Arkansas sends Virginia packing in extra-inning thriller
Omaha, NE (Sports Network) - Brett Eibner cranked a two-out, two-run home run to tie the game in the ninth inning, and Andrew Darr doubled in the winning run in the 12th, giving Arkansas a 4-3 comeback victory over Virginia in a College World Series elimination game out of Bracket 1.
Dallas Keuchel wiggled out of several jams out of the bullpen, picking up the win with four scoreless innings of relief for the Razorbacks, who advanced to play unbeaten LSU on Friday. The Tigers hammered Arkansas, 9-1, on Monday and can advance to the championship series with a win.
Eibner ended with three RBI for the Razorbacks, whose starter, Drew Smyly, gave up two runs on eight hits with seven strikeouts in 4 2/3 frames.
Virginia, two days after winning its first ever CWS game, had a number of chances to stay alive in the tournament but stranded 13 runners in the devastating loss.
Danny Hultzen was phenomenal for the Cavaliers, giving up an unearned run on five hits to go with seven strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings. Hultzen also had an RBI but grounded into a double play with the bases loaded in the ninth inning.
John Hicks went 3-for-4 with a solo homer, Steven Proscia added three hits and Dan Grovatt provided another solo round-tripper in defeat.
Grovatt's shot in the eighth provided a 3-1 lead for Virginia.
The Cavaliers ran themselves out of a run in the frame though, with Proscia getting caught in a run-down between third and home trying to score on Jarrett Parker's double off the left field wall.
The base-running gaffe proved costly, as Zack Cox, down to his last strike, singled with two away in the ninth.
Eibner followed by unloading on a Kevin Arico offering, sending it into the second section of seats in left field to tie the game, 3-3.
Arico was pulled after giving up two more base-runners, and Andrew Carraway, who threw the final 3 1/3 innings for Virginia, came in to retire Chase Leavitt to end the frame.
Virginia appeared poised to win the game in the bottom half, loading the bases with one out.
Hultzen, though, laced a shot at shortstop Tim Carver, who knocked down the liner and turned the double play.
Keuchel had runners on second and third and one down in the 10th, but fanned Parker and Hicks to send them game further into the night.
Again Virginia filled the bags in the 11th, only to have Grovatt ground out to second to end the frame.
Arkansas went down in order in the 10th and 11th, but Jarrod McKinney logged a one-out single in the deciding inning, stole second and came around to score as Darr doubled down the left field line.
Darr was thrown out at home to end the frame, and Proscia doubled just inside the third-base bag to open the bottom half. Proscia stole third as Parker went down swinging, and Keuchel capped his gritty effort by punching out Hicks and Franco Valdes to end the fourth-longest game in College World Series history.
Hicks broke up the pitchers' duel with a leadoff homer in the fifth. The blast was originally ruled a double but after a meeting amongst the umpires, Hicks was awarded a home run after it was correctly determined a fan in the front row had the ball fall out of his glove and back into the field of play.
John Barr and Tyler Cannon followed with back-to-back singles, though Cannon was caught trying to stretch his base hit into a double. Hultzen then helped his cause, lining a shot in front of a diving Leavitt in left, winding up with a double and driving in Barr for a 2-0 lead.
On the mound, the Virginia starter allowed just one baserunner to reach third until the seventh, when Proscia's error let Bo Bigham reach with one away and Cox followed with a double to left, ending Hultzen's outstanding outing.
Tyler Wilson came on in relief and Eibner drove in a run on a deep sacrifice fly to right-center. Wilson got out of the inning with minimal damage, though, inducing an inning-ending groundout to third by James McCann.
Bracket 2's elimination game will take place between North Carolina and Arizona State on Thursday.
06/18 00:56:17 ET
