Korbal delivers like veteran
Posted on Saturday, March 15, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Sports/219797/
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas freshman Kendall Korbal reacted with a resounding fist pump following a strikeout that ended the sixth inning with the bases full of Georgia Bulldogs.
The next most excited Razorback was the pitcher whose lead Korbal protected.
Starter Cliff Springston emerged from the dugout first and greeted Korbal with a chest bump, and Korbal kept it going over the final 1 3 / 3 innings Friday night to save a 5-1 victory for Springston.
Korbal pitched with grit as the SEC opener wore on at Baum Stadium. The Bulldogs put the tying run in scoring position in the seventh, but Korbal struck out two of the tougher players in the conference —. 491-hitting Gordon Beckham and. 457 batter Rich Poythress — to get out of the jam. “I don’t like thinking about who’s at the plate at the time,” said Korbal, who allowed two hits and no walks with five strikeouts for his first college save. “I don’t look at the back of their jerseys to see who the name is.” Some advice from pitching coach Dave Jorn helped Korbal get past Matt Cerione in the fifth. With no margin for error, Korbal fell behind 3-1 but threw a good pitch for a strike and another that Cerione fouled back to increase the tension. Cerione then waved at a fastball, which led to Korbal’s and Springston’s celebration. “Jorn’s a genius, ”Korbal said. “ It’s pretty simple. I follow in his footsteps. He tells me what to do, and I do it and it works.” Springston was plenty good himself, allowing his only run in the sixth before being picked up by Korbal. The junior transfer from Baylor
1 is 4-0, and his ERA is a sparkling 1. 11 in 24 / 3 innings. “I got real excited for [Korbal ],” Springston said. “I was so pumped for Kendall because that was such a big out. In other outings it seemed every once in a while he was like a freshman.” Korbal had endured a few bumpy spots early in his first season. He allowed seven runs — only
2 three earned— in 2 / 3 innings at Texas A&M on March 1. At No. 2 Arizona State on Tuesday, he gave up the lead despite mostly pitching well in a two-inning relief stint. He took losses in both games. Friday night, the freshman may have come of age. “He did a good job,” Coach Dave Van Horn said. “I told him we’ve put him in some rough situations, and I don’t know if Korbal would have gotten through it without what [happened ] at Texas A&M. “ He grew up. When he pitched against Arizona State, I think he grew up even more.”