Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Fans’ enthusiasm a lasting memory
FAYETTEVILLE — Though the Razorbacks didn’t win the Fayetteville Regional at Baum Stadium, their fans are apt to remember it almost as fondly as the regionals and super regionals Arkansas won at Baum.
In the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville’s five games, it seems the fans were as much a part of it as the Razorbacks themselves.
And with all but two games in the tournament among Arkansas, Oral Roberts, Oklahoma State and eventual champion Missouri State decided by one run, it was easy for Arkansas fans to become engrossed in any of the games.
Missouri State shortstop Jeremy Eierman opened and closed the Fayetteville Regional drama. His ninth-inning, two-run home run overcame Oklahoma State 6-5 in Friday’s opener.
His sixth-inning, two-run home run Monday night proved to be the difference in Missouri State’s 3-2 championship game victory over Arkansas.
Missouri State beat Arkansas 5-4 in Saturday night’s winners bracket game.
But Sunday, which turned into 3:10 a.m. Monday, belonged to the Razorbacks.
Weather delayed the Arkansas vs. ORU losers bracket final from 3 p.m. to a 5 p.m. start. It took the seventh-inning splash of Chad Spanberger’s home run into the pond beyond right field to break a 3-3 tie and eliminate ORU 4-3.
The Arkansas vs. Missouri State game didn’t start until 9:15 p.m. With a 1:25 rain delay and 21 runs scored, it didn’t end until after 3 a.m.
Arkansas rallied with four in the eighth to win 11-10 after trailing 8-7.
Perhaps the hitters were exhausted, but the guts of several recycled pitchers on both sides turned Monday night into a pitchers duel.
Through it all — rain, victory and defeat — the Razorbacks’ fans came, some weathering it all even from well before Sunday’s 5 p.m. start through the 3:10 a.m. Monday finish.
An outnumbered but hardy crowd of Missouri State supporters vociferously supported their Bears.
Teams and fans gave their all for a marathon session Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said, “I’ll never forget.”
“The crowd last [Sunday] night was unbelievable,” Van Horn said after Missouri State won Monday night. “One, two, three in the morning, and I felt like there was 10,000 people in the stands. It made you proud to be associated with Arkansas and to be their coach.”
Because it was an NCAA championship event, the Fayetteville Regional wasn’t accompanied by the marketing department-generated artificial noise. The toned down versions of baseball actually are OK, but often eardrum-splitting/ crowd-deflating annoying at football and basketball.
So here’s hoping that Arkansas’ administration took note of what the Fayetteville Regional showed: Artificially generated enthusiasm can’t match the authentic enthusiasm that fans generate themselves.