SEC BASEBALL

Kentucky can’t rattle Arkansas

Barrett Astin agreed to a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday.
Barrett Astin agreed to a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Close games have become the lifeblood of the Arkansas baseball team over the past year and a half, and it wasn’t any different Friday night in a 2-1 victory over Kentucky at Cliff Hagan Stadium.

Nine of the Razorbacks’ 14 victories in SEC play have been by one- or two-run margins.

“We have experienced pitching and experienced players, guys who went through it last year in our run at the end all the way to the World Series,” Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said.“Almost every game we won was a one-run game, especially in the regional and super regional. I think they were all one-run games except for maybe one.

“We’re used to it.”

Starter Barrett Austin pitched 5 2/3 innings, giving up 1 run and 5 hits. Trent Daniel and Brandon Moore followed with one inning apiece, Jalen Beeks threw to one batter in the bottom of the eighth, and closer Colby Suggs earned his ninth save of the season.

Suggs’ save moved him to a tie for sixth on the school’s season saves list. Phillip Stidham (1989) and Tim Deitz (1985) share the record at 12 saves.

Suggs said he likes playing in tight games, in part because if it isn’t a close game, he won’t get the call from the bullpen. But he embraces the competition once he gets out on the mound.

“It’s all mental,” Suggs said. “As a pitching staff, we handle the pressure well. We battle adversity well because we’re an older group that’s been through it. We know what it takes to win close games.

“We want to go out and be the best we can be every single day, and that’s how we prepare. That’s the mind-set we have.”

The No. 14 Razorbacks (31-15, 14-7) had only one productive inning at the plate, but that was all they needed. Catcher Jake Wise led off the top of the sixth with an opposite-field home run, a towering fly ball that caught the wind and rode it into the parking lot just behind the fence down the right-field line. Wise, who entered Friday’s game with a .190 batting average and .261 slugging percentage, is tied for the team lead with three home runs this season.

Jacob Mahan followed with a single, advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt and eventually scoring on a two-out single by Matt Vinson.

Arkansas base runners made it past second base on only two occasions, in the eighth and ninth innings.

Kentucky (26-18, 9-13) presented an interesting challenge for Arkansas’ bullpen. The Wildcats fielded six left-handed batters Friday, including five consecutive from No. 8 hitter Matt Reida through No. 3 hitter A.J. Reed. So when Suggs came on for the save - he’s saved each of Arkansas’ past five victories - he was challenged with opposite-handed hitters.

Lucas Witt pinch-hit for Kentucky to lead off the ninth, and he was the only right-handed batter Suggs faced. He grounded out to first. Kyle Barrett was hit with a pitch on the hand, and Austin Cousino struck out swinging.

“Facing lefties definitely makes me throw a lot more off-speed,” Suggs said. “Here, you have to keep the fastball away from that short porch out there. I just try to work the ball away and mix in some sliders for strikes and put away sliders if I can. It’s different facing lefties.”

Suggs said he wasn’t about to approach Reed, Kentucky’s No. 3 hitter who has 10 home runs this season, with a fastball. He got swings on his first two sliders, one in the dirt, and froze Reed on an 0-2 backdoor slider to end the game on a called strike three.

“I was just going to keep pumping those in there,” Suggs said.

The teams moved Sunday’s series finale to today because the forecast calls for rain Sunday. The teams will play a doubleheader today, with the first game starting at 11 a.m. Central and the second one beginning 45 minutes after the conclusion of Game 1.

Arkansas’ bullpen was stretched out a bit Friday, but Van Horn said the experience his team has in close games means he can count on whoever he turns to in the game.

“When you’re on the road playing in front of another team’s crowd and everybody cheering against you, it helps that guys like Suggs and Daniel have been there,” Van Horn said. “It’s just the way it is. They did a good job handling it.”

Today’s games ARKANSAS AT KENTUCKY

WHEN 11 a.m. Central (doubleheader) WHERE Cliff Hagan Stadium, Lexington, Ky.

RECORDS Arkansas 31-15, 14-7 SEC; Kentucky 26-18, 9-13 SEC.

RADIO Razorbacks Sports Network, which includes KQSM-FM, 92.1, in Fayetteville; KURM-AM, 790, in Bentonville-Rogers and KABZ-FM, 103.7, in Benton-Little Rock (Check local listings.) INTERNET arkansasrazorbacks.com PITCHING MATCHUP Game 1 Arkansas: Ryne Stanek (RHP, 5-2, 1.60 ERA); Kentucky: Kyle Cody (RHP, 3-2, 5.49 ERA).

Game 2 Arkansas: Randall Fant (LHP. 4-1, 2.34 ERA); Kentucky: Corey Littrell (LHP, 5-3, 3.22 ERA) SHORT HOPS Kentucky freshman Kyle Cody is expected to make his first career SEC start today. The 6-7 right-hander will take the place of Jerad Grundy, who has been the Wildcats’ Saturday starter for most of their SEC series this season.

Kentucky has lost the middle game in five consecutive SEC series.

THE WEEK AHEAD TODAY at Kentucky (DH) 11 a.m.

SUNDAY off MONDAY off TUESDAY off WEDNESDAY off THURSDAY off FRIDAY Tennessee, 6:35 p.m.

Sports, Pages 19 on 05/04/2013

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