Why Arkansas baseball pulled Zach Root in the second inning of its CWS loss to LSU

OMAHA, Neb.

Arkansas baseball coach Dave Van Horn called it a "hard decision." LSU players thought it was a surprising one.The No.

3 Razorbacks (48-14) fell to the No.

6 Tigers (49-15) 4-1 Saturday night in both teams' opening game at College World Series.

There was plenty of hype in the buildup surrounding a pitching matchup featuring two lefties who could be picked in the first round of this summer's MLB draft.But only one southpaw was able to leave a lasting imprint on the contest.With two outs and runners on the corners in the top of the second, Van Horn made the decision to remove starting pitcher Zach Root from the ballgame.

Gabe Gaeckle came out of the bullpen and recorded a quick out to end the inning, but LSU had scored three runs against Root with just one ball leaving the infield."I had to make a decision.

(Kade) Anderson looked really good.

Seems like we weren't getting good swings off him.

We were already down three runs," Van Horn said.

"They had, I think, (Ethan) Frey coming up, who's hitting over .400 against left-handers.

And I just didn't feel like we could let them score anymore.

I had a great pitcher in the bullpen who was hot.

We got him up because we saw what we saw two walks, a hit-by pitch, a hit or two and the game was about to get out of hand."Root did not expect the early hook.

"I mean, obviously I was surprised," Root told Best of Arkansas Sports after the game.

"It's just (Van Horn) and he thought it was the thing to do, so I don't blame him."The move paid off.

Gaeckle allowed one earned run in six innings and struck out 10 batters.

He kept Arkansas within striking distance, but it was always going to be a tough task beating the Tigers with only 123 innings from Root, and the Hogs couldn't mount a comeback against Anderson.

The Tigers' lefty struck out seven and allowed one run in seven innings.

LSU's players expressed some shock in the postgame locker room, but they didn't want to question the opposing coach's decision-making, either.

"Honestly, I thought they'd give (Root) a little longer of a leash," LSU infielder Michael Braswell said.

"But Dave Van Horn is one of the greatest coaches in college baseball history, so I'm not going to question his judgment."Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Reach him at [email protected] or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Why Arkansas baseball had a quick hook for Zach Root in CWS loss to LSU.

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