FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. ? Arkansas took advantage four walks, a hit batsman and an error to plate six runs in the ninth inning as Kentucky gift-wrapped a 10-9 victory and gave it to the Razorbacks on Friday night at Baum Stadium.
Leading 9-4 heading into the ninth inning, the Wildcats seemed comfortably on their way to a series opening victory. Clint Arnold doubled with one out off Brock Baber, who had worked 2 1/3 scoreless innings to set up the win. After the double, Baber walked two straight to load the bases. After getting ahead 1-2 on the nine-hole hitter, Baber hit Logan Forsythe to force a run home to make it 9-5.
Andrew Albers took over at that point and promptly walked both batters he faced to force home a pair of runs. Zach Dials entered and temporarily stopped the bleeding by striking out Southeastern Conference RBI leader Danny Hamblin for the second out of the inning.
However, Chris Hollensworth tied it 9-9 when he doubled to center field on a ball that Antone DeJesus appeared to make a diving grab on, but the popped loose as he slid across the outfield grass.
Blake Parker followed with a grounder to third base, but Michael Bertram threw wide of first allowing the game-winning run to score. Albers took the loss to fall to 2-2. After entering in a mop-up role, Brian McLelland earned the win for Arkansas (26-9, 7-6 SEC) to improve to 3-1 on the season.
The ninth mirrored the Razorbacks other scoring innings, the third and fourth. Kentucky (25-9, 7-6 SEC) gave away the Hogs first four runs in those innings.
In the fourth, starter Aaron Tennyson walked a batter to lead off and another with two outs. He then uncorked two wild pitches to allow Arkansas? first run to cross. An inning later, Kentucky committed three errors in a span of two plays while also hitting a batter to allow the Hogs to tie the game 4-4.
In Arkansas? scoring innings, the Hogs had just four hits while Kentucky walked six, hit two, committed four errors and threw two wild pitches.
The Wildcats jumped all over Razorback starter Nick Schmidt, tagging him for four runs in six innings, his worst outing of the season. It got started in the first when DeJesus singled to start the contest and scored on Sean Coughlin?s two-out RBI single.
Kentucky made it 3-0 in the third on Ryan Strieby?s towering two-run home run to center field. The blast plated Collin Cowgill, who drew a leadoff walk.
Ryan Wilkes singled to leadoff the fourth and came around on a single by Strieby for a 4-0 UK lead.
The game was tied going into the seventh when the Wildcats strung together five straight two-out singles for a four-run outburst that gave them a seemingly insurmountable 8-4 lead. Coughlin added a run in the eighth when he launched his ninth home run over the wall in left-center field.
Game two of the series is slated for 5 p.m. ET on Saturday. The Wildcats send lefty Craig Snipp to the hill (4-2, 2.09) against southpaw Trey Holloway (3-0, 3.34).
