The slide is over.
Thomas McCarthy drew a bases-loaded walk to cap a two-run ninth-inning rally as Kentucky edged Arkansas 3-2 in the opener of a Southeastern Conference doubleheader at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
Kentucky snapped losing streaks of four games overall and 12 straight in SEC play.
"It was good for us to go out there and finally get that win that we've been trying to get here for a couple weeks," said Alex Meyer, who fired a complete-game three-hitter.
The nightcap was suspended in the middle of the third inning, scoreless, because of rain.
Play is scheduled to resume Sunday at 1 p.m. Sunday's regularly scheduled contest, which will be trimmed to seven innings, will follow.
The Wildcats (18-21, 3-13 SEC) had not won in SEC play since edging Tennessee 7-3 on March 20.
Arkansas (27-10, 8-8) is in a virtual tie with Auburn and Ole Miss, both 9-9, for first place in the SEC West. Arkansas had won nine of its previous 10 games and six of seven conference contests.
Meyer (4-5) dueled with Razorbacks left-hander Randall Fant.
"Alex did look great," UK Coach Gary Henderson said. "It's the second week in a row that he's really pitched well. Made pitches when it really mattered."
Meyer, a righty, threw 124 pitches, 82 for strikes. He struck out 10 — the seventh time in his career that he has reached or exceeded that mark — and walked four.
The first free pass went to Kyle Robinson with one out in the second inning.
Robinson stole second, then scored on James McCann's two-out double.
The 1-0 lead held until the sixth inning.
J.T. Riddle blooped a one-out single, then scored on Michael Williams' two-out double down the right-field line. Williams finished with three of UK's 12 hits.
That was the only run surrendered by Fant, who yielded seven hits over seven innings, fanning five.
"I felt good pretty much the whole day," said Fant, who was in command of his fastball, slider and changeup. "I'm just trying to throw up zeroes, trying to compete against (Meyer). He's a good pitcher, one of the best in the conference."
Barrett Astin followed Fant with one shutout inning, and the Razorbacks plated an unearned run in the ninth to take a 2-1 lead.
Leadoff batter Collin Kuhn reached on a three-base error by center fielder Lucas Witt. One out later, Kuhn scored on a fielding error by first baseman Luke Maile.
Meyer averted further harm.
"That's about as confident as I think I've been pitching," Meyer said. "They got me pretty good last year — I lasted less than two innings. I wanted to make sure I came out here today and gave them everything I had."
Williams led off the bottom of the ninth, facing closer Nolan Sanburn (2-2), with a single off the first-base bag.
Witt bunted pinch runner Matt Reida to second.
A brief cloudburst opened as pinch hitter Paul McConkey hit a slow chopper to shortstop. He beat the throw for a single, Reida taking third.
Chad Wright knocked in Reida with a two-strike single down the third-base line, McConkey stopping at second.
"I've just got to get up on the plate and try to put anything in play, if possible, with a guy at third base, one out," Wright said.
Taylor Black's single to left loaded the bases.
Third baseman Matt Reynolds made a diving stop of Braden Kapteyn's grounder, throwing home for a forceout.
However, McCarthy drew a walk-off walk, plating Wright.
"It was a tough loss for us," Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said. "... It's one we thought we had. Sanburn's done such a great job for us. You've got to give credit to Kentucky's hitters."
Just before the rain came, Van Horn pulled second-game starter D.J. Baxendale because of a finger blister. Cade Lynch, who was announced as Baxendale's replacement but did not face a batter, will go when play resumes Sunday.
