FAYETTEVILLE — Apparently, Kentucky has some pretty good pitching to go along with the SEC’s top hitting team.
Arkansas found that out Saturday, losing 5-4 and 2-1 in a doubleheader at Baum Stadium. A crowd of 8,248 watched Arkansas (25-10, 8-7 SEC) drop a Saturday doubleheader for the second consecutive year to Kentucky (32-5, 11-4), which is ranked No. 3 nationally by Baseball America.
Cameron Flynn hit a two-run home run for Kentucky in the second game after three Wildcats pitchers limited No. 11 Arkansas to three hits in the opener. Flynn put Kentucky ahead in the fourth inning against DJ Baxendale (6-2), who allowed 2 runs and 6 hits to go along with 2 walks and 7 strikeouts in 8 innings.
Kentucky came back to win the series after Arkansas took the opening game 8-7 on Friday behind four hits by Tim Carver and a bases-loaded triple by Derrick Bleeker.
“This club doesn’t get down, at least to this point,” Kentucky Coach Gary Henderson said. “We’ve got a tough group of kids who enjoy competing, and they came through in a tough place to play.
Thomas McCarthy led off the second game with a double in the fourth inning against Baxendale and scored on Flynn’s ninth home run of the season.
That was enough for Kentucky, which used three relievers after starting pitcher Corey Littrell (6-0) went61/3 innings. Littrell earned a victory over Arkansas last season, when the Wildcats took a doubleheader from Arkansas in Lexington, Ky.
Dominic Ficociello had three hits for the Razorbacks, who scored their only run in the sixth.
“Just a disappointing day, offensively, from the third inning on of that first game,” Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said. “Give credit to their pitching. They did a great job. There was some good at-bats by our team, but there were a lot that were disappointing, especially late in the game.”
Arkansas scored its only run in the sixth when pinch hitter Brian Anderson lined a single off the glove of Kentucky second baseman J.T. Riddle. The hit scored Ficociello, who led off with a single and advanced on a wild pitch by Littrell.
Arkansas threatened to score throughout the game.
Arkansas had two runners on base in the eighth before pinch-hitter Sam Bates bounced into a force out against reliever Trevor Gott.
Matt Reynolds and Jimmy Bosco had two-out singles for Arkansas in the bottom of the fourth, but the Razorbacks failed to score when Bleeker tapped out to Mc-Carthy at third.
John Clay Reeves and Jacob Morris had singles in the fifth, but the Razorbacks again did not score against Littrell, who entered the game with a 2.02 ERA. Arkansas threatened again in the seventh before Riddle caught a line drive off the bat of Carver and stepped on second for an inning-ending double play.
“We just didn’t get that big hit,” Reynolds said. “I know I came up once with a runner on second and didn’t get a hit. We had runners on base. We just couldn’t score them.”
Kentucky won the opening game with the help of three errors in the first inning by Carver. Carver, the shortstop who went 4 for 4 in Arkansas’ comeback victory over Kentucky, got off to a rough start Saturday with two fielding errors and a throwing error that allowed two runs to score.
Arkansas took a 4-3 lead before Kentucky grabbed the lead for good in the fourth inning on consecutive RBI doubles by McCarthy and A.J. Reed.
Reynolds had a two-run home run for the Razorbacks, who were held to three hits.
Arkansas had only one hit after the second inning against relievers Chandler Shepherd and Tim Peterson. Shepherd (3-0) pitched 3 2/3 innings to earn the victory over Arkansas starter Barrett Astin (2-3), who allowed 7hits and 2 earned runs in 4 innings.
Reynolds hit his fourth home run before Arkansas took a 4-3 lead in the second with the help of two walks, an error and a balk that allowed Anderson to score from third.
The scoring slowed considerably with Shepherd, Peterson and Brandon Moore on the mound. Moore pitched five scoreless innings and allowed only two hits and no walks.
Kentucky starter Jerad Grundy allowed only two hits in 3 1/3 innings, but he was pulled after walking five batters and throwing a wild pitch that allowed a runner to advance into scoring position. Arkansas loaded the bases in the fourth after two walks and an infield hit by Carver, but the Razorbacks failed to score when Bosco lined into a double play at second base.
Arkansas will play a doubleheader against Stephen F. Austin on Tuesday at Baum Stadium before returning to SEC play next weekend with a three-games series against Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss.
Sports, Pages 21 on 04/15/2012