Arkansas freshman lefty Drew Smyly got the ball last night against a fellow southpaw, freshman sensation Danny Hultzen. Hultzen turned in a gem (6.1 IP, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K) to solidify a spot on the Frosh All-American Team. 1B John Hicks and OF Dan Grovatt both went deep, and the Cavaliers held a 3-1 lead in the 9th. RHP Kevin Arico, usually a reliable closer, had the Hogs down to their last strike with nobody on base. 3B Zack Cox singled up the middle to keep it alive, and then CF Brett Eibner launched an absolute moonshot to left. Eibner was hitting .220, but it was definitely not a soft .220. The sophomore has incredible tools, and the homer was his 11th.
The Cavaliers still had plenty of chances to redeem themselves. They had the bases loaded with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th, but Hultzen grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. (To be fair, he did hit the ball sharply.) In the 10th, Virginia runners got to 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. Jarrett Parker and Hicks both struck out to end that rally. The Cavs also loaded the bases in the 11th and got a leadoff double in the 12th to no avail. Credit LHP Dallas Keuchel, the Razorbacks' ace, for getting through 4 pressure-packed innings performing numerous escape jobs. OF Andrew Darr hit a go-ahead double in the top of the 12th to join Eibner as an offensive hero. Last night's game was definitely Virginia's to lose, and, boy, did they ever lose it.
Tonight's ASU/UNC rematch was really a tale of two games. Carolina led 4-0 in the middle of the 5th inning. Sun Devil OF Kole Calhoun (a breakout star of this year's CWS) blasted a game-tying grand slam to tie it in the 5th, then ASU poured on 8 more in a crazy 7th inning to run away with the "W". Josh Spence (7 IP, 3 ER) was spectacular on short rest. Calhoun, 2B Zack MacPhee, C Carlos Ramirez, and OF Jason Kipnis all had good offensive games, but UNC's normally-stellar pitching was the real culprit. Matt Harvey walked 5 and gave up 3 runs in an abbreviated start; Colin Bates, Patrick Johnson, and Nate Striz all gave up multiple runs; and Brian Moran surrendered the grand slam. It has to be incredibly disappointing for UNC to get knocked out again after being so close. The Tar Heels made it to Omaha 4 years in a row (with college baseball's best hitter and an All-American pitcher for the last 3 of those), but they still haven't captured the national championship. That just goes to show how elusive the title is.
ASU's Seth Blair and Mike Leake will be counted on to beat Texas the next two days. Meanwhile, Arkansas will be a longshot against LSU, which hasn't lost since May 20 in the opener of the SEC Tournament. The Razorbacks have burned their 3 weekend starters, plus T.J. Forrest and Mike Bolsinger in the bullpen. Dave Van Horn will have to cobble together some pitching if his team wants to have a prayer against a rested Tigers team.
Brett Eibner was super-pumped after his 9th-inning bomb knotted the score at 3
*Photo courtesy of collegebaseballtoday.com
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