Arkansas Baseball Splits Doubleheader With Kentucky; Wins Series 2-1

Arkansas led Kentucky 3-1 in the bottom of the ninth of the final game, but with two outs and two runners on, Razorback second baseman Jordan Farris misplayed a grounder that kept the Wildcats alive, and Kentucky took advantage. A couple of singles later, Kentucky scored the winning run and avoided to pick up the victory.

It's certainly nice to pick up a series victory on the road against a ranked team, but if Arkansas wants to host a regional, the Razorbacks need every win they can get. Fielding errors have plagued Arkansas all year and this isn't the first game the Hogs have lost as a result.

However, Arkansas still has yet to lose a road series in SEC play, so that's good. And the Razorbacks have won the last two without much offense. In the four wins against Kentucky and Georgia, Arkansas has only scored 11 runs. Pitching and defense has been really strong in those victories.

Here's the weekly recap from UA:

The No. 14 Arkansas baseball team went 3-1 on the week, defeating Missouri State in a midweek game on Tuesday and taking two of three games at No. 23 Kentucky over the weekend. The Razorbacks are now 32-16 overall and 15-8 in Southeastern Conference play. Arkansas has won six of its first eight conference series for the first time since the 2007 season. The Razorbacks have won all four of their SEC road series so far this season and are 9-2 on the road in league play.

The Arkansas pitching staff compiled a 2.02 ERA on the week. Barrett Astin and Ryne Stanek each earned victories in the Razorbacks’ series win at Kentucky. Astin gave up one run on five hits and struck out four in 5.2 innings on Friday, while Stanek allowed three runs on seven hits and struck out four in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader. Randall Fant made two starts during the week and picked up a win on Tuesday against Missouri State. Fant worked 7.1 innings on the week and gave up two runs on five hits with five strikeouts. Colby Suggs had three saves on the week and did not allow a hit in 2.1 innings of work. Suggs now has 10 saves on the season, which is tied for the fifth-highest single-season total in school history. Brandon Moore had three scoreless appearances on the week as well. Michael Gunn had two scoreless appearances, striking out four in 3.1 innings, while Trey Killian struck out two in 1.2 scoreless innings. Jalen Beeks pitched in three games and gave up a run on two hits in 3.2 innings.

The Razorbacks hit .252 at the plate over the four games. Matt Vinson and Jake Wise led Arkansas with each hitting .400 on the week. Vinson went 6-for-15 with a RBI and two runs scored, while Wise was 4-for-10 with a homer, two RBI, two runs scored and six walks. Brian Anderson hit .333 with a homer and two RBI. Jacob Mahandrove in three runs on the week and hit .286, while Tyler Spoon had a team-high four RBI with a homer.

Defensively, Arkansas had a .980 fielding percentage on the week, committing just three errors in 149 chances.

Arkansas closes its home schedule next weekend as it hosts Tennessee at Baum Stadium. Game times for the weekend series are scheduled for 6:35 p.m. on Friday, 6:05 p.m. on Saturday and 1:05 p.m. on Sunday. The series finale will be televised by Cox Sports Television.
Arkansas baseball weekly notebook