FAYETTEVILLE — Jacob House and his Arkansas teammates could smell a sweep through the first five innings of Saturday’s game against Georgia.

The only thing they ended up sweeping were the steps of the dugout.

Arkansas led 10-1 going into the sixth inning at Baum Stadium, but the Razorbacks blew it and ended up losing 15-11.

Now Arkansas must regroup to avoid losing an SEC-opening series that it appeared to have clinched before Saturday’s collapse.

ADVERTISEMENT

“We need to go in with a lot of confidence,” House said of today’s 12: 05 p. m. series finale.

That won’t be easy considering the way Saturday’s game unfolded. Georgia shouldn’t lack any confidence after producing such a stirring comeback.

There are still 27 more conference games and nine weekends remaining, but today’s game could be pivotal for both clubs.

“We don’t feel bad, for sure,” Georgia shortstop Gordon Beckham said after his four-hit, three-RBI day. “That was a little scary being down 10-1, and that could have hurt very bad. This is huge momentum for us. If not, I don’t know what is.”

The Bulldogs have a history for rallying from huge deficits under Coach David Perno. They are 7-7 this season, but at least for four memorable innings older players like Beckham could draw inspiration from Georgia’s 2006 College World Series team. That club won games in May in which it trailed Kentucky 6-0 and South Carolina 9-0.

Last season, the Bulldogs let several eighth- and ninth-inning leads slip away and went 0-6 in extra-inning games in a 23-33 season.

“I wouldn’t say who has an advantage [today ], but I’m going to be confident in our team,” said Georgia catcher Bryce Massanari, who was 4 for 5 with 2 home runs and 4 RBI on Saturday. “It’s going to be a good game.... Whatever team plays harder is going to win.”

Georgia may have momentum in its favor, but the Razorbacks should have hunger and redemption working for them. It was a stunning fall Saturday as Arkansas’ usually reliable bullpen yielded eight consecutive hits or walks in a seven-run seventh that lost the remainder of the lead.

Arkansas third baseman Logan Forsythe tied his career high with four hits, but one of the best defensive infielders in the SEC committed a rare but costly error in the sixth that the Bulldogs took advantage of with three unearned runs.

Forsythe said his team must “get over this” and learn a lesson in a hurry with an early Sunday start. House emphasized how important the series victory would be.

“This is one of those games that can definitely make you shy away a little bit,” House said. “But I know a lot of guys are eager to get back out there.”