Georgia holds off late Arkansas rally to even series in Athens

BY DUDLEY E. DAWSON

No. 1 Arkansas may have had its 12-game SEC winning streak come to an end Saturday afternoon at No. 7 Georgia, but Razorback coach Dave Van Horn was instead focusing on the positives.

His team fought back from deficits of 3-0, 5-1 and 7-3 only to fall 7-6 in Athens when the game ended with go-ahead run at the plate before 3,300 at Foley Field.

The Razorbacks (32-4, 12-2), who stayed in first-place league tie with Texas, will try to win the three-game series with the Bulldogs (31-6, 9-5) Sunday at noon CST.

“I’m not disappointed at all, I’m disappointed in the loss, not disappointed in anything else,” Van Horn said. “…I thought we did a great job of battling and fighting back. We were down 5-1 after 2 [innings], and I think we were down 6-2 after 3, and just kept chipping away.

“We had them a little worried there at the end and they had to go use some of their guys. We’re never out of a game and we have a good team.” 

After Arkansas blasted Georgia 13-3 on Friday night, Bulldogs head coach and former Razorback pitching coach Wes Johnson was thrilled to escape with the narrow win.

“They are a really good team,” Johnson said of Arkansas. “There is a reason they are number one in the country and you saw it. They pitch, they hit, they don’t quit.”

Ryland Zaborowski and Robbie Burnett both hit their 16th homers for Georgia, who ended a four-game SEC losing streak that being swept last weekend by Texas, who lost 5-4 at Kentucky in 15 innings on Saturday.

“We met before our team meeting today, and everyone had a piece in that meeting, but it was just, ‘Let’s have confidence within ourselves,’” Zaborowski said. “We’re not only doing it for us, we’re doing it for the fans. We’re doing it for our brothers in the dugout. After yesterday’s loss, we took it personally. We wanted to come back today.” 

Kolton Smith (3-1) started for Georgia and went five innings, allowing two runs on five hits and fanning a season-high eight.

“…I thought our guys today did a phenomenal job of forcing their pitchers – and I know they struck us out a little bit (15 times), but we forced them into some counts and when they made a mistake, we got off some good swings,” Johnson said. “Robbie and Zabo did with a couple of big hits there. Ryan Black had a big hit that kind of got us going with that backside double. Just doing what he does, couple of hits on the day.

“And then you look at us on the mound and Kolton got us off to a great start. I think he may have talked one…and struck out seven or eight, somewhere in there.

“He just held them down, mixed and attacked the strike zone with multiple pitches. And that’s what you have got to do to beat good teams.”

Georgia reliever Mitchell Hoskins closed out the game in the ninth after getting a mound visit from Johnson, whose team outhit Arkansas 11-10.

“I went out there and was just going to check on him and see where he was,” Johnson said. “And what to do if that guy took off at first base, if he was going to steal, things of that nature.

“I just wanted, quite frankly, I wanted Matthew to hold on to the ball and just focus…on the hitter, not the runner.

“And I went out there and he was like ‘man, I got this.’ He was very, very convincing and his body language was great. And then he just executed pitches right there.

Arkansas starting pitcher Gabe Gaeckle (2-1) lasted just two innings, giving up the 5 runs and throwing just 57 pitches as his struggles continue this season.

“He can’t finish off hitters and is throwing way too many pitches,” Van Horn said. “You can just tell it’s not right.”

Ben Bybee, Christian Foutch and Cole Gibler all pitched for Arkansas and allowed just two runs after Gaeckle exited.

Foutch has struggled lately, but fanned five in 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief work as Arkansas rallied.

“He threw great today,” Van Horn said. “He threw really, really well. He was just throwing strikes, pounding the zone with that heater at 97 and 99 [mph]…and located it well, and threw his split finger change and got some strikeouts. It was great to see.” 

Arkansas is scheduled to start Landon Beidelschies (3-0, 3.82 ERA) against Georgia’s Leighton Finley (2-0, 6.44) on Sunday.

“Really excited to see Leighton get out there and get us off to a good start again,” Johnson said. “I am sure it will be another tight game and we will ready to play.”

Photo courtesy of Razorbacks Communciations