HOOVER, Ala. -- Bobby Wernes, the hero of Arkansas' 7-6 victory over No. 6 Florida early Thursday morning at the SEC Tournament, downplayed his 12-pitch battle with Bobby Poyner that resulted in a lead-changing two-run home run in the top of the ninth inning.
Wernes credited Andrew Benintendi for starting the winning rally with a massive home run off the scoreboard in right field and Rick Nomura, who scored three runs, for working a walk before his game-winning blast on a hanging slider.
"They gave me all the information I needed for that at-bat," Wernes said. "Those two at-bats helped me for sure."
Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn was impressed by Wernes' at-bat, which featured seven foul balls before the decisive blow.
"It was a tremendous at-bat," Van Horn said. "He finally got one hung up there and he hammered it. ... The more pitches you see, usually the better timing you get. He was on some pitches."
Quick hooks
Both starting pitchers were out of the Arkansas-LSU game late Thursday before the start of the third inning.
Arkansas' James Teague lasted 2 innings, allowing 6 runs, 2 earned, on 6 hits and 1 walk.
LSU's Austin Bain gave up 4 earned runs on 4 hits and 2 walks in 1 2/3 innings before Russell Reynolds came on to finish the second inning by inducing a fly out from Andrew Benintendi.
Hit it
Arkansas slugger Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 7 with 3 strikeouts at the SEC Tournament when he prepared to lead off the ninth inning with the Hogs trailing Florida 6-4.
"He was waiting for me to get out of the tunnel and he said, 'Coach, what do you want me to do?'" Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said. "I said, 'He's going to lay that first pitch in there. I want you to basically see how far you can hit it.'
"He just kind of looked at me, and he sure enough threw one right down the middle and he hammered it."
Benintendi's home run, his SEC-best 18th of the year, hit off the scoreboard beyond the right-field wall.
Rally data
Arkansas' three-run rally in the ninth inning -- its largest winning rally in the final inning this season -- came against Florida left-hander Bobby Poyner.
The Razorbacks faced Poyner in two games last season, losses by scores of 2-1 and 1-0 to the Gators in Gainesville, Fla. Poyner allowed 1 hit and struck out 4 batters in 4 innings against the Hogs.
"I remember last year when we faced him we didn't take any good swings on him," Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said. "This team's better, hits a little better."
Nip and rip
The record string of six consecutive one-run games at the SEC Tournament ended in a major way with No. 6 Florida's 11-2 elimination game victory over Auburn.
The string of one-run games started with Arkansas' 2-1 walk off victory against Tennessee in the first round, continued through all four games Wednesday, including the Hogs' 7-6 victory over Florida, and ended with Alabama's 4-3 triumph over Missouri in Thursday's first elimination game.
4 four-baggers
Vanderbilt's four home runs in its come-from-behind victory over Missouri on Wednesday were the most in an SEC Tournament game since 2002.
It's a blast
SEC teams combined for 13 home runs through the first 11 games of the tournament heading into Thursday's Arkansas-LSU game.
Big shot
Florida's eight runs in the third inning of its 11-2 rout of Auburn on Thursday came with two outs and were the most runs scored in an inning at the SEC Tournament since LSU put up nine runs in the first inning against Mississippi State in 2003.
Top prospects
Five of the nation's top 12 prospects for the upcoming Major League Baseball draft are still playing in the SEC Tournament, including SEC Player of the Year Andrew Benintendi of Arkansas.
Vanderbilt shortstop Dansby Swanson is the No. 2 rated prospect by Baseball America, while LSU shortstop Alex Bregman is No. 4, Vanderbilt right-hander Carson Fulmer is No. 6, Benintendi is No. 9 and Vanderbilt right-hander Walker Buehler is No. 12.
Any sleep?
The Florida Gators didn't get a lot of sleep Thursday morning after leaving the park after 2 a.m. following their 7-6 loss to Arkansas, but they didn't sleep walk through their 11-2 victory over Auburn that began at about noon.
"I don't know if I got any [sleep]," Florida Coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "But the guys bounced back well today."
Sports on 05/22/2015