Fayetteville, (Ark.) ? Jesse Barber singled to score Caleb Stewart and break up an 8-8 tie in the top of the seventh inning, and UK took a 10-8 lead into the bottom half of the inning, but committed three errors and lost, 11-10, at No. 19 Arkansas on Sunday. Due to time constraints, the game was shortened to seven innings. Kentucky had to catch a commercial flight back to Lexington. Kentucky made five errors, total, in the game and fell to 19-19 on the season, including a 5-13 mark in Southeastern Conference play.
The bottom of the seventh started when Danny Hamblin reached on an error. He moved to third on a double from Clay Goodwin. Another UK error in the infield loaded the bases for Haas Pratt, who grounded into a fielder?s choice, scoring Hamblin. Pinch-runner Stephen Robison also scored on the play when shortstop J.B. Schmidt?s attempt to turn the double play at first sailed into the UK dugout. With the score tied at 10-10, Casey Rowlett singled to right and scored pinch-runner Jason Deere with the game?s winning run.
?Our team gave a great effort today and it really hurts to lose this game,? UK head coach John Cohen said. ?I?m proud of the way our team competed all weekend against a very talented Arkansas team. We will continue to work on the things we need to work on and get turned back around.?
Matt Scott (5-4) suffered the loss and Jay Sawatski (6-2) picked up the win. Both relief pitchers had the same fate on Saturday in the series. Michael Bertram had three hits for Kentucky, which banged out 13 hits as a team.
The Kentucky offense erupted for five runs on five hits in the top of the first inning, sending 10 batters to the plate. Arkansas starting pitcher Daryl Maday was chased from the mound after just 14 pitches and failed to record an out in the game. He allowed five earned runs on four hits.
Bertram started the rally with a single and Spencer Graeter then deposited Maday?s fourth offering of the game over the fence in left. The bomb was Graeter?s fourth of the season and put UK up, 2-0. Billy Grace and Jake Kungl followed Graeter with consecutive singles and Stewart was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Boyd Goodner then came on in relief of Maday and promptly hit Mike Breyman with a curveball to force in Grace. Two batters later, Casey Gilvin delivered a bases-loaded single to score Kungl and Stewart.
Arkansas put three runs on the board in its half of the opening inning, thanks in large part to an error in the Kentucky outfield. The trouble started with a Hamblin one-out double and continued with a Goodwin single and a Scott Hode double, the latter scoring Hamblin. With two outs, Scott Bridges lofted a high fly ball to left center that UK was unable to come up with, allowing both Goodwin and Hode to score.
UK manufactured its sixth run in the top of the third when Breyman doubled, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Schmidt and scored on a sac fly off the bat of Gilvin.
Arkansas cut into the Wildcat advantage again in the bottom of the third, scoring two runs on three hits. Hamblin walked and Goodwin singled to start the rally. After UK reliever Craig Snipp retired the next two batters, Bridges singled to score both runners, making it a 6-5 game. Arkansas then loaded the bases, but Snipp got Devin Day to pop up, ending the threat.
Relief pitcher James Rodriquez fished Kentucky out of trouble in the fourth when he worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam with consecutive strike outs and a fly ball to strand all three runners and preserve the slim UK lead.
Breyman unloaded on a Boyd Goodner offering in the fifth, sending his sixth home run of the season well over the fence in right, a two-run shot to score Stewart and give Kentucky an 8-5 advantage.
The Razorbacks came right back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth, as Rowlett and Toops both had hits and came around to score in the inning, making it 8-7. UA threatened to take the lead from the Cats, but Schmidt dove into the hole at shortstop to snag Hode?s one-hopper and get the force out at second to end the inning.
Arkansas tied the game at 8-8 in the sixth inning, with some help from the Kentucky defense. After Bridges doubled with one out, he moved to third on a Rowlett single and scored when Bertram was unable to come up with a ground ball to first base.
Kentucky returns to action on Wednesday when it plays host to the Morehead State Eagles. That game is a makeup of last week?s rained out contest. Start time is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. (ET) from Cliff Hagan Stadium. Live stats of the game will be available at www.ukathletics.com.
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