Pickoff becomes an unlikely UT pick-me-up

It was like at a basketball game where a guy unexpectedly takes a questionable 3-point shot. Everybody yells, "No, no, no,'' and then, when it swishes, it changes to, "Yes, yes, yes.''

Tennessee's P.J. Polk looked like he was caught dead in a pickoff when he tried to steal second base Saturday with two outs in the ninth of a 4-4 game.

The dugout was yelling "(get) Back!'' until Arkansas pitcher Stephen Richards sailed the pickoff throw high past first baseman Andy Wilkins.

Instead of being tagged out at second base, Polk raced all the way to slide home and give the Vols a sudden 5-4 win over No. 7 Arkansas at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

"It's a pretty simple play,'' said Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn. "We had him picked off.

"I've never seen a game end like that.''

In UT's case, it was the right guy in the right place at the right time.

The sophomore from Murfreesboro says he's the fastest player on the team.

"We ran 60s in the fall and I hold the crown so far,'' Polk said.

But first he had to get on base.

With two outs, he rapped a single to right field off Mike Bolsinger (3-4) to give the Vols (20-24, 6-14 SEC) one last hope of avoiding extra innings.

Arkansas (28-12, 12-7) brought in Richards, a lefty, from the bullpen to face left-handed batter Kentrail Davis.

UT coach Todd Raleigh watched Davis get two strikes, then gave the steal signal.

"That guy (Richards) is one of the best closers in the country,'' Raleigh said. "We've got two left-handed hitters coming up, so I thought our chances were better trying to score that way than getting a hit.

"He (Polk) was going on first movement.''

Richards anticipated and threw toward first after Polk took off. Good strategy.

But an announced crowd of 1,449 gasped as the throw sailed wild into foul territory toward the Tennessee bullpen.

"I heard the crowd erupt and figured something good had to happen,'' Polk said. "I thought 'first to third' but coach (Bradley) LeCroy kept waving me on.

"The only thing I was thinking was to turn it on.''

The play at the plate wasn't even close.

"I've never been a part of anything like that, to win a game on such a weird play,'' Polk said.

"The tide is turning for us. Maybe we're getting some luck.''

Maybe, but the Vols also turned in a solid game.

After walking 10 Razorbacks in a 9-3 loss Friday night, UT pitchers allowed only one base on balls Saturday.

Nick Hernandez worked six innings and left with a 4-3 lead for Matt Ramsey.

Bryan Morgado (2-1) took over in the eighth and had only one regrettable pitch - a two-out home run to Andrew Darr to tie the score.

Two of UT's left-handed hitters worked the bat with enough craft to hit left-field home runs off national pitcher of the week Brett Eibner.

Jeff Lockwood hit a solo shot in the second. Cody Hawn broke a 2-2 tie with a two-run homer (his 16th) in the fifth.

"That's the way the wind had been blowing all day,'' said Hawn, "so I was kind of looking for a pitch middle-to-out. He got a ball up over the plate.''

The Vols try to clinch their third consecutive SEC series today at 1 p.m.

Raleigh Back: Raleigh said it “felt like I’d been gone a year,” after being suspended from Friday’s game.

Raleigh was the first to be punished by a new SEC policy that requires a one-game suspension following a second ejection of the season. He was tossed in the sixth inning Tuesday night against ETSU.

He wasn’t allowed to be on the site and listened on the radio at home while logged in to GameTracker on the Internet.