|
SPONSORS ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Homer Hogs : Hogs sweep Siena as Murphree hits 12th homer Published: Monday, March 10, 2008 PRINT E-MAIL On a shaken-off pitch, Aaron Murphree shook up Siena yet again. Murphree's first-inning, twoout, three-run home run - his 12 th home run in 12 games and his fifth in this three-game sweep of Siena that included three Murphree homers Friday and one Saturday - paced Arkansas to a 10-4 triumph Sunday before 3, 511 in attendance at Baum Stadium. Added to 14-5 and 17-2 slaughters of Siena Friday and Saturday, the Razorbacks take an 11-1 record into Tuesday and Wednesday road games at Pac 10 power Arizona State, ranked No. 1 by Collegiate Baseball and the USA Today / ESPN Coaches and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers polls. The Hogs will then open Southeastern Conference play in a three-game series with Georgia Friday through Sunday at Baum Stadium. Murphree, in the first, and Casey Coon in the fourth, both boomed three-run blasts that sent Siena (1- 9 ) back to Albany, N. Y. Siena starter Tom Hopkins and Siena coach Tony Rossi's staff apparently weren't on the same page when Murphree booked his clout after Chase Leavitt was hit by a pitch and Coon walked.
" The pitching coach wanted one pitch, " Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said, " and the pitcher shook it off a couple of times. Aaron hammered whatever it was. " Admitting surprise to seeing good pitches after his three-home run fearsome Friday, Murphree said, " I think he shook a pitch off and ended up throwing another fastball. I took a swing on it and ran it up into the wind a little bit. " Murphree did not get a hit his next four at-bats. " Aaron's swing got a little bit long trying to please everybody, " Van Horn said. " He needs to stay within and take ball four every now and then and hit line drives. He'll be ready Tuesday. " The senior slugger said he wasn't intending to swing for the fences. " I don't go up there trying to hit home runs, " Murphree said. " But maybe I was getting out a little bit in front of it trying to do too much. I try to take the same approach every time and hit the ball on the line. " Murphree figures facing high caliber Arizona State and Georgia pitching should curb any home run happy habits. " I'm ready to start playing some real good teams, " Murphree said. " And I think we've got a really good team, too. We'll meet up with Arizona State and kind of get a feeling where we are standing right now. " They stood a little taller seeing left fielder Coon belt a three-run shot Sunday not on a dead pull to left. " He pulls the ball a lot, " Van Horn said of Coon, " and they are playing him on the line, but that ball he hit out of the park, he stayed through it and hit was more center than left center and then it got up in the wind and got out of here. He needed a little confidence and the same with (Ryan ) Cisterna. " Arkansas' fine defensive catcher, Cisterna only was hitting. 156 entering Sunday's game but whacked a seventh-inning 2-run double. Arkansas jumped to an 8-1 lead " then got a little sloppy looking down the road, " Van Horn said. Coming off Tommy John arm surgery and on a restricted pitch count, Razorback winning starter Shaun Seibert struck out five and yielded two hits and a run in four innings. Reliever Justin Wells, a transfer from Texarkana Community College, pitched a scoreless 1 2-3 but was relieved by Chad Pierce after three walks. Travis Hill, normally the Hogs' most reliable reliever, gave up three runs, two walks and a hit in the eighth, before Dallas Keuchel finished fanning two in a scoreless ninth. More Stories From: NATE ALLEN · UA’s Johnson is SEC Freshman of the Week · UA BASKETBALL : UA’s Clarke aiming to bust Texas Southern’s 3-2 zone · Standing tall Washington's double-double powers Hoop Hogs past FAMU · Hogs return to Walton Arena to face FAMU · Another Markham miracle HOGS RALLY FROM 16POINT DEFICIT TO UPSET LSU Yesterday's Most Popular 2. Dick’s game-winning pass a nominee for weekly Pontiac award 3. SEC lists 39 former players on NBA rosters 4. SEC MEN : Gonzaga fends off late Tennessee rally 5. Lady’Backs swat Pacific at tourney in Bahamas Today's Most E-mailed |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||





