Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

With Matt Reynolds representing the winning run at second base in the 10th inning Tuesday, and with the memory of four botched chances earlier in the game still fresh, Arkansas didn't wait for a clutch hit. Reynolds got the green light from Coach Dave Van Horn to steal third if the opportunity presented itself, which it did.

On the second pitch from Louisiana Tech's seventh reliever, right fielder Sam Alvis, Reynolds swiped third base and Tech catcher Kyle Arnsberg bounced an ill-advised throw past the third baseman and into left field, scoring Reynolds easily for a 6-5 Arkansas victory at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock.

The game drew a record 10,512 for a Razorback game in Central Arkansas. For the second time in three years, the fans got their money's worth in an Arkansas game with Louisiana Tech — two years ago the Hogs escaped the Bulldogs 5-4 in 10 innings in a midweek game at Dickey-Stephens.

Arkansas rested its two main starters, Ryan Stanek and D.J. Baxendale, while giving five pitchers some work before flying to Knoxville for a regular-season, Southeastern Conference series finale with struggling Tennessee. The Hog hitters, meanwhile, saw "a little bit of everything" from Louisiana Tech, Van Horn said. "That should get us ready for the weekend."

Most of the SEC had a tough midweek night against nonconference competition — Florida lost to Samford, while Ole Miss lost to Arkansas State 10-2 and UCA beat Missisippi State 2-0 — and Arkansas had difficulty shaking loose from the Bulldogs, who marched eight pitchers to the mound, including three in the first inning.

Reynolds had the second four-hit game of his Arkansas career and was a triple short of hitting for the cycle. But he was upset about leaving the bases loaded in the second as he watched a called third strike for the inning's second out.

Arkansas had two opportunities with less than two outs and the bases loaded, plus a two-out, bases-loaded situation, and failed to score. The Hogs also had two on and one out in the ninth when Alvis flagged down Tim Carver's line drive to right and Arkansas' Jimmy Bosco mysteriously had run to second and was easily doubled up to end the threat.

"I don't know what he was thinking," Van Horn said, explaining the dugout had informed Bosco of the situation and that his run wasn't important and to not venture too far off first on a fly ball. "I guess he was excited."

Reynolds brought the crowd to its feet in the fifth inning when he hit a changeup for a home run that nearly cleared the berm in left field to tie it 4-4. In the first, Reynolds blasted a shot off the left-center field wall to score two runs and tie the game, then came in on a Bo Bigham infield hit after Tech had scored twice in the top of the inning off Hog starter Trent Daniel. The Hogs pitcher gave up three straight hits before settling down.

Daniel gave up two more runs in the Tech third, a weird inning for everyone who watched. Daniel walked the first two batters and Hog catcher John Clay Reeves failed to grab a short popup near the third-base line. It appeared the umpires had erred in not calling an infield fly on the play, but the ball rolled foul without Arkansas touching it — at least according to the home plate umpire — negating the infield fly. A wild pitch advanced the runners, bringing on UA reliever Nolan Sanburn who promptly gave up a two-run double to Bre'shon Kimbell.

Arkansas manufactured a go-ahead run in the sixth when Matt Vinson walked, took second on a sacrifice, reached third when three Tech defenders couldn't catch Tim Carver's blooper in right and scored on Dominic Ficociello's sacrifice fly. Reynolds kept the rally alive with a single, and Anderson also reached safely on a tapper down the third-base line. But Derrick Bleeker failed to deliver, stricking out on a 2-2 pitch.

Tech's Taylor Terrasas tied the game with an RBI double off Brandon Moore in the seventh.