WholeHogSports
Hogs trounce Mississippi Valley
Posted on Tuesday, May 13, 2008
URL: http://www.wholehogsports.com/nwat/65160/
Arkansas got a win, some work and nobody hurt beating Mississippi Valley State, 12-3 in Monday afternoon’s nonconference makeup of a rainout at Baum Stadium tuning up for a crucial regular-season ending SEC three-game series Thursday through Saturday at Mississippi State.
The Razorbacks, 32-20 and winners of five straight including last weekend’s three-game SEC sweep of nationally 17 th-ranked South Carolina, are 13-13 in the SEC and currently eighth overall in the 12-team league which only qualifies its top eight teams to next week’s SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala.
Coach Dave Van Horn said playing Mississippi Valley State serves a variety of purposes as does adding a nonconference game next Monday with Western Illinois at Baum Stadium to make up for another rained out game.
“ We needed to win and catch up on games, ” Van Horn said of Monday’s game. “ Plus, we got to throw some pitchers that needed to pitch and got to see some guys get some at-bats. ”
Of adding the Western Illinois game officially announced Monday, Van Horn said it serves the dual purpose of another prep for the SEC Tournament and another chance to plead its at-large case to be included in the 64-team NCAA Regionals that start May 30.
“ We got that game lined out before we played South Carolina, ” Van Horn said. “ If we are in the [SEC ] tournament, we are going to get our 56 th game. If we’re not in the tournament, we’ve got a pretty good RPI [Ratings Power Index for Regionals consideration ]. Why not play while we’re hanging out waiting to see if we get to play ?”
The plan opened with a backfire Monday. Mississippi Valley State, 17-24 of the Southwest Athletic Conference, took a 2-0 lead in the second inning off starter Sam Murphy.
“ I was disappointed they jumped out on us, ” Van Horn said. “ We had a walk and a hit and wild pitch and a base hit up the middle. ”
Joel Gafford hit the 2-run single, scoring Willie Mays and Cody Pride.
Though no relation to THE Willie Mays, generally regarded the greatest center fielder to play Major League ball, MVSU right fielder Willie Mays did wear No. 24 like the old Giants’ great and had a Willie Mays day going 2 for 4 with a home run.
The Delta Devils were down and out, 7-3 after Mays homered in the fourth off reliever James Mahler. Throwing two innings after Murphy was assigned the first three innings, Mahler was the second of five Arkansas pitchers.
Brett Eibner, Evan Cox, last Friday night’s 12-11 winner in relief over South Carolina after Jacob House’s ninthinning Razorback grand slam, and Travis Hill were unscored upon over the final four frames Monday with Eibner throwing the sixth and seventh, Cox the eighth and Hill the ninth.
MVSU losing reliever Derrick Townsend walked into trouble in Arkansas’ 7-run second inning.
Townsend walked four, with Ryan Cisterna’s oneout, bases-loaded walk netting Arkansas’ first run before Chase Leavitt’s 2-run single cranked up the calliope as the merry-go-round kept circling.
By the day’s end, right fielder Leavitt was 2 for 4 with 3 RBIs, senior designated hitter Aaron Murphree had 3 RBIs and his first home run since March 15 against Georgia, and third baseman Logan Forsythe was 3 for 5.
Sizzling nonconference in February and early March, Murphree, 15 home runs, couldn’t catch up to SEC pitching and eventually faded to the bench.
However, Van Horn started the senior on Senior Day in last Sunday’s 6-3 victory over South Carolina and he singled home the game’s first run.
Now might Murphree be in the mix against Mississippi State ?
“ He’s been swinging it pretty good, ” Van Horn said. “ He’s definitely making me think about him a lot. He’s getting some good at-bats. He’s not swinging at bad pitches. He hit a ball hard to center field that was caught and he hit one out of the park. So, yeah, he’s right there. ”
Jacob House played errorless first base Monday. He had struggled afield when last used at first base and left field during the April 18-20 SEC series with Tennessee when regulars Andy Wilkins and Casey Coon were injured, and went 2 for 4 with a RBI in his first game since becoming an Arkansas folk hero with last Friday night’s grand slam gamewinner.
“ I thought he played good, ” Van Horn said. “ I think he was a little nervous a month or so back when he was playing a little bit. I think he’s grown up some. That home run Friday advanced him mentally a long way. ”
Van Horn was pleased to see sophomore lefty Dallas Keuchel earn SEC Pitcher of the Week honors for completing eight scoreless innings en route to beating South Carolina, 4-2 with the wind blowing out Sunday at Baum Stadium.
“ He deser ved it, ” Van Horn said. “ You shut down a team like that for eight innings with the wind blowing straight out, that’s pretty impressive. ”