University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols fall in extras to Arkansas
April 19, 2008 | Baseball
Box Score | Box Score (PDF)
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. ??? A two-out error and what initially appeared to be a harmless pop-up in the bottom of the 10th inning combined to make a valiant Tennessee pitching effort and a late UT comeback attempt go for naught Saturday as the Volunteers baseball team suffered a heartbreaking 5-4 loss at Baum Stadium. The Razorbacks clinched the weekend series with the win, which dropped the Vols to 22-16 (9-8 SEC) on the year.
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Arkansas second baseman Ben Tschepikow reached base on a two-out fielding error in the bottom of the 10th, and Hogs center fielder Brett Eibner then sent a high pop-up into shallow center field just beyond the infield dirt. Tennessee shortstop Danny Lima backpedaled into the grass to make the catch, but was unable to corral the ball. Tschepikow was sprinting full speed from first on the play, and Lima???s throw to the plate had no chance to prevent the winning run from crossing.
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The Vols fell to 4-1 in extra-inning games this season and suffered their seventh loss of the year in games in which they out-hit their opponent. Tennessee stranded eight runners in the game as opposed to four for Arkansas (22-16, 7-9 SEC).
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In a career-high 8 1/3 innings, Tennessee starting pitcher Bryan Morgado limited the Razorbacks to four runs on seven hits with no walks and 11 strikeouts???a personal strikeout-high in SEC play. The redshirt freshman retired the Hogs in order in the first, second, fourth and fifth innings. And in the process, he ran his season strikeout total to 78 in 58 2/3 total innings.
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Morgado continues to rank among the nation???s leaders with an average of 12.0 strikeouts per nine innings this year.
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In addition to the identical scores of 5-4 in both games of the series, Saturday???s contest shared numerous other similarities with Friday???s game as well.
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For the second time in as many days, Tennessee right fielder Josh Liles opened the game???s scoring. The freshman from Jackson, Tenn., led off the top of the second inning with a solo homer???his third longball of the season.
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And again for the second time in as many days, Razorbacks catcher Ryan Cisterna went yard. Morgado had faced the minimum through 2 1/3 innings???with three strikeouts???before Cisterna???s game-tying solo shot to left field.
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SEC Freshman of the Year candidate Kentrail Davis restored Tennessee???s one-run lead with an RBI single in the fifth. Davis??? team-best 35th RBI of the season drove in shortstop Danny Lima, who had previously reached on a one-out double.
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Vols first baseman Tanner Moore gave UT a 3-1 lead with a bases-loaded RBI groundout in the sixth. Saturday marked the fourth SEC start this season for Moore, a sophomore from Chattanooga, Tenn.
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A pair of Tennessee throwing errors in the bottom of the seventh enabled Arkansas to put a runner on third with no outs, and an RBI groundout by Hogs outfielder Andrew Darr brought the runner home to make it a one-run game.
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Later in the seventh with two outs, Cisterna delivered his third home run of the series???a go-ahead two-run blast to dead-center. Ironically, Cisterna hit a go-ahead two-run homer in Friday???s series-opener as well.
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Despite out-hitting Arkansas 7-6 through seven innings Saturday, the Vols trailed 4-3.
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Lima essentially forced extra-innings with a one-out homer in the top of the ninth. It was the junior???s first home run of the season and the fourth of his career.
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Morgado gave way to junior reliever Danny Wiltz with one out in the bottom of the ninth. The appearance was Wiltz???s first since April 8, when he suffered an injury to his throwing arm during a relief outing against Austin Peay. Wiltz allowed one unearned run on one hit with three strikeouts through the final 1 1/3 innings. He absorbed the loss to fall to 3-1 on the year.
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Tennessee stranded one runner in the 10th, and both clubs had a runner caught stealing in the 10th.
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Arkansas starting pitcher Justin Wells was touched for four runs on eight hits with three walks and nine Ks through nine full innings. Reliever James Mahler (2-1) picked up the win by working the final frame for the Hogs.
The series concludes Sunday at 1:05 p.m. CT. Junior right-hander Ty???Relle Harris (2-0, 3.03 ERA) will likely start on the mound for Tennessee, while Arkansas is expected to send junior left-hander Cliff Springston (4-2, 3.65 ERA) to the hill.
