves away from tying the school record for saves in a season.
Before the second game Saturday, Suggs had saved six consecutive victories. Van Horn said Suggs was unavailable to pitch in the second game, considering he pitched hours earlier, so he was forced to go with a closer-by-committee approach to the second game.
The Razorbacks’ bullpen pitched 10 1/3 innings in the series against Kentucky (27-19, 10-14), giving up 7 hits, 3 runs (none earned) with 9 strikeouts and 1 walk.
Arkansas has won 10 of 15 SEC games this season by one- or two-run margins, and four of its seven conference losses are by two runs or fewer.
Left fielder Brian Anderson, who was 3 for 4 with a two-run home run in Game 1 and 1 for 2 in Game 2, said playing such close games throughout the season is good if the team is built to win with a quality bullpen, but there will be hiccups along the way.
“You’re living on the edge,” Anderson said. “It’s a double-edged sword. That’s really the way it falls sometimes. We really just need to put more runs up on the board for our bullpen because they’ve been throwing outstanding for us. I think this was bound to happen, scoring in the first inning and then not scoring for the rest of the game.
“We really can’t let that happen as an offense.”
Sports, Pages 21 on 05/05/2013