UA victory sullies Lynn’s record performance

BY DAVID SHOWERS Northwest Arkansas Times

Posted on Saturday, May 19, 2007

URL: http://www.wholehogsports.com/nwat/53240/

Arkansas’ SEC Westclinching win Friday night at Baum Stadium tempered Lance Lynn’s record-tying performance.

The 4-3 heartbreaker detracted from Lynn tying the Ole Miss record for strikeouts in a single season. The spirited right hander fanned eight Razorbacks in seven innings to reach 120 strikeouts for the year, tying Mark Holliman’s 2005 mark.

“ It’s a great accomplishment especially when you consider the guys I overcame to get it, ” Lynn said. “ The way we lost kind of put a damper on it. ”

A Jake Dugger double and a Ben Tschepikow single to lead off the game put Lynn in an early bind, but he escaped with only one run crossing the plate. Dugger was thrown out at home for the first out trying to advance on a ground ball hit to third base.

Lynn cut off a throw from the outfield after a Casey Coon RBI single and threw out Logan Forsythe at third base for the second out. A strike out of Brad Secrist ended the inning.

The wild pitch Lynn uncorked in the Arkansas third prompted Razorback catcher Brian Walker to charge home from third base. Lynn won the foot race to the plate, tagging out the plodding Arkansas backstop to end the inning.

“ It was one of those freak things, ” Lynn said. “ He just wasn’t getting down the line very well, and I was able to beat him to the plate. ”

Lynn’s elevated pitch count started to tell in the seventh, when his big breaking ball began bouncing in the dirt. Arkansas threatened to break a 1-1 tie after Lynn hit Tim Smalling to load the bases on the third payoff pitch of the at-bat.

The 9, 812 in attendance rose to their feet when Walker stepped in the batter’s box and attempted to unlock the stalemate. The crowd’s enthusiasm waned after Lynn induced a 3-2-4 double play to end the inning.

“ I had him 1-2 and threw a breaking ball, and he just chopped it right at our first baseman, ” Lynn said.

The double play elicited a show of excitement from Lynn, whose fiery demeanor helped him battle the Razorback hitters despite the tight right shoulder that hamstrung him early in the outing. Lynn threw 127 pitches, working a full count to six different hitters and scattered seven hits over as many innings.

“ That’s the way I was taught to play the game, ” Lynn said. “ That’s the way we play the game in this program. I pitch with a lot of emotion. ”