Special K Effort - The Morning News / Razorback Central

[ORUTerry]

Special K Effort 

By Vernon Tarver

The Morning News/Razorback Central

Posted Mar 27, 2007

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TULSA, Okla. -- At the rate Chance Chapman was striking out Arkansas batters Tuesday night, the Oral Roberts fan keeping track of the K-meter in J.L. Johnson Stadium had a hard time keeping up. 

Scheduled to pitch only five -- or at the most, six innings -- Chapman instead worked within one out of a complete game. Fanning 17 Razorbacks in the process as the Golden Eagles rallied for a 5-3 win in front of a crowd of 2,019, the ORU senior right-hander was simply dominating.

"I couldn't ever imagine (17 strikeouts). Not at all," Chapman said. "I felt good. It was a normal day and it stayed good."

Chapman's only hiccups were a lone run in the third followed by a two-run home run given up to Danny Hamblin in the top of the fourth, with one of the two runs in that inning being unearned. Other than that, though, Chapman completely owned the Arkansas lineup.

Throwing 149 pitches in 8 2/3 innings, Chapman held the Razorbacks (19- to five hits before being pulled in the top of the ninth.

Michael Jarmen relieved Chapman and gave the crowd a scare when he gave up a deep flyout to Arkansas' Jake Dugger with two on and two out to end the game.

"First off, their pitcher did a tremendous job," Razorbacks coach Dave Van Horn said. "He threw more than 130 pitches on a Tuesday night. That's saying something. They really needed a win and they got one.

"(Chapman) gave them a chance and he did a great job. You know, we rallied in the ninth but that's about all we did. We gave up some runs out of the bullpen and we didn't really drive anybody in."

Arkansas starter James Gilbert was solid for three innings -- giving up just one hit -- but the Razorbacks bullpen that followed couldn't say the same. Chris Rhoads allowed two runs in two innings of relief and Brian McLelland took the loss, giving up two homers and three runs overall in just 1 2/3 innings of work.

"Danny (Hamblin) hits that home run and gets us the lead, then Rhoads comes in and walks the first two hitters and they get those two runs back," Van Horn said. "Just a pretty disappointing game overall."

For Chapman and the Golden Eagles (12-11), though, beating the No. 7 Razorbacks with a career-like effort was anything but disappointing.

"I knew going in they were going to be a very tough team, probably the toughest team we've faced," Chapman said. "And I knew if I didn't hit my spots it was probably going to get pounded.

"So that was my goal and our defense played some defense."

[tmh8286]

The interesting thing about Hamblin's homer in the fourth inning was that it hit the top of the wall and bounced off and out.  I think it was Pat Warfle that tried to chase it down, and made a jump at the wall but didn't spear it.  I wondered, with it bouncing off the top like it did, if Pat had made the jump just a fraction of a second later, he might have been able to catch that ball.  Wouldn't THAT have been a play!