FAYETTEVILLE — Georgia held back its No. 1 starting pitcher, senior Ryan Webb, for Sunday’s series finale against the No. 1 Arkansas Razorbacks.
The University of Arkansas went with junior Caleb Bolden, who made just his second SEC start.
It was a matchup that favored the Bulldogs with the series tied 1-1, but Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn didn’t see it that way.
“You have to be confident and you have to think you’re going to win,” Van Horn said after the Razorbacks rallied to beat the Bulldogs 5-3 at Baum-Walker Stadium. “If we would have had the mindset of, ‘Oh, we’re not sure who we’re throwing and they’re throwing their No. 1 pitcher, we can’t beat them,’ we might as well not even show up.”
UP NEXT
No. 1 Arkansas vs. Arkansas State
WHEN 6:30 p.m., Tuesday
WHERE Baum-Walker Stadium, Fayetteville
RECORDS Arkansas 36-9; Arkansas State 16–24
SERIES First meeting
RADIO Razorback Sports Network
TELEVISION None
INTERNET SEC Network-Plus
SHORT HOPS Arkansas is tied for the SEC overall lead with Tennessee, which is coached by former Razorbacks assistant Tony Vitello. The Razorbacks play at Tennessee this weekend. …With 7 1/3 scoreless innings in 2 appearances against Georgia, Kevin Kopps lowered his national-leading ERA to 0.72 in 49 2/3 innings. He has 83 strikeouts and 13 walks. Kopps’ numbers in SEC play are even more impressive. In 40 innings in 14 conference games, his ERA is 0.45 with 65 strikeouts and 8 walks. … Matt Goodheart hit his team-leading 12th home run Sunday. He has hit 7 home runs in SEC games. … Robert Moore is second with 11 home runs and Christian Franklin and Brady Slavens have 10 each. … Arkansas improved to 22-5 at home. The losses are to Oklahoma, Alabama, Auburn, Texas A&M and Georgia. … The Razorbacks have won all eight of their SEC series. … Coach Dave Van Horn said he’s 90% sure freshman Jaxon Wiggins (3-0, 5.11 ERA) will start for the Razorbaks against Arkansas State on Tuesday night.
THE WEEK AHEAD
TODAY Off
TUESDAY vs. Arkansas State, 6:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY Off
THURSDAY Off
FRIDAY at Tennessee, 5:30 p.m.
SATURDAY at Tennessee, 11 a.m.
SUNDAY at Tennessee, Noon
Van Horn said the coaches expressed confidence in their pregame team meeting.
“We were talking about it this morning that [the Bulldogs] didn’t know what they were in for,” Van Horn said. “That’s kind of the message we were sending to the players from the coaches.
“We were trying to let them know that we feel like we’re going to win, we don’t care who they’re pitching. Our guys, I think they liked it and I think they bought into it. But they still had to go back it up.”
Arkansas backed it up with 10 hits — including home runs by Matt Goodheart and Jalen Battles — and 4 1/3 scoreless innings from reliever Kevin Kopps.
The Razorbacks (36-9, 17-7 SEC) improved to 5-0 this season in the finale of conference series that are tied 1-1.
“I think we just focus on bringing energy, and we never really get down on ourselves in any game,” Kopps said. “Momentum shifts between teams, but I think we do a good job of holding our own in these types of games.”
It was the 10th SEC game this season in which Kopps (7-0) went three or more innings. He pitched the final three innings in the Razorbacks’ 3-0 victory over the Bulldogs on Friday night when he threw 54 pitches. He threw 57 pitches Sunday.
“He’s a closer, but he’s also just a finisher,” Van Horn said. “He could start if we needed him to. He’s a little different than a lot of guys.
“We knew that he had some pitches left in him. We didn’t have to throw him [Saturday when Georgia won 7-3] and that we probably could get 60 or 70 pitches out of him. He had pretty good stuff.”
The 4 1/3 innings were a season-high for Kopps.
“He’s just a competitor,” Van Horn said. “He wanted the ball.”
Kopps came into the game for Caden Monke with two outs in the fifth inning and Georgia leading 3-0 with Corey Collins on first base.
After Kopps got Connor Tate on a groundout to keep it a three-run game, the Razorbacks got going offensively against Webb.
“There was probably a little bit different feeling,” Van Horn said of how Kopps coming into the game affected the Razorbacks. “Like, ‘We probably got a couple innings here where they’re not going to score, we’ve got to catch up.’ ”
Battles’ two-run single in the fifth inning pulled Arkansas within 3-2. Goodheart’s home run over the center-field wall in the sixth inning tied it 3-3.
“He took a couple of borderline pitches and it was a 2-0 count and he got rewarded,” Van Horn said of Goodheart’s team-leading 12th home run. “He got that fastball he was hunting and he didn’t miss it.
“It didn’t matter which way the wind was blowing, unless it was blowing in really hard, because that ball was crushed. I would say it was at least 450 [feet].”
Battles led off the seventh inning with a home run that also went over the center-field wall to give the Razorbacks a 4-3 lead.
“I know the wind helped that ball a little bit, but he put a good swing on it,” Van Horn said. “He hit it a little bit toward the end of the bat, but obviously it carried 400-plus.”
After reliever Darryn Pasqua came in for Webb and walked Zack Gregory and Brady Slavens, Christian Franklin hit a single to score Braydon Webb — who pinch ran for Gregory — to add another run in the seventh inning.
Ryan Webb (3-4) gave up 8 hits and 4 earned runs in 6 1/3 innings after holding Auburn scoreless for six innings last weekend. Earlier this season, he held Vanderbilt to one run in six innings.
“Just a really good comeback for us against probably one of the top pitchers in the league,” Van Horn said. “I know his record doesn’t maybe show it … but his stuff is really good. He kept us off balance a few innings there and got out of a jam or two, but that’s what good pitchers do. That’s why they get to start.”
Georgia got the tying runs on base with one out in the eighth when Collins and Garrett Blaylock singled, but Kopps struck out Riley King and Chaney Rogers swinging.
Kopps then retired the Bulldogs (28-18, 11-13) in order in the ninth and struck out Ben Anderson to end the game.
“He’s got one of the best breaking balls in college baseball,” Georgia Coach Scott Stricklin said of Kopps on the Bulldogs’ postgame radio show. “You can see why he’s successful, he can throw it any time.
“We knew what he was going to do. And that’s the amazing thing — our hitters know what’s coming and they still can’t hit it. That’s how good that guy is.”
Kopps appreciated the instant run support.
“It’s always nice when your offense starts scoring runs when you’re in the game,” he said. “I think as a team, overall the morale starts coming up. You start gaining momentum in the dugout.”
The Razorbacks won their 10th game when trailing by three or more runs.
“Coming back, we’ve done it a lot,” Van Horn said. “We could feel it in the dugout that we were starting to get better swings on Webb there. We felt like we were going to get him.
“Then when we scored two in the fifth, we felt it was just a matter of time. When we were down one run it felt like we were going to win the game, honestly.”
Bolden pitched 2 1/3 innings, allowing 3 earned runs on 3 hits with 3 strikeouts and 1 walk. Monke did not give up a run in 2 1/3 innings for relief for Arkansas.