Razorback Roundup -- March 29

RAZORBACK ROUNDUPMarch 29, 2010BASEBALL (18-5, 4-2): The Razorbacks went 5-0 over the past six days with midweek wins against McNeese State and a weekend sweep of Alabama in their Southeastern Conference home-opening series. Brett Eibner, who was named to the CollegeBaseball360 Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll, had a pair of hits and scored a run in game one against MSU, a 3-2 win. In the second game at McNeese, Matt Reynolds hit his first career home run and Monk Kreder had a three-run double in a 7-6 victory. The Hogs picked up their first series win against the Crimson Tide since 2006. In game one, Arkansas rallied twice for a 9-8 win. Zack Cox was 3-for-5 at the plate with a career-high six RBI. The Razorbacks won 4-3 on Saturday. Pinch hitter Tom Hauskey had the game-winning hit in the bottom of the ninth. Arkansas got the sweep with a 10-5 victory Sunday. After falling behind by four early, the Hogs scored 10 unanswered runs with the help of four home runs. Cox extended his hitting streak to 23 games, the longest under head coach Dave Van Horn. Andy Wilkins moved into sole possession of fifth place on Arkansas’ all-time home runs list with a pair against Alabama. The junior has 36. The Hogs return to the field Tuesday at 6:35 p.m., hosting Centenary. Wednesday’s game two is at 3:05 p.m. Arkansas hosts Kentucky in a three-game weekend SEC series at Baum Stadium. Game times are 6:35 p.m. on Friday, 2:05 p.m. on Saturday and 1:05 p.m. on Sunday.FOOTBALL: Arkansas begins spring practice Tuesday. Practices are open to the fans and the most up-to-date information will be available on ArkansasRazorbacks.com. Arkansas is poised to return nine starters on offense and seven on defense. The Red-White Spring Game presented by Cox Digital Cable will be held at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Saturday, April 24. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. MEN’S GOLF: The Razorbacks had a good run at the Oregon Duck Invitational in Junction City, Ore., last week, finishing second of 13 teams at the Shadow Hills Golf Course. Arkansas shot even par over the 54-hole tournament to finish behind No. 3 Oregon. Senior David Lingmerth led Arkansas in the individual standings with a tie for sixth at three-under par. The finish is Lingmerth’s eighth top 10 of the season and the fifth tournament this season he has shot par or better. He continues to lead Arkansas in stroke average at 71.35. Freshman Josh Eure also fired a sub-par tournament, the first of his career, when he ended the Oregon Duck at three-under-par. Two of Eure’s three rounds were under par, including a final round 71.WOMEN’S GOLF: The No. 39 Razorbacks rallied for their best spring showing with a third-place finish at the 38th Annual Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic in Athens, Ga., last weekend. Arkansas was led by junior Kelli Shean with a fifth-place finish. She carded a three-day 224. Freshman Victoria Vela went low for Arkansas on Sunday with an even-par 72. Vela finished with a 229 (79-78-72) and tied for 20th overall. Senior Kristin Ingram stepped up for her final two rounds of the weekend and tied for 13th with a 227 (79-74-74). Junior Corinna Rees and senior Tiffany Phelps each posted final round 77s. Rees tied for 53rd with a 236 (76-83-77) and Phelps tied for 62nd with a 238 (82-79-77). The Razorbacks have one regular season event remaining, traveling to the Bryan National Championship this week in Browns Summit, N.C.GYMNASTICS (8-9-1, 2-3-1): No. 8 Arkansas finished sixth at the SEC Championship in Jacksonville, Fla., on Saturday. Arkansas scored 195.275 points, the third-highest total for the Razorbacks in the meet. Sophomore All-American Jaime Pisani, who was named to the SEC Community Service Team, tied the school SEC meet record with a 9.90 on floor and her 9.875 on vault matched her own mark for second-best. Senior All-American Casey Jo Magee set a school SEC meet record with a 39.400 all-around total and placed third. She also tied the school meet record, which she set last year, with a 9.90 on beam. Pisani tied for second on floor and tied for fourth on vault, senior All-American Sarah Nagashima tied for third on bars and Magee tied for fourth on beam. Nagashima’s 39.225 all-around is Arkansas’ fourth best in the meet. Arkansas learns its NCAA Regional destination on Monday (today).SOFTBALL (21-11, 6-2):Arkansas swept its weekend series against Mississippi State. The Razorbacks picked up victories of 7-2 and 11-6 to open the series on Saturday and used an 11-run, fifth-inning to come from behind and secure an 18-13 win on Sunday. On Saturday, Jessica Bachkora and Miranda Dixon led Arkansas as they combined to go 7-for-12 with seven runs, a double, seven RBI and three home runs. The Razorbacks earned the series sweep of the Bulldogs after tying the school record for runs scored in a game with 18 on Sunday. Down 13-7 in the home half of the fifth, the Razorbacks had six hits and five walks to score 11 runs. Arkansas was led by Dixon, who went 2-for-3 with a home run and five RBI. Bachkora was 6-for-6 in plate appearances, going 3-for-3 with two singles, a home run, three walks and five runs scored. Arkansas plays a doubleheader at Tulsa at 4 p.m. on Wednesday. The Razorbacks then travel to Athens, Ga., for a three-game weekend series against Georgia on Friday and SaturdayMEN’S TENNIS (9-9, 1-5):No. 50 Arkansas hosted Tennessee on Sunday and fell to No. 2 UT, 6-1. The Hogs played hard in a tight match on every court. The Volunteers took the doubles point with wins at No.1 and No. 2. The newly formed tandem of sophomore Matt Walters and freshman Michael Ward lost in a tiebreaker, 8-7(3), at No. 3. In singles, freshman Gregoire Lehmann evened the score at one-all with his win over No. 95 Matt Brewer at No. 5. The Volunteers answered with wins at No. 2 and No. 3. Tennessee clinched at No. 4 where Tennys Sandgren claimed a 7-5, 7-5 win over Nikolas Zogaj. Walters and No. 49 Christopher Nott forced third sets at No. 6 and No. 1, respectively. Nott dropped the first set 6-0 to No. 2 John-Patrick Smith, but he forced a third set with a 7-6 (5) win in the second. Smith won the third set and the match, 6-3. Arkansas travels to Tulsa for a doubleheader against Tulsa and Oral Roberts at the Michael D. Case Center on Tuesday.WOMEN’S TENNIS (12-6, 2-4):The 22nd-ranked Razorbacks faced No. 14 Georgia and No. 15 Tennessee last week. Against Georgia at the George M. Billingsley Tennis Center, Arkansas fell behind early after losing the doubles point. Freshman Kelsey Sundaram won her 13th match of the spring, this time at No. 4, to tie the match at 2-2, but Georgia won the final three matches for a 5-2 victory. Against UT, the Razorbacks lost the doubles point, but responded well in singles. Sophomore Stephanie Roy got the surge started at court four by defeating Zsofia Zubor, 6-3, 6-1. The Hogs won two more for a 3-2 lead, but Tennessee rallied at five and six for a 4-3 victory. The Razorbacks return to Fayetteville for their final two home matches of the spring against No. 50 Auburn on Friday and No. 71 Alabama on Sunday. Both matches begin at noon at the George M. Billingsley Tennis Center.MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD:At the Stanford Invitational Friday, freshman Eric Fernandez finished third in the top-seeded section of the 10,000 meters (28:37.77) in his first collegiate 10K. He was the top freshman and his time ranks No. 3 in the NCAA (No. 1 among freshman), and he leads the SEC. Freshman Solomon Haile was sixth (28:43.35). He was the second freshman finisher and his time ranks No. 5 in the NCAA. Junior Lane Boyer was ninth in the top section of the 10K (28:52.25). His time ranks No. 8 in the NCAA and No. 3 in the SEC. At Saturday’s Razorback Spring Invitational, sophomore Justin Holmes earned a runner-up finish in the discus. His best throw (164-4) is the No. 9 mark in school history. He ranks No. 5 in the SEC. Junior Luke Laird finished second in his first javelin competition of the season. His 209-11 ranks No. 4 in the SEC. Freshman Omar Abdi led a 1-4-6-10 finish in the 800. He won with a 1:52.14. Junior LaShawn Butler was the top collegian and third overall in the 100 meters (10.42). The Razorbacks compete next at this week’s Texas Relays.WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD:At the Stanford Invitational Friday, junior Miranda Walker won the third section of the 5,000 with a personal-best 16:28.75. Her time ranks No. 2 in the SEC. Junior Shelise Williams won the 400 (52.78). Her time leads the NCAA and the SEC. In the 1,500, sophomore Samantha Learch was third in the third section (4:28.82). Her time leads the SEC. Freshman Stephanie Brown was ninth in the second section (4:28.93). Her time is No. 2 in the SEC. Sophomore Taylor Johnson was second in the fifth section (4:29.87). Her time is No. 3 in the SEC. At Saturday’s Razorback Spring Invitational, the 4×100-meter and 4×400-meter relays both won. Junior Edina Brooks, freshman Regina George, senior Karen Thomas and sophomore Whitney Jones won the 4×100 in 46.28. Thomas, Brooks, George and freshman Gwendolyn Flowers won the 4×400 in an NCAA- and SEC-leading 3:37.94. Arkansas finished 1-2-5-6 in the 400. George won with a personal-best time of 53.94. She ranks No. 5 in the SEC (No. 1 among freshmen). George also finished second overall and first among collegians in the 200. The Razorbacks compete next at this week’s Texas Relays.