Alabama-Arkansas Postgame Quotes and Notes (Game 3)
4/3/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 3, 2011
Head Coach Mitch Gaspard
Opening Statement:
"I thought Arkansas did a good job today, put some hits together and I thought it was a well-played game on both sides. I thought (Tucker) Hawley did a good job to compete today, and he got us through six innings. I thought (Trey) Pilkington gave us a chance, and in the ninth inning our best hitter came up with an opportunity to tie the game. You can't ask for a whole lot more than that. Their closer Sanburn was really good, he got up to the mid-90s in those last two innings and made some pitches when he needed to. Still, I'm really encouraged with our team and the way they fight towards the end of games. As long as you keep putting yourself in those positions, you are going to have a lot of success."
On the season-low three hits:
"We probably hit five balls right on the nose that ended up right at them, and I know their third baseman made four or five good plays, and that's baseball. Obviously, you are disappointed any time you lose, but I'm a lot more encouraged with our team right now than even last week or the week before. The identity is forming of who they are and they are starting to understand that."
On the lack two out hits:
"That's the way the game works. When they drop for you and they get down, the wins come and when they don't you can be on the other side of it. As long as we keep putting ourselves in those positions we are going to win a lot more games than we lose. Every day we come out our pitching is keeping us right in the ballgame and right where we need to be to win. If we can just stay on the pace and keep doing what we are doing, I'm encouraged with where we are headed and where we are right now."
On Trey Pilkington's development:
"He's been good. He's a guy who has pitched really well in the couple of midweek starts he has had and this was his second time out in SEC competition and he gave us three quality innings. We have been able to add some guys to the bullpen in the last week or so that we weren't too sure about before, but Trey looks like a guy who can get SEC hitters out right now and he's getting better and better."
#44 Tucker Hawley, RHP
On the Arkansas offense:
"I have got to tip my hat to them, they just had my number today. I made a couple of good pitches and they were able to take them right back up the middle, but sometimes you just have to take everything as it goes."
On missing out on the sweep:
"Anytime you get a chance to sweep somebody you have got to go out and do it and we just didn't get it done today."
On Trey Pilkington's performance:
"I thought Trey looked good. At first he looked like he was struggling to get the fastball over but after that he did a great job. He kept the game at one run and gave us a chance in the bottom of the ninth."
Notes
-Alabama is 21-9 on the season and their 7-2 SEC record is good enough for sole ownership of first place in the SEC West and is tied for the best record in the entire conference.
-Alabama has now won all three of their SEC series this season, taking two of three from Mississippi, sweeping Kentucky, and then taking two out of three this weekend over the 13th-ranked Razorbacks.
-Alabama is now 19-2 at Sewell-Thomas Stadium this season.
-Arkansas pitchers held Alabama to a season-low three hits. The previous low was four, which came in a 2-1 loss to No. 24 Auburn at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Ala.
-Trey Pilkington came in for his second SEC relief appearance.
-Austen Smith added to his team-leading RBI total, driving in a run on a groundout in the first inning. The freshman first baseman now has 25 RBI for Alabama.
