Hogs rally then fall short in opener

TEMPE, ARIZONA -- Deven Marrero's one-out RBI single in the 12th inning lifted No. 1 national seed Arizona State over Arkansas in the Tempe super regional on Saturday night.

Kole Calhoun led off with his school-record-tying fifth walk. Riccio Torrez was hit by a pitch, and Calhoun took third when Torrez was retired on a fielder's choice. Marrero, who also had a two-run single in the third, then hit the first pitch he saw from Brett Eibner for the winner.

The Sun Devils are now one victory away from returning to the College World Series.

Mitchell Lambson (8-2) struck out seven in five innings of one-hit relief.
Trailing 6-5 heading into the bottom of the ninth, Arizona State tied it when Andrew Aplin singled, was sacrificed to second, took third on a groundout and scored on Zack MacPhee's two-out infield dribbler.

Bo Bigham and Matt Vinson drove in two runs apiece for Arkansas (43-20), which fought back from deficits of 3-0 and 4-3 and took its first lead when Zack Cox and Eibner drilled back-to-back doubles in the fifth. One out later, Bigham's base hit made it 5-4.

In the first inning, Cox made school history when he set the record for hits in a single season. The second batter of the game, Cox pulled a ball through the right side of the infield to set the record which he had been previously tied for with former Razorback Matt Erickson (1996). It was the 98th hit of the season for Cox and the 76th single which is also an Arkansas single-season record. Cox ended the contest 2-for-5 with a single and a double.

"Tomorrow is a new game," Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said. "It's a best-of-three series, not best-of-one. We have to come out and not make any mistakes."

Vinson, hitting only .209, greeted reliever Brady Rodgers with a long home run on the second pitch he saw in the sixth to put the Razorbacks ahead 6-4.
Calhoun answered in the bottom of the inning with his fourth homer in as many postseason games for Arizona State (51-8).

Bigham had four hits for the Razorbacks, who walked 13, committed three errors and allowed two unearned runs.

MacPhee had three hits but struck out four times and Johnny Ruettiger walked four times for the Sun Devils.

Arizona State starter Seth Blair left after five innings trailing 5-4. He gave up nine hits and struck out six. Rodgers surrendered one run in two innings before giving way to Lambson.