FAYETTEVILLE - What pitching problems?

Entering Southeastern Conference play with concerns about who would handle the load against the stiffer league competition, Arkansas got a dynamite performance from two pitchers Friday. And thanks in large part to Cliff Springston and Kendall Korbal, the Razorbacks fought off Georgia for a 5-1 win in front of 5,137 at Baum Stadium, squashing thoughts of any woes on the mound in the process.

"It's big for us because it's big for their confidence," Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said. "Not only for those two pitchers, but also the other guys on the team. The position players want to see something from those pitchers and want them to have a good season.

"So that's just big for their whole moral."

Springston made his second start for the Razorbacks (12-3, 1-0) and was sharp through 5 2/3 innings, allowing just one run on five hits. And then there was Korbal, a freshman from Houston who bounced back from earlier struggles to finish the game with two-hit ball over the final 3 1/3 frames.

Not bad stuff from a team still unsure about its weekend rotation.

"You've got to tip your hat to Springston, but even more effective than him was Korbal," Georgia coach David Perno said. "I mean he was tremendous and I tip my hat to him. He was really good and you don't expect to see that from a freshman. I was just really impressed with him."

Arkansas fell behind 1-0 in the fifth after a pair of two-out doubles scored Matt Cerione. But the Razorbacks quickly responded, getting two solo home runs in the bottom of the inning from Ryan Cisterna and Brett Eibner to take a 2-1 lead.

The Razorbacks then added on three more in the eighth to end Georgia's hopes, getting an RBI single from Tim Smalling and a two-run double from Eibner.

And all the while, Springston and Korbal were the perfect pair for the Diamond Hogs on the mound against the Bulldogs (6-7, 0-1).

"It was a great ballgame," Van Horn said. "(Georgia) pitched well, they played well and it was big for us to bounce back. We give up two doubles with two outs and they're excited, and then we get a leadoff home run (from Cisterna) and then Brett (Eibner) just stays with that one and drives it. And then getting those runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, those runs were huge."

Korbal picked up his first save, and he earned it. Faced with a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the sixth, he battled back from a 3-1 count to strike out Cerione. And as he left the field - with a big pump of the fist - the freshman righthander appeared to know what he had done.

Not only for Friday, but perhaps for the rest of the year.

"People were questioning our young pitching and our new starters," Korbal said. "But I don't think it's going to be a problem and hopefully now people will start believing in our pitching staff."