OMAHA, Neb. — Arkansas freshman pitcher Keaton McKinney kept the Razorbacks in their College Wold Series game against Miami on Monday.
McKinney had been limited to a combined 6 1/3 innings in his previous three starts while battling a sore hip. He took a cortisone shot last week, started Monday afternoon and went 4 1/3 innings, holding the Hurricanes to 2 hits and 1 walk with 3 strikeouts on 68 pitches.
McKinney took a no-decision in Miami’s 4-3 victory, which ended Arkansas’ season.
“He did a great job giving us four innings,” Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said. “I just appreciate the effort.”
Razorbacks pitching coach Dave Jorn visited the mound to talk to McKinney before Van Horn took him out one batter later.
“He said, ‘I’m about done,’ ” Van Horn said. “We didn’t want to hurt him.”
McKinney pitched 87 innings in 21 games this season, including 18 starts, and finished with a 3.21 earned average.
“We’ll let him rest up all summer and get strong,” Van Horn said. “Hopefully, he’ll come back and have a great sophomore year.”
Hanging tough
Arkansas third baseman Bobby Wernes had an eight-pitch at-bat when he hit a two-out single off Miami reliever Michael Mediaville in the seventh inning to score Clark Eagan and tie the game 3-3. Wernes fouled off three two-strike pitches.
"I saw quite a few pitches and kept fouling them off," Wernes said. "I finally got an elevated fastball that I got enough barrel on.
"I've got the best hitter in the nation behind me, so I'm going to see something to hit for sure."
Arkansas center fielder Andrew Benintendi, who has won three national player of the year awards and was the No. 7 overall pick in the Major League Baseball amateur draft by Boston, grounded out to first base to end the half inning.
Benintendi finished 0 for 3, but drew two walks. He finished the season batting .376.
Good timing
Jacob Heyward got Miami's only hit with a runner in scoring position when he singled in Carl Chester from second base in the bottom of the ninth inning for the game-winning run. The Hurricanes were 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position before Heyward delivered.
Come back here
Arkansas first baseman Clark Eagan was hit by a pitch in the second inning by Miami starter Thomas Woodrey, but wasn't awarded first base by home plate umpire Patrick Riley.
Replays showed the ball hit Eagan in the back of the shoulder. Riley could be heard telling Eagan, "Come back here," by the in-house microphones behind home plate.
Umpires can use their discretion to determine whether a batter could have avoided a pitch that hit him.
Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn and fans protested the call, but to no avail. Eagan flied out on the next pitch.
It was the second time in two weeks that Eagan wasn't awarded first base after being hit by a pitch. He was hit in the elbow by a pitch in the second game of the Razorbacks' Super Regional against Missouri State.
Two and done
Arkansas went 0-2 in the College World Series for the second time in eight appearances. The Razorbacks also were 0-2 in 2004 when they lost to Texas and Arizona.
The Miami loss dropped Arkansas to 11-16 all-time in College World Series games.
McCann makes appearance
Detroit Tigers rookie catcher James McCann, who an Arkansas freshman hit .375 (6 for 16) for Arkansas in the 2009 College World Series, made a brief visit to this year's event Sunday night.
McCann caught a ride from Detroit to Omaha with Tigers pitcher David Price, who played at Vanderbilt.
Price, whose salary this season is $19.75 million, arranged for a private jet to fly to Omaha after the Tigers' 8-1 victory over Cleveland so he could watch Vanderbilt play Cal State-Fullerton.
McCann, who has been starting for Detroit with Alex Avila out with a knee injury, rode with with Price along with Tigers backup catcher Bryan Holaday, who played at TCU, another College World Series team this season.
Price, McCann and Holaday couldn't stay long in Omaha because the Tigers played Cincinnati Monday night. McCann was in the starting lineup.
While Arkansas didn't play Sunday, McCann got to visit with his brother, Michael, who is a manager for the Razorbacks.
Power couple
Monday's game featured two of the nation's three best home run hitters.
Arkansas' Andrew Benintendi leads the NCAA with 20 home runs, while Miami's David Thompson is tied for second with 19 home runs.
Benintendi and Thompson were tied with Eastern Kentucky's Kyle Nowlin entering the College World Series. Benintendi hit a home run in the Razorbacks' game against Virginia on Saturday to retake the national lead.
In good company
Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn and Miami Coach Jim Morris are among eight active coaches with six or more College World Series appearances.
Texas Coach Augie Garrido and Florida State's Mike Martin leads with 15 trips to Omaha. Garrido has eight appearances with Texas after having seven with Cal State Fullerton.
Stanford's Mark Marquess is third with 14 appearances followed by Morris (12), Rice's Wayne Graham (7), Van Horn (6), North Carolina's Mike Fox (6) and Oregon's George Horton (6).
All of Horton's College World Series appearances came with Cal State Fullerton.