Calling the Hogs

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - After a two-and-a-half hour rain delay, the No. 14 University of Arkansas baseball team fell to Vanderbilt, 4-3, Thursday night at Hawkins Field. In the loss, Bo Bigham and Collin Kuhn paced the club with two hits while Monk Kreder tallied two RBI. Despite two errors by Arkansas, both teams flashed the leather with three double plays each.

Vanderbilt (40-13, 16-10 SEC) grabbed the early lead with two runs in the home half of the first inning. With two down and a runner on second after a Jason Esposito double, Aaron Westlake lifted a two-run homer over the 35-foot wall in left field to put his team ahead, 2-0. It was the ninth home run of the season for the Commodores' first baseman.

The Razorbacks responded immediately to take the lead in the top of the second. Bigham got things started with a one-out base hit up the middle. After back-to-back walks by Vanderbilt starter Sonny Gray, Arkansas (38-16, 16-12 SEC) had the bases loaded for Kreder. The Hogs' designated hitter delivered with a two-run single to plate Bigham and Travis Sample and tie the score. With two down, Kuhn drove in the go-ahead run with a bouncer through the left side of the infield.

The home team tied the game with a run in the bottom of the fourth. Curt Casali led off the frame with a single to right field. Arkansas starter Drew Smyly struck out the next two Vanderbilt hitters but gave up a base hit to Connor Harrel and an RBI double to Bryan Johns that pulled the Commodores even. Smyly shook off the score and got out of trouble with his third strikeout of the inning.

In an inning that featured a pair of defensive miscues, an inning-ending double play turned by the Razorback defense kept Vanderbilt off the scoreboard in the fifth. Anthony Gomez reached by way of an error for the second time. Later in the inning, Westlake struck out but reached on a passed ball and Gomez ended up on third. Casali, the Commodores' next hitter, hit a hot shot to Matt Reynolds at third and the freshman started a 5-4-3 double play to get Arkansas out of trouble.

Smyly allowed three runs on six hits in five innings Thursday night. He tallied six strikeouts and did not figure into the decision. DJ Baxendale entered the ballgame to start the sixth and got out of a bases-loaded jam in his first inning of work. After two singles and a plunked hitter, the Commodores had the bases full but Baxendale induced an innocent grounder from Gomez that Andy Wilkins handled unassisted at first for the third out.

Vanderbilt took the 4-3 lead in the bottom of the seventh. Esposito led off the inning with a base hit into left field and stood at second after a stolen base. Casali followed with an RBI single to center field to plate Esposito and give the home team the one-run advantage.

With Gray out of the game after an eight-inning, nine-strikeout performance, the Hogs faced reliever Chase Reid in the top of the ninth. Sample led off the inning with a single deep into the hole at shortstop; Kyle Atkins came off the bench to pinch run. Carver failed to get a bunt down to move the runner to second and Reid struck him out. With one out and Kreder at the plate, Zack Cox grabbed a bat and stepped into the on-deck circle for a chance to pinch hit. However, Kreder grounded into the game-ending double play.

Cox was missing his second consecutive game with a sore back. The two teams return to the field Saturday for game two of the series at Hawkins Field with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. Mike Bolsinger (5-3, 4.66 ERA) will get the start for the Razorbacks, while Vanderbilt will counter with RHP Taylor Hill (5-3, 3.57 ERA).

FAYETTEVILLE—The race continues.

After an up-and-down month for the Diamond Hogs—losing four straight Southeastern Conference series in a row, the No. 17 Razorbacks enter a conference series finale with Vanderbilt down a game to Auburn in the Western Conference standings.

Arkansas held a four-game lead in the division only weeks ago, but the Razorbacks (38-15, 16-11 SEC) will look to recapture a divisional lead playing the No. 23 Commodores (39-13, 15-10 SEC).

“It’s a tough league,” Arkansas head coach Van Horn said. “You think you are rolling and you lose a couple. It seems every team expect for Florida and South Carolina have had a tough spell. But we do have a shot at the West.”

Vanderbilt, who swept Mississippi State on the road and have a five-game conference winning streak, has averaged more than 10 runs during the last six games—which could challenge the Arkansas pitching staff.

“Vandy has been really hot swinging the bat right now,” Van Horn said. “We’ve got to keep it together during Vandy and keep a strong bullpen. Hopefully we can hang with them and have a chance to win.”

After dropping two-of-three conference series to start the year, Vanderbilt starter Taylor Hill said the team has found its stride down the stretch of the season.

“Our pitching has been there at times and our hitting has been at times,” said Hill, who is scheduled to start Saturday. “Right now it seems like it is coming together. Our defense has been there - and it always will be.”

But even with the struggles during the early part of the season, Van Horn said he expected Vanderbilt to be good all year—and they have proven him right led by a pitching staff that has the second lowest ERA in the SEC with 3.66.

“I picked them pretty good in the preseason coaching poll,” Van Horn said. “I put them near the top. I knew about that pitching staff. They got off to a rough start in league play. But they’ve always had a lot of wins. They’ve put it all together.”

The pitching staff led by Commodore sophomore Sonny Gray (7-4, 3.45 ERA) will be the first to challenge the Razorback offense on Thursday night that hit for a .170 average against South Carolina in a sweep last weekend.

“Baseball is a funny game,” Razorback catcher James McCann said. “You are going to have someone who isn’t hot at the moment. But unfortunately for us, it seems to be a theme throughout the lineup when it usually is just one or two guys.”

After dropping a fourth straight game against Oklahoma on Tuesday—the largest losing streak of the season, Van Horn said the Razorbacks have been struggling to get the big hits. But the ultimate goals still are reachable.

“Our players are disappointed the way last weekend went and they know they can get a share of the West if we take care of business,” Van Horn said. “They want to get back to a regional and have an opportunity to get to Omaha.”

With several key players in third baseman Zack Cox, first baseman Andy Wilkins, center fielder Brett Eibner and starter Drew Smyly eligible for the MLB Draft, winning a conference title is even more important to this group.

“We are going to lose a lot of players off this team,” Van Horn said. “We have some all-conference type players on this team. When you get to this time of the year, this is what everyone remembers. It’s time to kick it in during the coming weeks.”

McCann said the experience from last year when they dropped eight of nine conference games to end the year while eventually finishing third nationally has helped the Razorbacks.

“Guys with experience know that now isn’t the time to press,” McCann said. “Baseball is a humbling game and it will do it to you. But we know that one swing of the bat can change our luck.”

INSIDE THE SERIES: The Razorbacks hold a 24-17 series lead over the Commodores, but Vanderbilt swept Arkansas last year in a two-game by 16 runs in rain shortened series.

Thursday, 6:00 p.m. at Hawkins Field: Arkansas Drew Smyly (So. LHP) 8-1, 2.40 ERA; Vanderbilt Sonny Gray (So. RHP) 7-4, 3.45 ERA

Friday, 6:00 p.m. at Hawkins Field: Arkansas Mike Bolsinger (Sr. RHP) 5-3, 4.66; Vanderbilt Taylor Hill (Jr. RHP) 3-5, 4.66 ERA

Saturday, 2:00 p.m. at Hawkins Field: Arkansas TBA, Vanderbilt Jack Armstrong (So. RHP) 7-1, 3.53 ERA

NORMAN, Okla. - The No. 14 University of Arkansas baseball team fell behind early and couldn't make up the difference in a 5-2 loss to Oklahoma Tuesday night at Mitchell Park in Norman, Okla. The Sooners scored a run in each of the first three innings of the ballgame to gain control. Brett Eibner hit a pair of doubles and scored a run, while Collin Kuhn finished the night 3-for-5 at the plate, his 24th multi-hit game of the season.

"It's a disappointing game because we didn't swing the bats very well," head coach Dave Van Horn said. "We had chances with runners on base but couldn't get the big hit. We finally got a two-out hit to score a run in the ninth but we left too many on base tonight."

Kuhn led off the game with a base hit to center field for Arkansas (38-15) and stole his 16th base of the season. With one down, Eibner drove a ball to deep left field and off the wall, just out of the reach of a leaping Max White, the Sooners' left fielder. Eibner pulled into second with a double and Kuhn advanced to third after ensuring the catch wasn't made. With runners on second and third for the Razorbacks, Oklahoma starter Michael Rocha struck out the next two hitters to end the threat.

The Sooners took the early lead in Tuesday's ballgame with a run in the home half of the first. Arkansas starter retired the first two hitters but gave up a solo home run to Garrett Buechele, his 12th dinger of the year. After a walk to the next hitter, Fant got out of the inning with a fly out to center.

Oklahoma (38-14) tagged Fant for another run in the second. Cody Reine was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and advanced to second with a stolen base. With two down, the Sooners struck again with an RBI single by Chris Ellison. DJ Baxendale came in out of the Arkansas bullpen to record the final out.

The lead increased to 3-0 for the home team after an RBI base hit by Reine. Buechele led off the frame with a single and Tyler Ogle followed with a base hit of his own. Reine drove in the run with the Sooners' third single of the inning. With runners on first and second, Baxendale induced a groundball and the Hogs turned a 6-4-3 double play to escape further damage.

The Razorbacks posted their first run of the game in the top of the fourth. Eibner drew a walk out of Rocha to lead off the inning. Andy Wilkins, Arkansas' next hitter, lined a shot down the line in right field for a double and Eibner motored around from first to put the Hogs on the board. However, Wilkins was left stranded at second as the next three hitters were retired in order.

Oklahoma put together a two-run fifth inning to take a 5-1 lead. In his second inning of work, reliever Christian Kowalchuk gave up three singles and hit two Sooners before being replaced by Geoffrey Davenport. Ogle and Danny Black collected the RBI hits. Davenport entered the game with the bases loaded and just one out. The left-handed sophomore responded to strike out the next two hitters on seven pitches to get the Razorbacks out of trouble.

The Razorbacks used six pitchers against Oklahoma. Sam Murphy worked two innings of scoreless baseball. He surrendered just one hit and struck out two Sooner hitters in his first appearance since March 30. Eibner moved from his center field position to pitch the eighth inning. Making his first appearance since May 2, he used 14 pitches to strike out the side in his first relief outing of the season.

In the top of the ninth, Arkansas had runners on first and second with one out after a pair of walks to Bo Bigham and Tim Carver. Down to their last out, Kuhn drove in the Razorbacks' second, and final, run of the game with a base hit to left.

The Hogs return to action Thursday for the beginning of a three-game series against Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn. The conference matchup represents the regular-season finale for both clubs. Games one and two of the series are scheduled for 6 p.m. at Hawkins Field. The series finale is set for 2 p.m. and will be televised by SportSouth and Fox Sports Southwest.

FAYETTEVILLE—The No. 17 Diamond Hogs are no strangers to L. Dale Mitchell Park.

At the NCAA Norman Regional last season, the Razorbacks used a nine-run eighth inning to fuel a come-from-behind win against Washington State and later won two games against Oklahoma by a combined 22 runs to advance in the postseason.

Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said he still remembers the inning that helped turn the year around after dropping eight of nine Southeastern Conference games to end the regular season.

“I just remember it seemed like we started hitting and we couldn’t stop,” Van Horn said. “And we really didn’t stop. It can turn on a play or a swing.”

The Razorbacks know that too well after being swept for the first time this season against No. 6 South Carolina, losing a one-run game Friday and a contest in the final two innings Sunday.

“We were one big hit away from winning on Friday,” Van Horn said. “We had a chance to win yesterday going into the eighth. It was really pitching this weekend and timely pitching.”

But the Razorback offense will get another chance to recapture the magic that the team put together during the regional last year at Norman, Okla., when they travel to play No. 15 Oklahoma at 7 p.m. Tuesday night.

And the Razorbacks couldn’t be more ready to play.

“The weekend leaves a bitter taste in your mouth,” McCann said. “Playing on Tuesday and not having to wait for the Vanderbilt series is a big thing. It’s where we got hot last year in the regional. Hopefully we can get hot there again and get steam rolling ahead for postseason.”

But the Razorbacks could be without the services of third baseman and top hitter Zack Cox, who strained his upper back while swinging at an off-speed pitch and left the game during a Sunday loss.

“I don’t know if Zack will be able to play,” Van Horn said. “He is pretty sore. If he was able to play, it might be just a situation where I DH him or maybe bring him off the bench.”

After being held to a season-low three hits Friday and being shutout for the first time in conference play this season Saturday, the Razorbacks will look to shake the slump at the plate before traveling to final SEC series against Vanderbilt.

“Baseball is a funny game,” McCann said. “You are going to have someone who isn’t hot at the moment. But unfortunately for us, it seems to be a theme throughout the lineup when it usually is just one or two guys.”

After Arkansas scored a SEC series low of five runs last weekend, the Razorbacks are optimistic about a change of fortune with more production at the plate soon.

“It’s been tough the last few days trying to figure out ways to get that extra run,” Forrest said. “I think it will turn it around, things will go out way and we will figure it out. This team isn’t going to quit, so we will be good in the long run.”

With the Razorbacks setting one game behind Auburn in the Western Division standings, Arkansas will get an opportunity to turn things around again at Oklahoma before returning to SEC play.

“It’s important to get off this bad feeling and get into a good one,” McCann said. “We still have a chance to win the West and that has to be our goal. The season isn’t over.”

Arkansas center fielder Brett Eibner and the Razorbacks getting the offense going at Oklahoma will go a long way toward forgetting about last weekend and the lack of offensive production.

“We want to get our bats going,” Eibner said. “There is nothing better than going to play somebody and try to figure some stuff out. We happen to be in a little funk right now. But I believe in our team and I believe we can get out of it.”

FAYETTEVILLE―It was just the offensive response the No. 12 Diamond Hogs had been looking for all weekend.

After senior TJ Forrest was tagged with a run in the first inning, Arkansas center fielder Brett Eibner hit a two-run home run to give the Razorbacks their first lead of the series in the bottom of the inning.

But No. 8 South Carolina (41-11, 20-7 Southeastern Conference) was again too much during the 5-3 win and sweep of Arkansas (38-14, 16-11 SEC).

“It was a big hit by Eibner that kind of quieted them because they thought they had a good start with putting one up in the first,” Arkansas catcher James McCann said. “Us responding like that was big. But that was pretty much it after that.”

Both lead off hitters traded home runs in the third inning when Gamecock outfielder Whit Merrifield hit one off the foul pole in left while Razorback Collin Kuhn also went deep to give Arkansas a 3-2 lead.

But the Diamond Hogs failed to score in the final six innings while allowing three runs in the final two innings―which led to being swept for the first in conference play since last year against Ole Miss.

“We were swinging the bats pretty good the first two innings,” Eibner said. “It was almost like we thought it was enough. But it is never enough in the SEC. It’s wasn’t a productive weekend with way we were swinging the bats.”

After DJ Baxendale allowed a runner to get on third base with one out, Geoffrey Davenport took the mound in the sixth and ended the Gamecock scoring threat with a strike out and a fly out. He followed the inning by striking out the side in the seventh.

But Merrifield struck again in the eighth inning and gave South Carolina a 4-3 lead with a two-run shot off Razorback reliever Jordan Pratt, who then allow another home run in the ninth to Adrian Morales.

“That was the first time I can remember he didn’t have his stuff,” McCann said of Pratt. “He struggled a little bit. But you can’t blame it on him. As an offense we only scored three runs and had a chance to put them away.”

With Davenport pitching more than an inning during the 5-0 Saturday loss, Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said he thought he needed to pull the sophomore pitcher.

“He just pitched the other day and he we felt he just needed to come out,” Van Horn said. “You can’t leave a guy out there too long. In this case just one guy didn’t get it done for us.”

The relieving core of Baxendale, Davenport, Jeremy Heatley and Jason Fuqua pitched 3.2 scoreless innings while striking out six Gamecocks—but it was the two-run eighth inning that was the difference.

“Our bullpen throughout the game came in and hit their spots,” McCann said. “They kept the bats quiet until the eighth and ninth. It’s not a good feeling losing a game like that.”

Arkansas shortstop Matt Reynolds, who was replacing third baseman Zack Cox, delivered with a lead off single up the middle in the eighth. But the Razorbacks couldn’t produce in the inning, finishing 1-for-13 at the plate with a runner on base during the loss.

“We gave ourselves a chance to win,” Van Horn said. “We just haven’t been able to drive the big run in and have been leaving too many people on base.”

The South Carolina bullpen used five different relievers and limited the Razorbacks to only two hits in the final six innings.

“They did a great job with their bullpen mixing and matching,” Van Horn said. “Every time they went to the pen when we got something going, they got us out. We didn’t drive anybody any.”

Cox appeared to hurt his back in the third inning when he failed to connect with a pitch during the at-bat. He struggled with the injury all last year and left the game in the eighth inning with was called ”a little pull” by Van Horn.

“He went out and tried,” McCann said, referring to Cox playing through the injury. “I remember throwing a ball down and he kind of stood there. I knew something was wrong. But he didn’t want to push it and make it worse.”

Van Horn didn’t rule out the possibility of the third baseman making a return when the Razorbacks play Oklahoma on the road Tuesday. But Eibner said a loss of time from the captain would hurt the team.

“It’s big because Cox has played great all year,” Eibner said. “It’s hard to lose one of your best guys. I could tell with the swing that something didn’t feel right. He is going to do what it takes to get back as soon as possible.”

FAYETTEVILLE—A day removed from being held to a season-low hit total of three, Arkansas was dazzled again by a pitching gem from another Gamecock—but this time it was junior Sam Dyson.

The Tampa, Fla., native pitched a compete-game shutout while allowing six hits and striking out eight Razorbacks during a 5-0 win in front of 8,185 fans at Baum Stadium.

“I thought he had great stuff,” Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said. “He commanded from both sides of the plate with a cutter and a four seamer mixed with breaking balls. He just kept us off balance, which was the story of the game.”

No. 12 Arkansas stranded 10 runners on base, including three in the first inning when Dyson allowed back-to-back hits and a walk to load the bases. But senior Tom Hasukey, starting just his third game this season, struck out looking.

“That was big,” South Carolina head coach Ray Tanner said. “I thought he had pretty good stuff, but they got the bases jammed and a lot of stuff can happen. He pitched great and kept us in a good position to win.”

In an effort to mix up the lineup card, Van Horn inserted the senior, who finished 0-for-3 at the plate with two strike outs.

“He came up in a key situation and got rung up on a pitch we thought was outside,” Van Horn said. “That’s the way it goes.”

The Razorbacks (38-13, 16-10 Southeastern Conference) were shutout for the first time in conference play and lost the first series at Baum in program history to the No. 8 Gamecocks (40-11, 19-7 SEC). The loss puts Arkansas in a three way tie with Auburn and Ole Miss in the Western Division standings.

Dyson—who used 123 pitches in the outing—said he took advantage of an aggressive Razorback lineup who swung at first pitch strikes and allowed him to escape innings with low pitch counts.

“I threw a bunch of first pitch strikes early in the count and they just put the ball in play with popups and ground outs,” said Dyson, who only needed five pitches in the third inning. “Those early outs helped me get through some innings.”

Razorback first baseman Andy WIlkins, who finished 0-for-3, said Dyson was just keeping the team guessing with different pitches all for strikes throughout the game.

“He did a great job today mixing his pitches,” Wilkins said. “He all around did a great job today. He was making some good pitches and our approach might have been off a little bit.”

After pitching eight scoreless innings against Ole Miss last weekend, Arkansas senior Mike Bolsinger followed the performance by allowing four earned in 7.2 innings while striking out six.

“I didn’t have my stuff at the beginning of the game,” Bolsinger said. “I wasn’t really locating too well but you have to battle through games when you don’t have your best stuff.”

The McKinney, Texas, native allowed a two-run home run to South Carolina catcher Brady Thomas in the fourth inning but followed with three straight perfect innings.

“Back when I first came here, the home run affected me a lot,” Bolsinger said. “But it really didn’t affect me. I just wanted to go out there and pitch.”

An error by Razorback first baseman Andy Wilkins started the eighth inning and allowed Gamecock short stop Bobby Haney to reach base and later score on a Jackie Bradley double.

“He pitched pretty good,” Van Horn said. “They scored a run off an error and he maybe had one or two mistakes. But other than that, he did a really good job.”

A starter was not announced for the 1:05 p.m. first pitch, but Eibner (3-4, 4.30 ERA) was named as a potential option to take the ball.

“Eibner could pitch,” Van Horn said. “He still has a sore hand from behind hit in the hand a week ago. He has a good chance to pitch. But I don’t know if he will start.”

After dropping three of the last four SEC series, Van Horn said it will be important for the Razorbacks to pull away with a victory against the Gamecocks in the finale.

“It’s very important,” Van Horn said. “If you win a game, it’s big because it’s three games and not two. We need to find a way to win tomorrow.”

FAYETTEVILLE—With two undefeated Southeastern Conference aces on the mound, a pitching duel was expected between No. 12 Arkansas and No. 8 South Carolina on Friday night.

After Arkansas starter Drew Smyly and South Carolina starter Blake Cooper allowed runs in the first, both settled down to allow just five hits through five innings.

But it was a two-out double by Gamecock outfielder Jackie Braldey in the seventh that gave the team a 3-2 win in front of season-high 9,217 crowd at Baum Stadium. The win put the Gamecocks two games ahead of the Razorbacks in the overall conference title race and snapped a five-game Friday night winning streak.

“It was a good pitchers duel,” Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said. “But it was disappointing because we didn’t swing the bats better. When you give up six hits you have a good shot of winning. That’s just the way it works.”

After allowing back-to-back hits and a walk to start the game, Smyly settled down by allowing just six hits, three earned while striking out nine for Arkansas (38-12, 16-9 Southeastern Conference).

“He got off to a slow start,” Van Horn said. “Smyly gave up a big two-out double that gave them the lead, which is probably the pitch he wants to have back. But it was just one of those games where we couldn’t do much offensively."

The Little Rock native came back in the second by striking out the side and not allowing a hit for three complete innings before giving up the game-winning hit.

“After that first inning, he did a heck of a job,” Arkansas catcher James McCann said. “He was leaving his stuff up early but really did a heck of a job to keep us in there. But unfortunately our offense couldn’t back him up out there.”

Cooper picked up his 10th win of the season for South Carolina (39-11, 18-7 SEC) by pitching seven inning while allowing two earned runs and striking out seven. He helped hold Arkansas to a season low three hits while seven Razorbacks combined to finish 0-for-20 at the plate.

“There guys came out and did a heck of a job,” McCann said. “They took it to us and you can’t say much else. They pitched better than we hit.”

The two pitching staffs combined to allow only nine hits while piling up 20 strike outs in a game that was expected to be a duel on the mound.

“It really was a pitchers duel,” South Carolina head coach Ray Tanner said. “Cooper was good, but Smyly was equally as good. We couldn’t get a good pass at him. He was able to get his fastball over, got his cutter going and had really good change-ups.”

Arkansas third baseman Zack Cox and first baseman Andy Wilkins provided the offense with a pair of RBI doubles in the first and sixth inning, respectively. But the Razorbacks stranded six runners - three at third base - and couldn’t drive home Kuhn who was on second base in the eighth with one down.

“We didn’t get the big hit,” Van Horn said. “We had a chance there (in the eighth) and that was the inning to tie it or even take the lead. We just need to drive people in.”

South Carolina reliever Michael Roth struck out Zack Cox on three straight pitches before Matt Price picked up his sixth save in the ninth.

“I told Roth to get a tape of this game because when you watch Cox on television nobody is going to believe you got him out,” Tanner said. “You have get the tape to prove it.”

Arkansas freshman closer DJ Baxendale pitched scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth, allowing no hits and just a walk - but the offense couldn't produce the big hit for the Razorbacks.

Arkansas will look to bounce back by throwing senior Mike Bolsinger (5-2, 4.65 ERA) on Saturday at 2:05 p.m. while the Gamecocks will counter with Sam Dyson (4-4, 4.30 ERA) in a pivotal game that will help determine the SEC overall championship.

“It might be the most important game of our season to this point,” McCann said. “We need to come out, get some runs early and make a statement.”

FAYETTEVILLE - Another Southeastern Conference weekend series, another new obstacle for the No. 12 Diamond Hogs.

With two weekends left of regular season, Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said he won’t have to say much to the players regarding the series against No. 8 South Carolina, which has a one-game conference lead over the Razorbacks.

“They know what’s up,” Van Horn said. “But I think it’s on the line every weekend. If you don’t win during the weekend you play, you get behind the pack. We just need to play well and find a way to win the series.”

With a focus on the one-game Western Division lead over No. 14 Ole Miss and another on the overall conference race, the Razorbacks (38-11, 16-8 SEC) will look to just stay focused on the Gamecocks (38-11, 17-7 SEC).