Around the horn
comment to me that Holt likes to play around with it,” Van Horn said. “There were probably a lot of people that didn’t know what the heck happened — and still don’t know what happened, and probably need to go back and watch a replay and have somebody explain it to them.
“A real heady play.” Holt, a senior from Greenwood, said it was “just the perfect scenario” to use the fake catch.
“When the bases got loaded, I ran through it in my head and it was like, ‘I have an opportunity to actually pull off a deke right here,’ ” Holt said. “Perfect fly ball. It was coming straight down, did it, threw it in and Sprag made a good throw home, got the guy and saved a run.”
Holt said he threw to third base, rather than home, because he didn’t expect Donay would try to score after he’d been fooled.
“I got deked, too,” Arkansas second baseman Peyton Stovall said. “I was so confused. I remember just being around second and he did that thing with his glove.
“I thought he caught the ball. I was turning and looking at the runner at third to see if he was going. I turned around and the runner at second [Michael Robertson], he took off, slipped, tripped, went back.
“When Holt threw the ball to third and when you go back and watch it, Sprag, he’s like confused. We had to yell at him to throw it home.
“It was a phenomenal play and a heads-up play. It was huge for us and I believe that was why we won that game.”
When the television camera zoomed in on Florida Coach Kevin O’Sullivan in the visiting dugout after Donay was thrown out, he looked dazed.
“It’s the big play that everybody is going to talk about,” O’Sullivan said. “I don’t really have an explanation other than maybe he got deked by the center fielder.
“But at the end of the day, you got back to the bag and if he catches it, you can walk home. If he drops it, then you walk home.”
Instead the Razorbacks maintained their 6-5 lead and held on to win.
On second thought
Arkansas had intentionally walked Florida slugger Jac Caglianone — who came into Saturday’s doubleheader batting .410 with 25 home runs — four times in the series before he batted with the bases loaded in the seventh inning of Game 2.
“There was nowhere to put him, and believe me, I thought about walking in a run,” Razorbacks Coach Dave Van Horn said of the possibility of intentionally walked Caglianone a fifth time. “I honestly did, and I wish I would have. He’s an amazing hitter.”
Cagliaone hit a grand slam against Koty Frank to put the Gators ahead 7-1 on their way to a 9-5 victory.
Cal on the mound
John Calipari, the Razorbacks’ new basketball coach, threw out the ceremonial first pitch for the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader.
After playing catch with freshman pitcher Tate McGuire in front of Arkansas’ dugout, the right-handed throwing Calipari got on the mound — not in front of it — and threw a strike to McGuire at home plate.
Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said he talked with Calipari for a few minutes between games.
“He didn’t want to take away from our team or our game, and he asked if I was good with it,” Van Horn said of Calipari asking out throwing the first pitch. “I said, ‘Yeah, I’m good with it. I’m glad you’re here.’
“‘Go out there and build your brand a little bit and get people fired up about basketball. They’re fired up about baseball.’ ”
Calipari was announced as Arkansas’ coach on April 10 after leading Kentucky’s program for 15 seasons, highlighted by winning the 2012 national championship.
“He seems excited to be here,” Van Horn said. “So I’m excited he’s here.”
Country music artist Tracy Lawrence threw out the first pitch before Saturday’s opener. Lawrence, who grew up in Foreman in Southwest Arkansas, performed Saturday night at the Arkansas Music Pavilion in Rogers.