FINAL: Arkansas 7, Arizona State 3

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Arkansas 6, Arizona State 3 (middle of the 8th)

Welcome back, Stephen Richards.

Arkansas’ left-handed closer hadn’t pitched since closing out last Tuesday’s win at Missouri State. He showed no rust. He needed only one pitch to get the Hogs out of the eighth — on Matt Newman’s ground-ball double play after Richards entered with one out in the eighth.

Arkansas 6, Arizona State 3 (end of the 7th)

This game changed drastically in the bottom of the 7th.

Seth Blair walked Chase Leavitt with one out. Then, UA coach Dave Van Horn pinch-hit for Jarrod McKinney with rarely-used catcher Thomas Hauskey, who delivered with a one-out single that moved Leavitt to third. Kole Calhoun came in from left field to relieve Blair, and Ben Tschepikow greeted his first pitch with a bloop single to center that scored Leavitt.

Calhoun hit Andy Wilkins to load the bases before Jacob House bounced a potential double-play grounder to short. ASU’s Drew Maggi booted the ball, however, allowing pinch-runner Collin Kuhn to tie the game at 3. Jason Franzblau relieved Calhoun, but Andrew Darr’s flare over Maggi’s head resulted in an RBI single that scored Tschepikow and gave Arkansas a 4-3 lead.

Franzblau struck out Zack Cox, but pinch-hitter Scott Lyons drilled a two-out, two-run single to right-center to put the Hogs up 6-3. The damage for the 7th: Five runs on four hits and one costly ASU error.

Arizona State couldn’t capitalize on a two-out double by Zach MacPhee off Sam Murphy in the top of the 7th. Blair retired Andrew Darr, Cox and James McCann in order in the bottom of the 6th.

Arizona State 3, Arkansas 1 (middle of the 6th)

UA right-hander Sam Muprhy, a 6-foot sophomore, relieved Brett Eibner to start the 6th. Murphy got two outs, but then ASU catcher Carlos Ramirez crushed a solo home run to left-center for a 3-1 lead. It was Ramirez’ 11th homer this season.

Seth Blair watched his left fielder, Kole Calhoun drop Chase Leavitt’s lead-off fly ball to left in the bottom of the 5th. Leavitt ended up at second base but couldn’t score because Blair pitched out of trouble.

Eibner worked around a lead-off walk to throw a scoreless top of the 5th. Eibner’s line: 5 innings, 5 hits, 2 runs (both earned), 3 strikeouts and 3 walks in 93 pitches.

Arizona State 2, Arkansas 1 (end of the 4th)

It took 13 plate appearances for Arkansas to get a hit Tuesday night.

With UA down 2-0, Andy Wilkins led off the bottom of the 4th with a line drive double to right-center. Jacob House bounced an 0-1 pitch up the middle to drive in Wilkins for Arkansas’ first run. The Hogs only mustered that one run, though.

Brett Eibner almost got out of the 4th inning. ASU’s Riccio Torrez beat out a grounder to deep short with two outs, putting runners at first and second, and Kole Calhoun followed with a two-out RBI single up the middle to drive in Carlos Ramirez.

Arizona State 1, Arkansas 0 (end of the 3rd)

Just a quick attendance check: Looks like about 80 percent of the seats are filled right now as the 4th inning is set to start and the hit beyond the fence in left-center is totally packed with Razorback fans.

OK, back to the action.

ASU righty Seth Blair has really settled in. Ever since a first-inning visit from Sun Devils pitching coach Josh Holiday, Blair has retired seven straight batters, including 3rd-inning strikeouts of Chase Leavitt and Jarrod McKinney.

UA pitcher Brett Eibner seemed on the verge of getting out of a 1st-and-2nd-with-no-out jam in the top of the 3rd. But Zack MacPhee came through with one of those plays you rarely see in baseball: He stole home. With Eibner in the wind-up, MacPhee bolted from third base with two outs and slid in just ahead of Eibner’s pitch to James McCann, giving a ASU the 1-0 lead.

ASU’s Zach Wilson got the game’s first hit on a sharp single to right to lead off the top of the 3rd.

Arkansas 0, Arizona State 0 (end of the 2nd)

Both pitchers put the side down in order in the 2nd.

Brett Eibner recorded a strikeout and two flyouts in the top. Seth Blair got two flyouts and a groundout in the bottom. ASU second baseman Zack MacPhee robbed Tim Carver on a grounder deep in the hole in shallow right field to end the inning.

Blair escaped the bottom of the first unscathed by getting Andrew Darr to ground out to short with the bases loaded. He needed 24 pitches after walking Chase Leavitt, hitting Jarrod McKinney and walking Jacob House.

Arizona State 0, Arkansas ’bout to bat (middle of the 1st)

This big, late arriving crowd is into it early here at Baum Stadium. There were loud groans after Brett Eibner’s first two pitches, balls close to the plate that weren’t called strikes.

Anyway, Eibner breezed through the top of the first, getting the Sun Devils on a strikeout and two groundouts.

Pregame

There isn’t a better place to be around the country tonight to see college baseball than Baum Stadium in Fayetteville.

This has the feel of a Sunday game in the SEC, or even an NCAA Regional tilt, certainly not that of a regular, mid-week non-conference contest. In about five minutes, two of the nation’s highest-ranked teams will square off here in front a rapidly rising crowd.

No. 1 Arizona State (by Baseball America) starts its only non-conference road trip of its season tonight. It will send pitcher Seth Blair, a 6-foot-2 sophomore, to the mound. Blair (3-1, 2.89) got roughed up in Pac-10 play two straight weekends recently, lasting only two innings against Arizona and USC. He rebounded to throw seven strong innings, allowing only one unearned run, in ASU’s 3-1 win over Cal-State Fullerton last Wednesday.

No. 12 Arkansas (also No.1 by Collegiate America) will counter with red-hot sophomore Brett Eibner, 3-2, 3.06). The 6-4 right-hander has thrown four scoreless innings in each of Arkansas’ wins over Missouri State the past two weeks, combining for 12 strikeouts while giving up only two hits.

It’s almost game time in Fayetteville.

Here are tonight’s lineups:

Arizona State

1. Raoul Torrez, 3B (.309); 2. Jason Kipnis, CF (.431); 3. Matt Newman, RF (.316); 4. Carlos Ramirez, C (.289); 5. Riccio Torrez, 1B (.316); 6. Kole Calhoun, LF (.250); 7. Zach Wilson, DH (.288); 8. Zack MacPhee, 2B (.276); 9. Drew Maggi, SS (.317)

Arkansas

1. Chase Leavitt, CF (.391); 2. Jarrod McKinney, RF (.190); 3. Ben Tschepikow, 2B (.358); 4. Andy Wilkins, DH (.343); 5. Jacob House, 1B (.312); 6. Andrew Darr, LF (.220); 7. Zack Cox, 3B (.269); 8. James McCann, C (.278); 9. Tim Carver, SS (.222)