By Nate Allen
Special to the News-Times
FAYETTEVILLE - Spectacularly preserving the 5-1 run lead they inherited in the third inning, Razorbacks relievers Evan Lee and Barrett Loeske pitched nationally No. 7 Arkansas to a 5-1 victory over the nationally No. 4 Texas Tech Red Raiders Tuesday night before 6,870 at Baum Stadium.
Between them and starter Jackson Rutledge, the trio of Razorbacks combined for 17 strikeouts.
Rutledge notched three strikeouts, Lee, the winner in middle relief, had four strikeouts over 1 2/3.
Loeske, notching the save sensationally closing the final 4 2/3, retired 14 consecutive batters, starting with a doubleplay and ending with 10 strikeouts.
The victory halts Arkansas’ three-game losing streak from last weekend’s SEC series at Mississippi State and advances Arkansas to 29-13 going into tonight’s 6 o’clock SEC Network conclusion to this two-game SEC versus Big 12 matchup.
Texas Tech stands at 32-10.
Arkansas stranded 13 runners, failing to score after the second inning despite having runners in scoring position every inning.
Both the Red Raiders and Razorbacks loaded the bases in the first.
Texas Tech scored nothing, as Rutledge struck out the side to work around two singles and a walk.
Arkansas scored three off Texas Tech starter Ryan Sublette.
A single, throwing error and walk loaded the bases with none out.
It prefaced Dominic Fletcher’s RBI single, Jared Gates’ RBI upon hit by a bases-loaded pitch and Jordan McFarland grounding into a run-scoring doubleplay.
A two-out hit batsman and three singles netted two runs off Sublette in the second.
Luke Bonfield and Fletcher singled home the runs.
Arkansas chased Sublette in the third, but without scoring.
Rutledge ran into trouble in the third with leadoff singles to Grant Holt and Brian Klein, plus two wild pitches and a passed ball.
Klein’s single after the first wild pitch netted Texas Tech’s run.
The Red Raiders consecutively lined out hard to second baseman Hunter Wilson before Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn summoned Lee, who struck out Zach Reams, stranding a runner at third.
Lee struck out two during his 1-2-3 fourth, but walked nine-hole hitter Zayne Williams leading off the fifth.
He struck out one more, but got pulled for right-hander Loeske after his second walk of the inning.
Loeske induced No. 3-hole hitter Josh Jung to hit into an inning-ending doubleplay turned by shortstop Jax Biggers.
Biggers fell down splat rounding first, but still salvaged a double with one out in the fifth with his liner into the right-field corner.
He then could only take third on Grant Koch’s double.
It appeared until the ball popped free at the last moment that left fielder Grant Little had made a spectacular catch by the wall.
Wilson striking out and Eric Cole lining out stranded runners at second and third.