OMAHA, Neb. — When Charles Davalan finally made it back to the Arkansas dugout Wednesday night, he sat on the bench with a blank stare.
Still trying to process what just unfolded, the leadoff man didn’t move until Matt Hobbs — breaking out of a lengthy trance himself — stood up, walked to him and patted his shoulder. Davalan immediately burst into tears and melted into the pitching coach’s arms.
It had been more than 45 minutes since he slipped in left field and failed to secure the final out that would have forced a winner-take-all rematch against LSU with a trip to the championship series on the line, but the emotions were still raw.