By HAD CRUNK
UA Sports Information
Arkansas jumped to an early lead and the bullpen shut down No. 25 Alabama as the Razorbacks took a 4-3 victory at Sewell-Thomas Stadium on Sunday.
Arkansas took a 4-2 lead and the relievers pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings in the series finale.
The Razorbacks (19-8, 3-6 SEC) dropped the first two of three games to Alabama (21-9, 7-2).
Relievers Trent Daniel and Nolan Sanburn combined to give up just one hit over 5 2/3 innings.
Daniel earned his first collegiate victory, pitching 3 2/3 innings and giving up the hit while striking out one. Sanburn earned his third save, pitching two hitless innings.
Randall Fant started for Arkansas and got no decision, allowing three runs, two earned, on two hits in 3 1/3 innings.
Alabama starter Tucker Hawley (5-2) took the loss, giving up four runs on eight hits with six strikeouts in six innings.
Collin Kuhn closed out a strong weekend at the plate, going 3 for 4 with a run scored. For the series, Kuhn hit .692 (9 for 13) with a home run, three RBI and three stolen bases.
Cabot’s Sam Bates, Tim Carver, Eric Fisher and Jacob Morris each added a hit and an RBI in the victory.
Bates is the former Panthers standout who was drafted by the Florida Marlins out of junior college last year but opted to stay in college and play for the Razorbacks.
Alabama managed just three hits from Brandt Hendricks, Josh Rosecrans and Austen Smith, with Rosecrans and Smith getting an RBI.
The Crimson Tide struck first, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first.
Taylor Dugas led off the inning with a walk. With one out, Jared Reaves reached base and Dugas moved to second when James McCann was called for catcher’s interference.
After a double steal, Smith drove in the first run of the game with a groundout to short. Rosecrans then singled to left field to bring home Reaves and put Alabama in front 2-0.
Matt Reynolds and McCann started the second with back-to-back singles. Fisher then lined a single to center to score Reynolds to trim the lead to 2-1.
The Razorbacks tied it with a two-out rally in the third. Kuhn singled and stole second. Bates brought home Kuhn with a double to the right-center field alley to tie it 2-2.
McCann started the Arkansas fourth with a walk and moved to second when Fisher grounded out to first. A groundout to the pitcher by Kyle Robinson advanced McCann to third and Carver drove him in with a single to make it 3-2.
After Carver stole second, Morris lined a double down the right field line to bring home Carver and stretch the lead to two.
The Razorback bullpen held Alabama in check for the rest of the game, but the Crimson Tide did make things interesting in the ninth, advancing the potential tying run to third.
Andrew Miller drew a walk to start the inning and then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Hendricks. A groundout to the pitcher by Brett Booth advanced Miller to third.
Pinch hitter David Kindred was hit by a pitch to put runners at the corners for Alabama’s top hitter Dugas, but Sanburn got him to ground out to shortstop to end the game.
