STANFORD REGIONAL : Hogs stranded in California

BY CHRIS COCOLES

Posted on Sunday, June 1, 2008

URL: http://www.wholehogsports.com/adg/227405/

STANFORD, Calif. — Despite barely receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, Arkansas considered itself a threat at the Stanford Regional.

It wasn’t.

The third-seeded Razorbacks failed to come up with hits when they needed them the most Saturday, stranding 13 runners — eight at either second or third — in a 5-1 loss to top-seeded Stanford that eliminated Arkansas from the NCAA Tournament in two games.

Arkansas (34-24 ) was only 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position Saturday, extending a problem it had in its regional opener. The Razorbacks left 10 runners on base Friday in a 4-3 loss to Pepperdine that dropped Arkansas into the losers bracket.

It was the first time since 1996 that the Razorbacks went winless in NCAA Tournament play.

“We should have won a game,” Coach Dave Van Horn said. “We should have won a couple of games. I thought we would get after it.

“ The difference in the game was Stanford drove in runs and we didn’t. [Runners left on base ] was our downfall. We didn’t get them in, a couple because of great plays.”

Stanford (34-22-2 ) did turn in a defensive gem to hold off the Razorbacks.

The Cardinal led 3-1 in the fifth inning, with two outs and runners on second and third, when freshman Andy Wilkins smacked perhaps the hardest-hit ball by a Razorback all day. Wilkins hit the ball back on one hop to pitcher Austin Yount, who had only a split-second to react.

Wilkins was no more than a four steps out of the batter’s box when the ball skipped right into the glove of Yount, who flipped it to first base for the out.

“He hit it hard and I happened to get under it with my glove,” Yount said. “Maybe I moved up a little bit, but I’m not sure. The ball got in there, and that’s all that matters.”

Wilkins’ next at-bat, with the bases loaded and two outs, also resulted in a comebacker to the mound that was fielded by Stanford reliever Jeremy Bleich to foil another scoring chance. Wilkins had singled in his first two atbats, with the bases empty.

“That ball gets by, it’s going to be 3-3 and change the whole complexion of the ballgame,” Wilkins said. “He snagged it and it’s kind of a momentum killer.

“ I couldn’t believe he caught it. I knew I hit it pretty hard, but it found his glove.”

Leaving other runners in scoring position on base was just as demoralizing for the Razorbacks. Casey Coon’s lazy fly ball to left stranded Wilkins at third and Jeff Nutt at second in the fourth. Tim Smalling fouled out to first with runners at first and third in the eighth. Then, Arkansas had freshmen Wilkins and Brett Eibner strike out back to back after the Razorbacks put two on in the ninth.

Cardinal Coach Mark Marquess said postseason success comes down to which teams make plays, like Yount’s snag against Wilkins that probably kept two runs from scoring. The Cardinal also got the critical hits, a home run and run-scoring double by Randy Molina, a two-out RBI double by Jason Castro and Sean Ratliff’s sacrifice fly.

Most of the Razorbacks’ nine hits, all singles, came with nobody on base or with two outs, forcing their batters to be clutch in tight spots.

“Arkansas didn’t get the big hit when they could have, and unfortunately, it happens sometimes,” Marquess said.