May 30, 2014

Razorbacks Cool Flames

By Sean Ryan

CollegeBaseballInsider.com Co-Founder

sryan@collegebaseballinsider.com @collbaseball

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Ten batters into the game, Chris Oliver was on the ropes.

Oliver, second-seeded Arkansas’ starter against third-seeded Liberty at the Charlottesville Regional Friday night, had just drilled Flames leadoff man Ashton Perritt with the bases loaded to force home the game’s first run. Through 10 batters, Oliver had three walks, two hit batters and little command of his fastball.

“Real close,” Razorbacks coach Dave Van Horn said of how close he was to taking Oliver, 8-4 with a 2.45 ERA entering the Regional, out of the game. “It didn’t look like it was going to get better.”

Oliver turned to his breaking ball and struck out Will Shepherd and Ryan Seiz to leave the bases loaded and limit the damage to one in a 32-pitch inning. The great escape turned out to be crucial as Oliver gutted through five innings, and Brian Anderson went 2 for 3 with a homer and two RBI to lift Arkansas past Liberty 3-2 in the first meeting between the teams.

“Somehow, he managed through the second inning with one run,” Van Horn said. “That saved us.”

Oliver (9-4) didn’t look comfortable, particularly with his low-90s fastball, from the outset, walking two in the first inning. His lack of control led to early activity in the bullpen and reminded him of his outing at LSU earlier this season, a start he won but had seven walks in seven innings.

“The fastball is just something I’ve got to get control of,” Oliver said. “The curve ball was probably my best pitch. It got me out of a jam in the second inning.”

In the bottom of the second, Anderson led off with an opposite-field homer to right – a tough feat at cavernous Davenport Field on the University of Virginia’s campus – off Flames senior right-hander Trey Lambert (11-3).  

“It was like starting a brand new game,” Oliver said of the game-tying homer.

Anderson got another chance in the fourth after Joe Serrano singled and moved to third when Andrew Benintendi (2 for 4) lined a high breaking ball through the open hole at short on a hit and run. Lambert, the Big South Pitcher of the Year, fooled him with a breaking ball, but Anderson singled through the infield to left field to score Serrano. Later in the inning, Bobby Wernes had a run-scoring grounder to make it 3-1.

Oliver settled in, with the exception of the occasional walk – he finished with six in five innings. As he did in the second, he found himself in a jam in the fifth but minimized the damage. Oliver walked Alex Close to open the frame, and Andrew Yacyk followed with a double to put runners on second and third. Dalton Britt (2 for 4, run) drove in a run on a sacrifice fly in foul territory in left, but Oliver escaped with a long fly ball to right and a liner to left by Jake Kimble.

“We just couldn’t seem to get that timely hit,” Britt said.

Added Flames coach Jim Toman: “We just didn’t have the timely hits the first three innings.”

With Oliver at 109 pitches after five innings, the Razorbacks (39-23) turned to Michael Gunn, who limited the Flames (41-17) to one hit and struck out three in three innings – he struck out the side in the eighth inning – lowering his ERA to 0.76.

Perritt was hit by a pitch for the second time to lead off the ninth by closer Jacob Stone. After a sacrifice bunt, the sidearm righty induced a two-strike chopper to third from the left-handed hitting Seiz, Liberty’s biggest bat, and Wernes fired in time to first for the second out. Stone got a grounder to first from Alex Close to cap his fourth save.

“Their pitching was every bit as good as we thought it would be,” Toman said.

Liberty will meet Bucknell Saturday in an elimination game, and Arkansas will face off against Virginia in the nightcap.

Notes

·        Flames leadoff man and reliever Ashton Perritt was drilled on the left wrist with a fastball in the second inning and hit on the same spot with a breaking ball in the ninth inning. “I’m sure that it’s not feeling good right now,” Flames coach Jim Toman said after the game. “Knowing Ashton, it could be broke, but he’s not coming out of the game.”

·        Arkansas fed Liberty’s Ryan Seiz (.362/12/42 entering the game) a steady dose of breaking balls and change ups. When he finally got a high, out-of-the-zone fastball from Stone in the ninth, he swung through it and then launched a long foul ball to left the next pitch.   

·        Liberty pitcher Trey Lambert on Brian Anderson’s homer: “He’s an excellent hitter…he showed why he’s an elite hitter on an SEC club.”

·        Arkansas won a memorable game against Virginia at the 2009 College World Series when Brett Eibner hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning to force extras, when Andrew Darr had a game-winning double in the 12^th inning. “I think we’ve all seen the video a couple dozen times,” Anderson said.

·        Speaking of video, Van Horn was asked if he’s seen Virginia’s likely Saturday starter, ACC Pitcher of the Year Nathan Kirby. “Just video,” Van Horn said with a smile. “I turned it off pretty quick.”