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So here's a funny story -- I was on the radio in Arkansas on Thursday morning, and of course I was asked about how Arkansas might be able to do in the tournament. Looking at their team ERA of 2.14, I said that I thought the Razorbacks could make some noise -- particularly in the famously cavernous Hoover Metropolitan.
And then Thursday evening happened. LSU hammered the Hogs for seven runs on 12 hits and a ticket to the semifinals. Four LSU batters had multi-hit games. On the other side was Aaron Nola, who allowed two earned runs on five hits while striking out seven in 7.1 innings. Facing a good pitcher in a park like Hoover is intimidating; facing a pitcher like Aaron Nola in a park like Hoover is just unfair.
Arkansas can still make some noise, of course; they just have to go through the losers' bracket to do it. Next up is tomorrow afternoon's game against Ole Miss, which can tell you quite a bit about why the Hogs are still a team to watch in Hoover -- even if, on Thursday, LSU was the team to watch more closely.