By Otis Kirk
No. 12 Arkansas evened the series with Kentucky on Friday night taking a 5-4 game that lasted just short of four hours in Lexington.
Arkansas never trailed in the game, but had to keep holding off Kentucky threats to get the win. The two teams combined to strand 24 runners, including 13 by Kentucky, and the Razorbacks committed three errors. Arkansas was able to answer each time Kentucky scored with a run of its own which Dave Van Horn addressed after the game.
"I thought offensively we did a good job of getting on base and finding a way to score," Van Horn said. "A couple of key runs to keep the lead put a little pressure on them. That was one of the ugliest games I've been involved in in awhile at least on our side of it. I felt very fortunate to win. You look at all the little things we didn't do on the defensive side."
Ethan McElvain (5-0) pitched the final three innings to earn the win. He allowed just one hit, walked a hitter and struck out seven. The Hogs also got a good start from Gabe Gaeckle who pitched 5.1 innings. He allowed seven hits, two runs, walked three and fanned seven. Steele Eaves was the other pitcher for Arkansas lasting 0.2 inning and giving up three hits.
"Our pitching was great," Van Horn said. "Gaeckle was good, Eaves had a good inning and then they put a couple of good swings on him. Obviously McElvain saved us so that was a great job by our guys just hanging in there."
The Hogs broke a 4-4 tie in the top of the eighth inning. Maika Niu walked, then stole second base. Niu scored the winning run on a double by Nolan Souza. The Hogs had a chance to score more that inning with Souza on third and Landon Schaefer, pinch running for Zack Stewart, on second and just one out. But Damian Ruiz and TJ Pompey both struck out against Nile Adcock to end the inning.
Kentucky threatened in the bottom of the eighth when Tyler Bell reached on an error on Reese Robinett. McElvain then struck out Luke Lawrence for the second out. Ethan Hindle then doubled, but Niu did a good job getting the ball back into the infield and the Wildcats opted to hold Bell at third. McElvain then struck out Scott Campbell to end the inning. He also struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth.
The Razorbacks broke a scoreless tie with Stewart hitting a solo shot in the top of the third. That was hit 10th home run of the season.
Kentucky's Jayce Thamish got hit by a pitch in the bottom of the third to lead off the inning. He then stole second and came home on a hit by Braxton Van Cleave to tie the game at 1. After Camden Kozeal hit his 17th home run of the season in the top of the fourth, Hudson Brown tied it with a solo home run in the bottom half of the inning.
On Van Cleave's hit he ran into Kozeal at second base and had to leave the field after a long delay on a stretcher. No update was given as an ambulance took him to the hospital.
In the top of the fifth, Arkansas took the lead back at 3-2 when Stewart walked with one out. Ruiz then singled to left field and Pompey walked to load the bases with one out. Ryder Helfrick hit a grounder to second that allowed Stewart to score.
Arkansas stretched the lead to 4-2 in the top of the seventh when Ruiz doubled with one out. He then scored on a two-out double by Kuhio Aloy.
Ole Miss tied the game in the bottom of the seventh with two runs. Tyler Bell singled and then Luke Lawrence doubled to score Bell and end Eaves' day. McElvain did allow a hit by Kyle Marcy that plated Lawrence though the run was credited to Eaves.
Kentucky used six pitchers with the fifth one, Leighton Harris (0-1) charged with the loss. Kentucky pitchers allowed nine Arkansas hits, walked seven, struck out 10 and had two wild pitches.
Arkansas (35-19, 16-13) and Kentucky (31-19, 13-16) will finish the series and regular season Saturday at 1 p.m.
