No. 8 Arkansas scored five runs in the top of the 9th inning to beat No. 3 Texas Tech 13-9 in the Razorbacks' first game of the College Baseball Showdown in Arlington, Texas.
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Elijah Trest pitched the final three innings, only giving up two hits, and kept the Razorbacks within striking distance.
Arkansas' next game, against Texas, is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. on Sunday.
Arkansas 13, Texas Tech 9 — End 9th Inning
Elijah Trest stays in the game for the Razorbacks. He is going on his third inning of work.
He gets the first batter to pop out in foul territory.
The next batter, Fulford, pops up to short center. 2 outs.
Trest gets behind the next batter 3-0 and eventually walks him. 2 outs, runner on 1st.
Trest strikes out the last batter to make this one final.
Arkansas 13, Texas Tech 9 — Middle 9th Inning
Casey Opitz leads off the innings with a single to right. He will not be pinch ran for right now.
Wallace singles to right, Opitz advances to third. Runners on the corners with no outs. Gregory is 1-1 this year after coming in to pinch hit for Nesbit earlier.
Gregory strikes out, Wallace advances to second on a ball in the dirt.
Battles with a huge single to tie the game. The freshman is 3-5 with a run scored today.
A passed ball gives the Razorbacks the lead. Moore walked and the ball got by the catcher allowing the runner to score.
Christian Franklin absolutely blasted a ball to straight away center. If we're at Baum then Arkansas has three more runs, but instead it's a long, loud out at the center field wall.
Another wild pitch and Arkansas gets another run. Battles comes in to score and Webb is batting with runners on 2nd and 3rd.
Braydon Webb works an 8 pitch single and scores two more runs. That insurance should help a bullpen that has been shaky at best tonight.
Devine's night is done. Derek Bridges is in to pitch.
Devine: 0.2 IP, 4H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 33 pitches.
Slavens strikes out to end the 9th, but five runs in the 9th inning give the Hogs the lead back.
Arkansas 8, Texas Tech 9 — End 8th Inning
Trest settles in during the 8th inning and retires the side in order. Arkansas has one last chance to tie or take the lead. Due up for the Hogs:
Casey Opitz, Cayden Wallace, Zach Gregory
In to pitch for the Red Raiders is Andrew Devine.
Key: 1.0 IP, 1H, 0R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 17 pitches.
Arkansas 8, Texas Tech 9 — Middle 8th Inning
Arkansas gets two runners on, but can't do anything with them. Moore reached on an infield single and Webb walked, but 2 strikeouts and a flyout end the Razorbacks threat in the 8th. Arkansas has walked 9 times, but also struck out 12.
Arkansas 8, Texas Tech 9 — End 7th Inning
After a good 6th Costeiu struggles in the 7th, hitting the first batter and walking the next.
Elijah Trest is in to pitch. He's the 6th pitcher of the night for the Hogs. Arkansas' 5 bullpen pitchers are averaging 1.2 outs per pitcher right now. Not great.
Costeiu: 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, (Runners are his responsibility), 2 BB, 0 K, 21 pitches.
Trest comes in and gives up a 3-run homerun to left field. Fulford deposited that ball a few rows up behind the left field fence. Trest was ahead in the count, but couldn't get a few calls on the corner. Then he threw a hanging breaker right in the sweet spot of the zone.
Trest hits a man, but then picks him off at second base. He then gets the next batter to strikeout looking.
Jalen Battles is being looked at by the training staff. The trainer was looking at his right leg, but he will stay in the game.
Tech gets a double, but Trest strands him with a strikeout.
Arkansas 8, Texas Tech 6 — Middle 7th Inning
An overturned call at first and an infield single have the Razorbacks in position to tie the game again. 1 out and Opitz at the plate.
Opitz had a terrific at-bat, seeing 11 pitches and forcing a mound visit from the pitching coach.
A balk ties the game 6-6. Tech's catcher called time, it wasn't granted, but the pitcher stopped his windup and the game is tied. Wow I haven't seen that in a college game in a while.
After a popup in foul territory, Zach Gregory pinch hits for Jacob Nesbit.
The strangeness continues, Arkansas scores two runs on a wild pitch. The pitch got away from the catcher and then the throw to the plate got away from the pitcher that was covering allowing the Razorbacks to score two and take the lead 8-6.
Battles strikes out swinging. It's stretch time and this game has been nothing short of entertaining.
Arkansas 5, Texas Tech 6 — Bottom 6th Inning
Kole Ramage is in to start this inning.
Kopps: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1BB, 2K, 19 pitches.
Tech gets the leadoff man on with a walk, he steals second and advances to third on the throw. Opitz had a pitch in the dirt and would have been late on the throw. The next batter walks and there are runners on the corners.
Ramage's night is done after not recording an out. Right-handed Ryan Costeiu in for the Hogs
Ramage: 0.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER (both runners are his responsibility) 1 BB, 0 K, 15 pitches.
Another potential double play ball for the Razorbacks, but this time the roll is too slow for the turn to come in time. Hogs get the out at second. Tech scores a run and retakes the lead.
Costeiu did a good job of coming in and limiting the damage. He gets a flyout and groundout to end the inning.
Arkansas 5, Texas Tech 5 — Middle 6th Inning
Arkansas has the bases loaded with no outs after a hit by pitch and two walks, and the day is done for Wells. In to pitch is Ryan Sublette for the Red Raiders
Wells: 0.1 IP 0 H, 0R, 0 ER (All three runners are his responsibility). 0 K, 2 BB, 18 pitches.
Nesbit strikes out looking. He's the second Razorback to strikeout looking with the bases loaded today.
Jalen Battles puts a charge into one, one hopping the fence in left field and the Razorbacks score 2 to cut the lead to 5-3 Texas Tech. Robert Moore has put together three good at-bats today and he's up with runners in scoring position and one out for the Hogs.
A wild pitch plates another run for the Razorbacks. 5-4 Tech.
Robert Moore does his job, he flies out to right-center and Battles tags up and scores easily. Arkansas answers Tech's five runs with four of their own in the top of the 6th.
Franklin strikes out for the third time this game, but the Hogs took advantage of the free passes the Red Raiders handed out and tied the game.
Arkansas 1, Texas Tech 5 — End 5th Inning
Runion leads off the inning with a leadoff double, then Vermillion walks the next batter and his night is done. Caden Monke is in to pitch for the Razorbacks. Monke is probably the Razorbacks best ground ball pitcher.
Vermillion: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 0R, 0 ER (Both runners are his responsibility) 4 k, 2 BB, 59 pitches.
The Red Raiders load the bases, and Conley singles through the right side of the infield. Tech scores 2 to take the lead. Monke's night is done after giving up 2 hits to the only 2 batters he faced.
Kevin Kopps will come in with runners on first and second with nobody out.
The first batter hits a first pitch slider right between Kopps' legs for an RBI single. Tech leads 3-1.
A wild pitch gets by Opitz and then a base hit give Texas Tech a 5-1 lead. The bullpen hasn't been spectacular so far for the Razorbacks. They have yet to get an out.
Kopps gets the last two batters to strikeout to end the inning, but the damage was done by the Red Raiders scoring 5 runs on 5 hits.
Arkansas 1, Texas Tech 0 — Middle 5th Inning
Arkansas has loaded the bases with 1 out. Nesbit walked, Battles singled and Moore walked. Arkansas has Christian Franklin up. This is the Razorbacks best chance to score this game.
Franklin struck out looking on a 3-2 slider.
Arkansas is on the board. Cullen Smith works a walk and the Razorbacks take the lead.
Birdsell's night is done. 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2K, 30 pitches. Into pitch is the righty Levi Wells.
Arkansas will just get the one run after Webb grounds out to third to end the inning.
Arkansas 0, Texas Tech 0 — End 4th Inning
Braydon Webb makes a leaping catch right in front of the Razorback bullpen in left center field. That could find its way on SportsCenter.
Vermillion gets a strikeout and and flyout to end the inning. Vermillion is at 51 pitches. He could go out for the fifth. Van Horn said pitchers limits would be around 60 pitches this weekend. Something to look out for next inning.
Monteverde's night is done his line - 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 5 K, 2 BB, 64 pitches
The righty Brandon Birdsell is in for the Red Raiders.
Arkansas 0, Texas Tech 0 — Middle 4th Inning
Arkansas goes in order in the 4th inning. Two groundouts and a flyout have the game still scoreless.
Monteverde has thrown 64 pitches for the Red Raiders.
Arkansas 0, Texas Tech 0 — End 3rd Inning
Texas Tech threatened in the inning get the first two batters on, but Vermillion stranded the runners with two fly out and a strikeout.
Vermillion has thrown 38 pitches through 3 innings for the Hogs.
Arkansas 0, Texas Tech 0 — Middle 3rd Inning
Monteverde gets Jacob Nesbit on a high curveball. Nesbit worked the count full, but couldn't connect.
Battles strikes out on a fastball, that one touching 91 mph according to the announcers. Monteverde struck out 5 Razorbacks in his first time through the lineup.
Robert Moore singled into left field for the Razorbacks first hit of the year. He took a high fastball and pulled it.
Moore was picked off at first, but he never stopped running to second and slid in before the errant throw.
Moore is on the move this inning. He stole third base, couldn't see the tag or the jump, but he seemed to be there in plenty of time. Moore had three steals in the covid-19 shortened season. He has two in the first game.
The Hogs got runners on the corners after a Franklin walk, but Smith grounded out to the shortstop to end the inning.
Arkansas 0, Texas Tech 0 — End 2nd Inning
There is no radar gun reading on the broadcast, but the announcers said Vermillion touched 93 mph this inning. He retires the first two batters on four pitches.
Former Razorback Easton Murrell reaches on an error by shortstop Jalen Battles. Battles couldn't field it cleanly and Murrell beat the throw. Vermillion hits the next batter on the first pitch.
Vermillion gets out of the inning by striking out Runion on a pitch in the dirt. Arkansas will have 8,9,1 due up in the top of the 3rd.
Arkansas 0, Texas Tech 0 — Middle 2nd Inning
Texas Tech's starter Patrick Monteverde has his breaking ball working early. He strikes out the first two batters of the inning, but Casey Opitz works a walk to give the Razorbacks their first base runner of the game. Opitz was able to advance to second base on a wild pitch in the dirt, but Wallace grounded out to third to end the inning. Montverde hasn't been overpowering Arkansas' batters with speed, but his breaking stuff has the Hogs guessing.
Arkansas 0, Texas Tech 0 — End 1st Inning
Leadoff Dru Baker grounds out to Jalen Battles at shortstop. 1 out.
Cal Conley grounds a ball up the middle for the first hit of the game.
Dylan Neuse grounds into a 6-4-3 double play. Battles to Moore to Cullen Smith at first to end the inning.
We've heard a lot about the double play combo of Battles and Moore during the offseason and the duo didn't disappoint on that turn. Very smooth up the middle.
Arkansas 0, Texas Tech 0 — Middle 1st Inning
Robert Moore flies out to left to start off the inning. 1 out.
Christian Franklin strikes out swinging on a breaking ball. 2 outs.
Braydon Webb flies out to the shortstop and the Hogs go in order in the top of the inning.
Pregame
The official start time for Arkansas' first game of the season against Texas Tech is 8:20 p.m. The preceding game between Ole Miss and TCU did not end until 7:25 p.m.; 25 minutes later than the scheduled start time for the game between Arkansas and Texas Tech. Arkansas will be the visiting team today. Matt Goodheart did not make the trip for an undisclosed medical reason.
Texas Tech starter Patrick Monteverde has pitched in only four games since the start of the 2019 season. He required Tommy John surgery after three appearances in 2019, and pitched only 2 2/3 innings last season before the season was shut down….Arkansas starting pitcher Zebulon Vermilion is making his first career start. Vermillion has appeared in 32 games during his career, including five last season when he did not allow a run and struck out 12 in 7 1/3 innings
Lineups
Arkansas
2B Robert Moore
CF Christian Franklin
1B Cullen Smith
LF Braydon Webb
DH Brady Slavens
C Casey Opitz
RF Cayden Wallace
3B Jacob Nesbit
SS Jalen Battles
P Zebulon Vermillion - 1-0, 0.00 ERA in 7 1/3 innings in 2020
Texas Tech
LF Dru Baker
3B Cal Conley
CF Dylan Neuse
2B Jace Jung
1B Cole Stilwell
RF Easton Murrell
C Braxton Fulford
DH Braydon Runion
SS Kurt Wilson
P Patrick Monteverde - 0-0, 0.00 ERA in 2 2/3 innings at Division II Seton Hill (Pa.) in 2020