COLLEGE BASEBALL : Arkansas gets most out of its hits
Posted on Thursday, February 28, 2008
FAYETTEVILLE — Midweek games aren’t traditionally this well-pitched, so Arkansas and Kansas found themselves relying on quality bullpen efforts, crisp execution and timely hitting Wednesday.
The Razorbacks had a little more of all three, holding off the Jayhawks 2-1 before 1, 334 at Baum Stadium.
Six Arkansas (4-0 ) pitchers combined on a four-hitter with 16 strikeouts, and freshman Brett Eibner continued the Razorbacks ’ early-season trend of scoring runs with two outs with a sixth-inning, two-run single that stood up.
The teams combined for only eight hits on a crisp but sunny afternoon. “Most midweek games get a little bit crazy,” Razorbacks Coach Dave Van Horn said. “I’ve got to give all the credit to our pitching staff. I knew we struck out a lot of their hitters, but I didn’t know we struck out 16. We mixed it up among five pitchers.” Only Justin Wells, who allowed a hit, a walk and the Jayhawks’ only run in one-third of an inning, didn’t record a strikeout. Freshman starter James Mahler rebounded from a tough debut
1 Friday with an effective 3 / 3 innings that included 6 strikeouts and 1 hit allowed. Junior college transfer Mike Bolsinger (1-0 ) earned the victory with two shutout innings. Both inexperience and veteran leadership worked well on the mound. Senior Travis Hill finished what the rookie Mahler began by
2 working the final 1 / 3 innings for his second save. Hill stranded the tying run in scoring position in the eighth and ninth innings. “This year we have a lot of new faces, so we’re going to have to be able to intermix and everybody gets to learn and help each other throughout the process,” said Hill, who has stepped into a mentoring role with the abundance of young pitchers. “That helps a lot more than just throwing a guy out there and saying, ‘Hey, good luck to you. ’” The Jayhawks (2-4 ), who spent their opening weekend playing five games in three days against Hawaii-Hilo, challenged the Razorbacks’ hitters with left-hander Wally Marciel (1-1 ), who allowed only two hits through the first five innings.
Strategy from both dugouts played a part in the decisive bottom of the sixth.
Ryan Cisterna led off with a walk, but Razorbacks leadoff hitter Scott Lyons couldn’t lay down a bunt and eventually flied out. But after Logan Forsythe reached on an infield single, his steal of second prompted Kansas to pitch around red-hot Arkansas freshman Andy Wilkins. His walk on four pitches brought fellow freshman Eibner to the plate with the bases loaded.
Eibner worked Marciel to 3-1, then hit a sharp grounder to the left side that just eluded third baseman Tony Thompson for Arkansas’ 13 th and 14 th RBI with two outs this season.
“They had to come back at me with the fastball to get ahead,” Eibner said. “Their pitcher did a good job keeping the hitters off balance with his slider. It was going up there having a plan, knowing what to hit.”
Kansas Coach Ritch Price said the Razorbacks simply came up with a timely hit, and that was all Arkansas needed on a day when its pitchers were so effective.
“Their pitching was absolutely outstanding, especially when they went to the bullpen,” Price said. “They did a nice job of throwing their change-ups and sliders for strikes. Every guy was quality who went out there.”
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