Razorbacks Rally, Defeat Sam Houston State, 5-4
By: UA Sports Information
Updated: June 1, 2012
HOUSTON -
Junior Matt Reynolds had three hits including a go-ahead RBI on a
fielder's choice to lead the University of Arkansas baseball team to a
hard-fought, 5-4, victory over Sam Houston State in the first game of
the NCAA Houston Regional on Friday afternoon at Reckling
Park on the campus of Rice University.
The
Arkansas victory improves the Razorbacks to 40-19 on the year and
advances
Arkansas in the winner's bracket of the Houston Regional where they will
play the winner of the Rice-Prairie View A&M game scheduled for
later today. Sam Houston State falls to 38-21 on the year with the
loss.
Sam
Houston State had a scoring chance in the top of the second, but was
unable
to get on the board. With one out, Kevin Miller blooped a single into
shallow right field. After a strikeout of Ryan O'Hearn, John Hale was
hit by a pitch and Jessie Plumlee walked to load the bases with two
outs. Baxendale got Corey Toups to strike out swinging
to end the inning.
Arkansas
grabbed the lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Reynolds
led off the inning with his second hit of the day, a double to
right-center that popped out of the glove of the diving right fielder. A
walk to Brian Anderson put runners on first and second with nobody out.
Bo Bigham laid down a sacrifice bunt. The Sam Houston
State pitcher attempted to throw Reynolds out at third, but the throw
was late, loading the bases. Derrick Bleeker and Jake Wise then hit
back-to-back sacrifice flies to score a pair of runs and give the
Razorbacks a 2-0 lead.
The
Bearkats answered back with four runs in the top of the fifth. Hale led
off
the inning with a single, but was thrown out trying to advance to third
after a single by Plumlee. Toups reached on a fielder's choice, with
Plumlee advancing to second on a throwing error by Tim Carver at
shortstop. Colt Atwood then reached on a fielder's
choice to second with Toups advancing to second on a fielding error by
Bo Bigham. Luke Plucheck brought in the first run of the day for SHSU on
a fielder's choice ground out to third with Atwood being retired at
second on the play. A single to center field
by Anthony Azar tied the game at two and put runners on first and third.
Jake Arrington then hit a fly ball to left. Bleeker misjudged the ball,
coming in at first and then racing back to the warning track where the
ball popped out of his glove and went for
a triple that scored two runs and put the Bearkats in front 4-2.
Arkansas
regained the lead with three runs in the bottom of the seventh. Jake
Wise led off the inning with a double down the left field line and Matt
Vinson walked to put runners on first and second. A base hit to left by
Joe Serrano loaded the bases with nobody out. Carver tied the game with a
two-RBI single into left field. A walk
to Dominic Ficociello loaded the bases for the second time in the
inning. Reynolds drove in the go-ahead run on a fielder's choice ground
out to shortstop.
