Alabama slammed : Clutch hits propel Tide past Arkansas in series opener

BY DAVID SHOWERS Northwest Arkansas Times

Posted on Saturday, May 3, 2008

URL: http://www.wholehogsports.com/nwat/64782/

Friday night’s hit parade at Baum Stadium was more befitting of a Sunday slugfest than the pitching duel that typically attends the opening game of an SEC series.

Alabama and Arkansas both rapped 14 hits during the Tide’s 11-7 win. The difference was two-out hitting. Bama was 9 for 20 with two outs, scoring nine runs and driving in eight. Arkansas was 6 for 20 with two runs scored and two RBIs.

The victory moved Alabama (27-21, 11-11 ) into a tie with Ole Miss for first place in the tightly-packed SEC West. Arkansas (27-19, 9-12 ) is 1 1 / 2 games out of first.

“ Anytime you lose Friday night, it’s a tough loss no matter how you lose, ” said Logan Forsythe, Arkansas’ junior third baseman. “ We had a couple of opportunities tonight. They got more clutch, two-out hits than we did. We hit the ball well. Later in the game we didn’t get the hits we needed. ”

Forsythe’s night at the plate ran the gamut from elation to disappointment. His two-run home run in the Arkansas third staked the Razorbacks to a 4-1 lead. The 4-6-3 double play he incurred to end the Arkansas eighth sent most of the 6, 974 in attendance filing toward the exits.

A six-run Alabama fourth negated Forsythe’s home run. The inning was extended by a Ben Tschepikow error at second that made four of the runs unearned.

“ The ball that Ben didn’t get was a tough play, ” said Dave Van Horn, Arkansas coach. “ The pitcher has to go get somebody out after that. That wasn’t the ball game. ”

Right fielder Kent Matthes ’ three-run home run was the centerpiece of Alabama’s six-run fourth. Arkansas answered with two runs in its half of the fourth to cut the Tide’s lead to 7-6, but Alabama tacked on one run in the fifth and three in the eighth to separate from the Razorbacks.

Matthes went 3 for 4. His five RBIs tied a career high.

“ We had our best at-bats with two outs and runners in scoring position, ” Matthes said. “ That’s something we work on all the time. We try to lock in with two outs, especially when there’s runners in scoring position, and do some damage. We did a lot tonight. ”

Four different Arkansas pitchers took turns getting roughed up by the Tide. Lefty Dallas Keuchel started but was chased after allowing three earned runs on seven hits and two walks in threeand-two-thirds innings.

Right hander Mike Bolsinger was the most effective Arkansas hurler. He retired six straight during the fifth and sixth frames and subdued 10 of the first 11 hitters he faced.

Bolsinger couldn’t keep the Alabama bats silent. The cacophony of aluminum colliding with horsehide continued in the Tide eighth, with Alabama pinging four hits off Bolsinger that led to three runs.

“ The three-run inning hurt, ” Van Horn said. “ All those runs in those two innings they scored with two outs. ”

Alabama’s Austin Hyatt and Arkansas’ Justin Wells are slated to start in today’s 2 p. m. game.