FAYETTEVILLE — With bat modifications expected to cut down on the number of home runs, Arkansas coaches stressed the need to manufacture more runs throughout the off-season.
That’s just what the Razorbacks did Saturday.
Arkansas scored seven runs in the third inning on four hits, two walks and an error, opening the floodgates to a 9-2 series-clinching rout of Delaware State at Baum Stadium.
“Putting up seven runs in one inning is huge especially with this team and how young we are,” said sophomore third baseman Matt Reynolds, whose RBI double started the third inning rally. “It definitely gave us some confidence later in the game.”
For the second straight day the Razorbacks (2-0) failed to hit a home run with the new NCAA bats built to cut down on the speed the ball comes off the barrel. Still, Arkansas was able to manufacture runs.
“The home runs are going to come because we’re going to hit some when the wind is a little bit different,” Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said. “We’ve got to be able to do things when the wind is blowing in or on a night when somebody has a great slider and is spotting his fastball. We’ve got to be able to manufacture runs.”
Arkansas scored all but one of its runs in the inning with one out. In addition to Reynolds, James McCann and Jarrod McKinney added RBI doubles in the frame.
“We can hit it,” Van Horn said. “We’re playing a park that’s playing huge this weekend with the wind blowing straight in. When the wind turns around I might let it go a little bit more. It’s so early and some guys are still getting the jitters out a little bit. They’ll start hitting it better.
“I think the only downfall to our offense has been that we’re hitting too many flyballs. We’ve got to stay out of the air. If we keep it on the ground and down the lines we’re going to score some runs.”
Arkansas hasn’t needed many runs this weekend with the way its young pitching staff has performed. The Razorbacks only needed two pitchers for the second straight day. Geoffrey Davenport earned the win by logging five innings, while Ryne Stanek picked up the save by pitching four innings in relief.
“I thought that first inning, Davenport was just peppering the zone,” Van Horn said. “He was working quick. He had one bad inning where I think he might have been getting tired, but he pitched well. He had a good fastball and was spotting it up, and the breaking ball was good. That was good to see. He showed some leadership by going out there and getting after it.”
Van Horn was especially complimentary of Stanek, a freshman who turned down a third-round offer from the Seattle Mariners over the summer. The right-hander from Overland Park, Kan., allowed no hits while striking out six batters and walking two.
“He can be electric,” Van Horn said. “He was throwing above that 90 mark and it’s early. When it warms up and these guys get in better shape it will be even better. I was just glad to see when he got behind that he battled back to get strikeouts and ground balls. He didn’t panic, but just kept working.
“It won’t be long before he’s in the rotation if he keeps throwing like that.”
The duo combined to fan 14 batters after DJ Baxendale and Cade Lynch combined to strike out the same number in a shutout Friday. Arkansas pitching recorded 40 outs before giving up the year’s first runs on a Keith Hernandez double in the top of the fifth Saturday.
“Our pitchers have done really well,” Stanek said. “All of us have gotten ahead in the count for the most part and when we’ve got into jams we’ve been able to turn a groundball into a double play. It has worked out well for us so far.”