SEC baseball tournament report

Slide leads to divide in fourth

Arkansas outfielder Dominic Fletcher (28) slides into LSU second baseman Cole Freeman during an SEC Tournament game on Sunday, May 28, 2017, in Hoover, Ala.

HOOVER, Ala. -- Players for Arkansas and LSU got heated in the bottom of the fourth inning after Dominic Fletcher's slide into LSU second baseman Cole Freeman sent the Tiger tumbling onto his head.

The play occurred on Carson Shaddy's groundball to third base after Fletcher reached on a bunt single. Freeman was on the first base side of second to field the throw from Josh Smith, and he did not appear to touch the bag before pivoting to start a potential double play relay to first.

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Fletcher's hard slide toppled Freeman, and LSU players on the field took exception. Players and coaches from both sides then began a jawing match, although nothing escalated beyond words.

A vocal group of LSU fans began chanting "Throw him out! Throw him out!" at Fletcher in the aftermath of the call. The umpires huddled and did not change their ruling on the field, that Fletcher was out and had not made an illegal slide, leaving Shaddy at first base.

"Honestly, I thought it was a clean play," Freeman said. "The ball kind of took me up the line a little bit. It's a championship. Both teams want it. He went in the way he was supposed to go in. He did his job."

Asked about the incident between innings by the SEC Network, Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn defended his player, saying, "He slid straight into the base. As a matter of fact, I don't think the second baseman was on the bag."

Later, Van Horn said, "Really the situation with that whole play was the third baseman threw that ball up the first-base line. He pulled the second baseman off the bag and he slid right into him."

According to the SEC Network, players from both teams engaged in rough talk on the field after the national anthem. The SEC Network also reported that there were microphones on the umpires who referenced the pregame jawing and mentioned that warnings had been issued to both sides with the threat of ejections if there were further escalations.

Fletcher was roundly booed in his next two plate appearances.

Chad's MVP

University of Arkansas, Fayetteville first baseman Chad Spanberger, who had five home runs and 10 RBI and hit 8 for 19 (.421), was named MVP of the SEC Tournament.

Spanberger broke SEC Tournament records with three home runs and seven RBI during the Razorbacks' 12-0 victory over Auburn on Friday.

Spanberger was joined by Arkansas teammates Kacey Murphy and Luke Bonfield on the all-tournament team. Murphy picked up the win in Arkansas' 16-0 run-rule victory over Florida, allowing 2 hits and striking out 9 in the 7-inning game.

Shortstop Jax Biggers was omitted from the all-tourney team despite leading the tournament with 10 hits, going 10 for 20 (.500) in Hoover, including a tournament-record 3 triples. LSU's Kramer Robertson, who hit 7 for 17 (.412) with 2 home runs, was the selection at shortstop.

Spanberger's five home runs at the SEC Tournament rank second behind the six hit by Mike Templeton of Ole Miss in four games in 1977. Spanberger's last 12 hits dating back to May 14 have all been for extra bases, with nine of them going for home runs.

Spanberger's 19 home runs rank second in the SEC, and they're the most for a Razorback since Andrew Benintendi hit 20 in 2015.

Just like Bonds?

LSU Coach Paul Mainieri said he had never put the tying run on second base with an intentional walk in his 35 years, as he did in the ninth inning when he called for a walk to Arkansas slugger Chad Spanberger. The move loaded the bases in a 4-2 game with two outs and pitted closer Hunter Newman against right-hander Luke Bonfield, who hit into a force play.

Mainieri said he also walked Spanberger with runners on second and third while clinging to a 10-8 lead during the Saturday game in Fayetteville this year.

"I intentionally walked him then to put the winning run on base, which is a cardinal sin in managing baseball games," Mainieri said. "You don't do that. But I felt then just like I did now. That not only does the kid have a lot of talent, but he's extremely hot. I mean the ball must look like a beach ball coming into him.

"I just thought to myself, he's in scoring position standing at home plate. And if he wasn't hitting a home run it seemed like he was hitting a double. I think Bonfield's a good player, don't get me wrong. I just think Spanberger is playing on another planet right now. He's caused me to do a couple of things that I have never done."

Said Spanberger: "That was a pretty bold strategy, I would say. Luke's hit like three walk-offs this year, and he was best suited for that situation."

Mainieri added he "felt kind of bad" for putting Spanberger on intentionally.

"I know everybody would have loved to see him hit in that situation, but I guess they did it to [Barry] Bonds in his heyday, those kinds of things," he said. "I just thought to myself if I'm ever going to do this, this is the time."

Arledge OK

Arkansas outfielder Jake Arledge started and 0 for 3 in Sunday's game a day after taking a pitch off his left knee. The hit by pitch from Florida's David Lee caused Arledge to do a slow motion roll into the dirt before he eased up and took a leisurely stroll to first base. He came out between half innings.

Long trip

The Razorbacks will get to sleep in their own beds tonight at the conclusion of a 12-night road trip after busing home from Hoover, Ala.

Arkansas flew to its final regular-season series at Texas A&M on May 17, then flew to Birmingham, Ala., on May 20 after taking two of three from the Aggies. The Razorbacks spent four nights in Hoover before playing their first game at the tournament.

Seed plant

National analysts began the dialogue Saturday night about whether Arkansas could play its way into earning one of the eight national seeds when the NCAA Tournament bracket is announced today at 11 a.m. on ESPN2.

The Razorbacks' 16-0 blasting of No. 4 Florida on Saturday was the only head-to-head meeting between the teams, and it improved Arkansas' record to 18-13 vs. teams in the top 50 of the RPI ratings prior to the SEC Tournament final.

Gator updates

Florida Coach Kevin O'Sullivan said outfielder Ryan Larson, who was beaned on the helmet against Mississippi State on Friday, did not suffer a concussion but has a slight fracture that is not on his jawbone, which would require a screw.

"I think we dodged a bullet there. It could have been a lot worse than what it is," O'Sullivan said.

O'Sullivan said Larson's replacement in center field, Nick Horvath, needed stitches in his lip after taking a ball off his face on one hop.

Around the horn

• Arkansas dropped to 1-13 in SEC championship games in football, baseball and men's basketball, with football being 0-3, basketball 1-6 and baseball 0-4.

• LSU snapped Arkansas' streak of scoring in the first inning of every game at the tournament. The Hogs had scored nine first-inning runs in its previous four games.

• The six-man umpiring crew wore specialty camouflage caps Sunday in honor of the Memorial Day weekend.

• The pilot for the flyover prior to the finale was Major Josh Christian, a former Ole Miss baseball player and a member of the 2001 SEC All-Tournament team.

Sports on 05/29/2017