By Robbie Neiswanger
Arkansas News Bureau • rneiswanger@arkansasnews.com
FAYETTEVILLE — Ball State coach Greg Beals said his team looked like it had been cooped up indoors throughout the winter Friday, when Arkansas dominated the Cardinals en route to a big win.
Day two in the sunlight proved to be much better for Ball State. And bad news for the Razorbacks.
Beals’ bunch bounced back from an opening-day loss to surprise 17th-ranked Arkansas with a 5-2 win in front of an announced crowd of 5,877 in Baum Stadium.
Kolbrin Vitek and Zach Dygert led Ball State at the plate by combining to go 7-for-9, while pitchers Cal Bowling and Morgan Coombs teamed up to keep Arkansas’ lineup off balance all day.
“Coming out for the first time (Friday) we were a little shaky,” said Vitek, who went 4-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI. “We were just getting used to it, getting used to being in the sun and everything like that on the dirt and grass.
“But we settled down (Friday) and got used to it and go after it and played the way we know how to.”
Ball State set the tone in the first inning by scoring two runs off Arkansas right-handed pitcher Geoffrey Davenport (0-1), who made his first start.
Right fielder Kirby Campbell reached base thanks to a throwing error by Arkansas third baseman Zach Cox and Vitek followed with a triple. Dygert scored Vitek with a sacrifice fly one batter later and the Cardinals had a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Cox’s error was one of four the Razorbacks committed in the game. Arkansas compiled two other glaring statistics Saturday: The Razorbacks struck out 11 times and left 12 runners on base.
Coach Dave Van Horn said it was a disappointing performance for his team a day after performing so well in the season-opening 10-2 win.
“They outplayed us big-time,” Van Horn said. “They outpitched us and outfielded us. … We had our chances. We had guys that didn’t put the bat on the ball. Completely opposite of (Friday) night.”
Freshmen Matt Vinson and Matt Reynolds struggled in particular Saturday. The newcomers, who batted eighth and ninth, combined to go 0-for-6 on the day and played a hand in a frustrating sixth inning.
Arkansas scored to close to within 3-2 and had the game-tying run on third base with one out. But Coombs (1-0), who threw five innings in relief, struck out Vinson and Reynolds to end the threat.
The Razorbacks also left the bases loaded in the seventh, when Coombs struck out center fielder Brett Eibner to end another threat and keep it 3-2.
Arkansas stranded runners in eight of nine innings.
“We should’ve tied the game (in the sixth) and who knows, we tie we might frustrate them and split a gap and take the lead and it never happens,” Van Horn said of his team’s missed chances Saturday.
“So we’re trying to experiment and let some guys play and work through it. We’ll get better.”
Ball State took advantage of the missed opportunities in the next inning when Vitek singled and Dygert hit a two-run home run off Arkansas freshman DJ Baxendale. It extended the lead to 5-2, giving Coombs enough cushion to close out the game.
“We got beat (Friday) night pretty much in every aspect of the game,” Beals said. “I feel really proud of how our guys competed (Saturday). Second time outside we were able to get a little more comfortable and we played a whole lot better baseball game and we beat a really good team.”
Arkansas will try to bounce back when it sends Eibner on the mound to start opposite Vitek today at 1:05. Van Horn, who kept his team on the field for an extended postgame talk Saturday, said Arkansas still has a lot to figure out before it is ready to meet its lofty preseason expectations.
“We’re no finished product by any means,” Van Horn said. “We’ve got a long way to go. We have talent but we’ve got to come out every day and play solid baseball against a good team like this or else we’ll lose. You don’t like to lose, but sometimes a loss can be a good thing for down the road.”
