MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com - Whataburger Field, Corpus Christi, TX – Arkansas scored 10 runs over the first two innings and then survived a 21-hit Corpus Christi attack to hold off the Hooks 13-10 Wednesday night.
The Travelers are 22-23. Corpus Christi is 24-21.
Francisco Rodriguez (2-1), the third of four Arkansas pitchers, was credited with the victory. He permitted four hits and a walk over two scoreless innings.
In all, the Hooks stranded 14 runners.
The Travelers pounced on Tip Fairchild (0-1) for four runs in the first, then turned around and gave up four, plus two more. RBI doubles by Michael Collins and Corey Smith highlighted Arkansas’ surge.
Corpus Christi responded with a vengeance, roughing up Dan Denham with six runs on six hits, including run-scoring doubles by Eli Iorg, Mitch Einertson and Lou Santangelo. The Hooks sent 10 men to the plate.
But Fairchild, making his first appearance since Tommy John surgery last May, continued to struggle. He was lifted after facing four of 11 batters in the second and walking Collins with the bases loaded. Fairchild’s relief, Sean Walker, fared no better. He allowed RBI singles to Ben Johnson, Nate Sutton and Ryan Leahy and walked Smith with no place to put him as the Travelers built a 10-6 lead.
Corpus Christi took a run back in the third. Iorg reached on a two-base error when Sutton dropped a fly at second and Santangelo followed with a one-out single.
The Hooks loaded the bases with no outs against Bill Edwards an inning later but came away empty as Einertson bounced into a 5-4-3 double play.
Arkansas moved back up by four in the fifth, 11-7. Adam Greenberg scored on Jordan Czarniecki’s double to left after a one-out single.
Corpus Christi chipped away with solo runs during the fifth and sixth.
Drew Sutton drew a one-out walk, stole second and moved home on Chris Johnson’s single to right-center in the fifth. The next frame, Billy Hart doubled, advanced to third via a wild pitch and scored on Iorg’s ground out.
Arkansas added a pair in the ninth on Ben Johnson’s RBI grounder and a throwing error. Chris Johnson’s double to left scored Tommy Manzella for the game’s final run.
Hart extended his hitting streak to 11 games and Manzella led all players with four hits. Santangelo went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs.
Time of game was 3:43 and the paid attendance was 7,296.
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Thursday, May 22, 2008 at 10:47AM 
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