After throwing more strikes than a pro bowler, Stephen Richards survived the ninth with nothing to spare for Arkansas’ 5-4 SEC victory over Tennessee Friday night at Baum Stadium.

The victory advances Arkansas to 21-16 overall and in the hunt at 6-9 for second-best in the SEC West while Tennessee drops to 22-15 and 9-7 in its quest for second-best in the SEC East.

This three-game SEC series continues at 2 p. m. today and 1 p. m. Sunday. Richards relieved Arkansas starter Dallas Keuchel after two straight 1-out walks in a 3-3 game in the seventh.

The sophomore lefthander struck out five straight to take a 5-3 lead in the eighth after hot-hitting Arkansas catcher Ryan Cisterna blasted a 2-run eighth-inning home run into the left field seats beyond the bullpen.

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In the ninth, Richards went from all strikes all the time to struck for hits most of the time.

UT’s Josh Lile, Jeff Lockwood and Danny Lima opened the ninth with singles. Lima’s hit knocked in a run and left runners at first and second.

Richards pounced off the mound to field Andy Simunick’s attempted sacrifice bunt to nail the runner at third. However, Richards slipped on the wet grass trying to field Kentrail Davis’ bunt, loading the bases.

With no place to put anyone and reliever James Mahler throwing in the pen but never summoned, Richards struck out No. 3 hitter Yon Gomes and retired cleanup hitter Cody Brown on a game-ending fly to right.

“ It didn’t look very good in the ninth, ” Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said. “ Richards gets quick outs in the seventh and cruises through the eighth and then in the ninth he showed a lot of gumption. We haven’t heard that word lately. ”

Cisterna, catching the whole game, said of Richards: “ That ninth inning was a heart attack. The kid dominates the first two innings. The ninth inning they take a different approach on his slider but he just battled. We weren’t going to lose that game. ”

Richards admitted, “ I kind of scared myself and got into trouble I didn’t really need to get into, but luckily I made some pitches and thank God we hung on and were able to win. ”

Van Horn and pitching coach Dave Jorn eyed the bullpen in the ninth but stuck with Richards.

“ Once we got two outs, we felt we owed it to him to close it, ” Van Horn said. “ He did a great job. ”

Richards said, “ Coach Jorn walked out for a visit in the ninth and gave me a lot of confidence. Those five straight strikeouts were a first for me but reality came back in the ninth and kind of put me down to earth. ”

Richards walked off the pitching hero, but Van Horn gave Keuchel and Tennessee losing complete-game starter Nick Hernandez their due, too.

“ Their pitcher did a great job and our pitchers were outstanding, ” Van Horn said Friday. “ It didn’t look very good in the top of the of the ninth. They did a good job going with a couple of pitches. He makes a nice play on a bunt and gives us some life. Looks like he’s going to make another nice play and he slips. It’s really wet. He makes some quality pitches to Gomes and gets a big out on Brown. It will probably be another barn-burner tomorrow and Sunday. ”

Cistenra, 9 for his last 24 on a sixgame hitting streak, crashed his 1-out home run after Andrew Darr had doubled and Tim Smalling’s sac bunt.

Trying for home runs had put him in a slump, Cisterna said, until changing his approach got him going.

“ It’s funny the way things work, ” Cisterna said. “ When you don’t try to hit stuff, you hit it. ”

Arkansas had scored one in the second on Jeff Nutt’s solo home run and two in the fifth on Aaron Murphree’s 2-out 2-run triple, scoring Cisterna and Scott Lyons who each had singled.

Tennessee scored solo runs off Keuchel in the second, third and sixth, one on a Gomes home run.