A&M; takes finale, series from Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE -- The Arkansas Razorbacks committed but one error Sunday.

However, against the second-ranked Texas A&M Aggies, leaders of the Southeastern Conference West, throwing savvy senior pitcher Kyle Simonds, the error led to four fourth-inning unearned runs that Arkansas could not overcome before 6,081 at Baum Stadium.

So after splitting Saturday's eight-hour, 45-minute doubleheader before 8,125 at Baum with Arkansas winning Saturday's opener 9-5 and A&M the 11-inning nightcap 11-8, Texas A&M took the SEC West series two out of three with a 6-2 Sunday success.

The Aggies leave Fayetteville 35-9 overall and 14-7 in the SEC.

Coach Dave Van Horn's Razorbacks, next playing Missouri State in a nonconference game Tuesday night at Springfield, Mo., before a three-game SEC West series at LSU Friday through Sunday in Baton Rouge, La., fall to 26-18 overall. At 7-14 in the SEC, they are scrambling not to be one of the two excluded from the SEC's 12-team postseason tournament.

Arkansas took a 1-0 lead in Sunday's second upon Carson Shaddy's one-out single scoring Michael Bernal who had tripled.

When Arkansas next scored, on Shaddy's leadoff home run in the ninth, the Hogs trailed by four.

Simonds, 7-1, was en route to a complete game striking out five walking two and mostly scattering eight hits while the Aggies fielded flawlessly some hard-hit balls ending in outs.

"He was really good," Shaddy said of Simonds. "He's there for a reason. He pitches on the No. 2 team in the nation, so we obviously know he's good. You have to tip your hat."

Shortstop Bernal, the hitting catalyst in the second with that triple setting up Shaddy's hit after Rick Nomura walked, committed the one-out throwing error upon fielding Nick Choruby's grounder undoing Arkansas starter Keaton McKinney, 1-3, and the Hogs in the four-run fourth. Boomer White doubled Choruby home. A two-out walk followed by Michael Barash's two-run double and Nick Banks' RBI single put McKinney in the loss column despite him allowing just one earned run for 5 2/3.

"We opened the window for them," Van Horn said. "Keaton was kind of cruising along with a one-out groundball, and (Bernal) rushed the throw that kind of opened up that window and there they came. I thought McKinney (the sophomore recovering from hip surgery in his best outing since beating Auburn with a six-inning start on March 26) was a lot better today, especially that first three innings. That fourth inning he should have had two outs and nobody on. But once he got into the jam, it seemed like he lost it a little bit."

McKinney was charged with a run in the sixth after lefty reliever Kacey Murphy against the two left-hand hitters assigned him, walked and allowed an RBI single scoring Barash whose infield single came against McKinney.

Isaiah Campbell threw an effective final 3 1/3 innings, holding the Aggies to a run in the ninth.

Van Horn said the Hogs didn't capitalize in their second inning with Shaddy's RBI on a 320-foot single with Nomura only taking second planning to tag up until A&M right fielder Banks couldn't hold the ball as he hit the wall.

"There is no way Nomura should have been tagging up," Van Horn said. "He should be halfway once he sees the ball and the player fall to the ground, and he ends up at third base. You never know but I feel we would have punched in another run then."

On Saturday both teams combined to punch home 33 runs in their doubleheader created by Friday night's rainout.

In Saturday night's second game, A&M jumped starter Zach Jackson for a 2-0 lead in its first but trailed 5-2 after one with starter Jace Vines chased.

Luke Bonfield crashed a three-run home three batters into that Arkansas first with Chad Spanberger, coming back from striking out five times in the first game, and Tucker Pennell delivering RBI singles.

Banks' grand slam had the Aggies up 7-6 and Jackson out of the game in the fifth.

Each team scored one in the sixth. Freshman reliever Barrett Loseke kept A&M scoreless the seventh through the ninth.

A&M left fielder J.B Moss' great catch robbed Pennell of a bases-clearing double in the fourth, but Arkansas improbably tied it 8-8 in the ninth on .077 hitting pinch-hitter Alex Gosser's two-out RBI single tallying Nomura who singled and advanced as right fielder Banks misplayed the hit.

Van Horn recycled relievers Knight (2-1), a scoreless 10th, and Alberius in the 11th after Hunter Melton's two-run home run off Knight following an error keyed the three-run 11th with another run charged to Alberius while reliever Mark Ecker (4-1), not used in the opener, won it with 4 1/3 innings before Turner Larkins finished for his 11th save.

"We just need to give our bullpen a little rest every now and then," Van Horn said. "And yesterday we had to go to that bullpen pretty early."

Sunday

Texas A&M 000 401 000 -- 6 10 0

Arkansas 010 000 000 -- 2 8 1

Simonds and Barash. McKinney, Murphy (6), Campbell (6) and Pennell. W-Simonds, 7-1. L-McKinney, 1-3. HR-Arkansas, Shaddy (7). 2B-Texas A&M, White 2 (14), Barash (5). 3B-Arkansas, Bernal (1). S-Texas A&M, Choruby (9).

Saturday Game 2

Texas A&M 200 141 000 03 -- 11 15 1

Arkansas 500 101 001 00 -- 8 14 3

Vines, Kilkenny (1), Sherrod (4), Ecker (6), Larkins (11) and Barash. Jackson, Willey (5), Rogers (6) Loseke (6), Knight (10), Alberius (11) and Pennell, Koch (10). W-Ecker, 4-1. L-Knight, 2-1. Sv-Larkins (1). HR-Texas A&M, Banks (6). Melton (10). Arkansas, Bonfield (8). 2B-Texas A&M, Moss (12), White (12), Birk (4). Arkansas, Catron (2). SF-Texas A&M, Choruby (8), White (7), Birk (8). Arkansas, Nomura (4).

Sports on 05/02/2016

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