April 18, 2006

Box Score

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - After the University of Northern Colorado baseball team had tied the game in the top of the ninth inning, Craig Gentry tripled to right-centerfield with one out to send No. 12 Arkansas to 2-1 victory over the Bears at Baum Stadium on Tuesday night.

Northern Colorado (13-22) got an outstanding pitching performance from senior Evan Linn and scored an unearned run in the ninth inning to send the game to the bottom of the ninth deadlocked at 1-1.

Linn was outstanding, throwing 109 pitches in what was only his second start of the season. However it was pitch No. 104 that got him in trouble, as Arkansas (28-10) left fielder Clint Arnold smashed that pitch for a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh, putting the Hogs on top 1-0.

That frame could have been much worse, but as they did all night, the Bears played well and got out of jam-after-jam. Arkansas would later load the bases in the inning with one out, before Adam Symons turned a tremendous 6-3 double play to end the inning.

In the eighth the Razorbacks threatened again as they put two runners on with one out, only to see Bears' reliever Tyler Pearson strike out the final two batters of the inning.

In the ninth, Brennan Garr singled to shortstop and John Ray singled to centerfield, setting up a 2-on and 1-out situation. First baseman Kevin Sandberg then hit a squibber back to UA closer Devin Collis, but instead of starting the game-ending 1-6-3 double-play, Collis tossed the ball into centerfield, allowing Garr to score and knot the game at 1-1. Northern Colorado had a chance to take the lead later in the frame, but Collis recorded the final two outs and sent the game into the bottom of the ninth.

Late-inning replacement Jake Dugger singled with one out in the ninth and came around to score on Gentry's game-ending triple.

Linn went six innings, allowing two hits and one unearned run. He walked six and struck out four in his 41st career appearance. Pearson (2-2) took the loss, pitching the final 2.1 innings, allowing three hits and the run. He struck out two.

"We just could not execute offensively in the game," said Bears head coach Kevin Smallcomb, who was a graduate assistant coach at Arkansas in 1990. "We should have found a way to win late in the game. We left a couple of guys out there in the ninth and we need to capitalize when opportunities turn up. This is a very good Arkansas team that we had a chance to beat, thanks to a great performance from Evan Linn."

Collis (5-0) remained perfect on the season, pitching the final 2/3 of an inning. Hogs starter Daryl Maday pitched the first four innings, allowing only a walk while striking out three. Michael Wild pitched the next two innings, allowing a hit, while Chris Rhoads worked 2.1 innings, allowing two hits and a run.

Arnold was 2-of-3 for the Razorbacks while Chad Clark added the only other hit for the Bears.

The Bears and Razorbacks will conclude their two-game series on Wednesday night at 5:05 p.m. MT. The game can be heard on the Bears Radio Network on a tape-delayed basis (7 p.m.) and live and free online at UNCBears.com.