The atmosphere at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. was off the charts on Monday night as the Razorbacks clinched a berth into the super regionals.
Arkansas, the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, was facing Nebraska in the finals of the Fayetteville Regional. A berth into the super regionals was on the line.
The teams were tied at two in the bottom of the eighth inning. Arkansas’ first two batters made outs, but then they had three straight walks. A wild pitch brought home a run to make it 3-2. And then pinch-hitter Charlie Welch broke the game open with a 3-run home run that caused the fans to go nuts:
.@charliewelch_4 is the greatest pinch hitter of all-time.
ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/ohZ4toXixu
— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) June 8, 2021
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a celebration like that! Sports are so much more fun with fans in attendance. All those people in red standing up and cheering reminded me of the 2002 World Series the Angels won.
Not only did Arkansas win the game 6-2 to advance to face NC State in the super regional, but there is more to the story. Welch, who clobbered the home run, is now 8-for-12 with six RBIs as a pinch hitter this season.
Guess Arkansas knows whom to send up when they need a hit off the bench.
