Gusts get the best of Hogs

STANFORD, Calif. — The tricky wind that got progressively worse in the late innings Friday nearly gave Arkansas a gust of hope.

With two outs in the top of the ninth and runners on first and third, Casey Coon’s seemingly routine fly ball to left-center turned into a dramatic diving catch by Pepperdine center fielder Nate Simon to turn back the Razorbacks, 4-3.

The game began in calm conditions and a mild 63 degrees, but the wind picked up as the afternoon went on and was blowing across toward left field. Coon didn’t hit the ball hard, but Simon kept drifting more and more as both dugouts held their breath.

“It was kind of hard not to watch it and see if it was going to fall or not because if it did, it would be a trot home,” said Razorbacks right fielder Chase Leavitt, who at third represented the tying run with Logan Forsythe the go-ahead run at first. “So, yeah, I watched it a little bit.”

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So did Pepperdine shortstop Chase d’Arnaud, who underestimated the strength of the wind.

“I thought he was going to catch it for sure,” d’Arnaud said. “Next thing you know, I saw it drifting away from him and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is going to get close.’ When he dove for it [and got it ], I gave the Tiger Woods fist pump.”

It was a little tougher on the Razorbacks.

“It’s real frustrating,” Leavitt said. “We’re battling the whole game, and to see them make that great catch, you’ve just got to tip your hat.”

Lineup shuffling

The Razorbacks knew Friday’s game would be in part decided by defense, so junior Scott Lyons, a solid defensive player, started at shortstop.

It was his first appearance since May 4, 11 games ago. Tim Smalling, the team’s usual shortstop who played first when freshman Andy Wilkins was injured this season, played first Friday. Wilkins was the designated hitter.

As it turned out, Smalling made a critical error in the bottom of the sixth by not cleanly fielding Nate Simon’s grounder. The ball rolled into foul territory, and Smalling threw late to pitcher Cliff Springston covering first. Smalling also struggled offensively with four strikeouts in as many at-bats. “It was going to be a defensive game and I thought it’d be low-scoring,” Coach Dave Van Horn said. “I tried to get the experienced guys in the lineup, and in Smalling’s case, an older guy that didn’t have a good day.”

Hogs impressive Pepperdine Coach Steve Rodriguez got a little anxious about the Razorbacks as game time approached. “You just watch them during batting practice and you have an idea they’re a big, physical team,” he said. “We were throwing some fastballs they were mashing throughout the day. We thought, ‘Man, we can’t make too many mistakes.’ And when we made a mistake, they punished it pretty well. “ They’re an aggressive team, and that’s a pain as a coach because you have to try defend a lot of those things.” Razorbacks at a glance WHAT Arkansas vs. Stanford WHEN 3 p. m. Central today WHERE Sunken Diamond, Stanford, Calif. RADIO Arkansas Razorback Baseball Network, which includes KFAY-AM, 1030, in Fayetteville; KURM-AM, 790, in Springdale / Rogers; KWBF-FM, 101. 1, in Little Rock; KHGG-FM, 103. 1, in Fort Smith, and KOMT-FM, 107. 5, in Mountain Home PITCHING MATCHUP Arkansas: Dallas Keuchel (LHP, 4-2, 4. 46 ERA ); Stanford: TBA. Regional glance At Sunken Diamond Stanford, Calif. Double elimination FRIDAY’S GAMES Pepperdine 4, Arkansas 3 UC Davis 4, Stanford 2 TODAY GAME 3 Arkansas (34-23 ) vs. Stanford (33-22-1 ), 3 p. m. GAME 4 Pepperdine (37-19 ) vs. UC Davis (35-22 ), 7 p. m.