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Location: WholeHogSports > Story     |     TAGGED: baseball (4)

Darr, Murphree make most of their opportunity for UA

Published: Saturday, April 19, 2008 PRINT E-MAIL

FAYETTEVILLE — Andrew Darr understands his role is never absolute as a utility player and a spot starter.

Darr and Aaron Murphree, another Razorbacks outfielder who’s playing time is now sporadic, delivered crucial hits Friday night in a 5-4 victory over Tennessee at Baum Stadium. Their contributions reflected the outfield depth for Arkansas, which has battled injury after injury at the position.

Darr was in the lineup in left field, only his fourth SEC start and his first since April 5 against Auburn. Murphree, who after an early-season tear has fallen into a slump, didn’t start Friday and was only inserted into the game to replace ailing Sean Jones in the fifth inning.

Veterans Jones, Casey Coon and Wayne Hrozek all have missed extensive playing time because of various injuries, opening the door for Darr and Murphree to get their chances. And when the Razorbacks needed it most, Murphree and Darr answered the call.

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“With the way things have been going, it’s been unbelievable how many guys have gone down,” Arkansas hitting coach Todd Butler said. “But the guys that are playing are doing a good job.”

Darr led off the seventh by going the other way with a deep drive to right field, narrowly missing a home run when the ball banged off the top of the fence. He raced into second with a double, then returned to the dugout to high-fives when Chase Leavitt entered as a pinch-runner. One out later, Ryan Cisterna hit a two-run home run to break a 3-3 tie and account for the winning runs.

“When I get the opportunity to come in, it’s my goal to help this team win,” Darr said. “If I’m not playing every day, it’s not the end of the world to me.”

With runners at first and second, two outs in the fifth and Arkansas trailing 2-1, Jones was due up, still mired in a slump and fighting the aftermath of a broken hand.

“I had talked to [Coach Dave Van Horn ] and he said more than likely be ready to go in to play, so it wasn’t completely unexpected,” said Murphree, a senior who after hitting 13 home runs in less than the season’s first month hadn’t collected an RBI since March 29.

The. 167 hitter in SEC play quickly fell behind 0-2 in the count against starter Nick Hernandez, laid off two fastballs out of the strike zone, then drove an off-speed pitch that bounced off the bottom of the wall in leftcenter.

Two runs scored to put Arkansas up 3-2, and Murphree stood up at third base. The triple was his first extra-base hit since March 15, when he hit his 13 th and last home run to date against Georgia.

“I just got a good pitch to hit down in the zone and got a good swing on it,” Murphree said. “We’ve got a lot of depth, and every guy on the team can play.

“ When people get injured, we pick each other up. Another guy’s got to step up and fill a role.”

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Baseball America Poll

Updated May 20

1. UC Irvine 40-12

2. LSU 41-14

3. Arizona St 41-11

4. CS Fullerton 38-14

5. Texas 38-12

6. North Carolina 41-14

7. Ole Miss 40-15

8. Oklahoma 40-16

9. Florida 38-18

10. TCU 35-15

11. Rice 35-15

12. Florida St 40-14

13. Clemson 39-17

14. Georgia Tech 34-15

15. East Carolina 41-15

16. Virginia 39-12

17. Kansas St 39-15

18. Alabama 37-17

19. Cal Poly 35-17

20. Louisville 40-14

21. Minnesota 35-15

22. Elon 37-14

23. Miami Fl 35-18

24. Missouri 32-23

25. South Carolina 37-19

Who is the best defensive lineman in Arkansas' history?


Dave "Hawg" Hanner

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Arkansas Razorbacks' 2009 Baseball Schedule

Feb. 20

Washington St. (DH)

W 7-5

Feb. 20

Washington St. (DH)

W 4-2

Feb. 22

Washington St.

W 4-3

Feb. 24

Kansas

L 3-9

Feb. 25

Kansas

W 9-8

Feb. 27

Western Illinois

W 8-7

Feb. 28

Western Illinois

     6:00 pm

Mar. 1

Western Illinois

     6:00 pm

Mar. 3

Valparaiso

W 7-3

Mar. 4

Valparaiso

W 9-6

Mar. 6

California

W 5-4

Mar. 7

California

L 6-12

Mar. 8

California

W 13-3

Mar. 10

@ Centenary

L 3-8

Mar. 11

@ Centenary

     6:00 pm

Mar. 13

Florida

W 11-4

Mar. 14

Florida

W 8-4

Mar. 15

Florida

W 4-2

Mar. 17

Nebraska

W 7-3

Mar. 18

Nebraska

L 4-7

Mar. 20

@ Auburn

W 3-2

Mar. 21

@ Auburn

W 10-6

Mar. 22

@ Auburn

W 12-6

Mar. 25

Missouri St.

W 10-0

Mar. 27

Mississippi St.

W 20-9

Mar. 28

Mississippi St.

W 5-1

Mar. 29

Mississippi St.

L 4-12

Mar. 31

@ Missouri St.

W 2-0

Apr. 3

@ South Carolina

W 6-4

Apr. 4

@ South Carolina

L 1-9

Apr. 5

@ South Carolina

W 7-4

Apr. 7

Arizona St.

W 7-3

Apr. 8

Arizona St.

W 8-7

Apr. 10

Vanderbilt

L 0-9

Apr. 11

Vanderbilt

L 6-13

Apr. 12

Vanderbilt

     1:05 pm

Apr. 14

La.-Monroe

L 2-3

Apr. 15

La.-Monroe

W 10-9

Apr. 17

@ Georgia

L 3-4

Apr. 18

@ Georgia

L 3-4

Apr. 19

@ Georgia

W 2-0

Apr. 21

@ Oral Roberts

W 9-6

Apr. 24

@ Tennessee

W 9-3

Apr. 25

@ Tennessee

L 4-5

Apr. 26

@ Tennessee

W 15-8

Apr. 28

Oklahoma

W 8-7

May. 1

LSU

W 11-4

May. 2

LSU

L 0-5

May. 3

LSU

L 3-4

May. 8

@ Alabama

L 1-2

May. 9

@ Alabama

L 6-8

May. 10

@ Alabama

L 5-6

May. 12

Oral Roberts

W 3-2

May. 14

Ole Miss

L 5-7

May. 15

Ole Miss

L 3-9

May. 16

Ole Miss

L 3-16