FAYETTEVILLE — Jake Reindl warmed in the bullpen more than once Friday, but there were no wasted tosses loosening up Sunday night before a first-inning call from Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn.
“I think I got maybe six or seven (pitches) down in the pen,” Reindl said. “Then, it was, 'Here we go.' It all happened so fast.”
Van Horn disputes that bullpen pitch count, but the number no one can dispute was the big 97 that was on the scoreboard when Reindl finished seven innings of relief as the Razorbacks advanced out of the NCAA Fayetteville Regional with a 4-3 victory over Dallas Baptist. That 97 was Reindl's pitch count against the gritty Patriots.
Reindl was sent to the bullpen after starter Isaiah Campbell walked the game's opening batter on a 3-2 count, and he began to warm with a second walk on another 3-2 count. He was summoned when the third batter singled on the first pitch.
“As I'm walking out, I looked to my left and he had stopped throwing,” Van Horn said. “In my mind, he was ready. I peeked again and he was at the gate.”
And, there was a clear understanding that Reindl was to get ready in a hurry when he was sent to the bullpen.
“He went down there knowing he was coming into the game,” Van Horn said. “He hustled down there to get ready.
“I think he threw more than six or seven pitches. We have radios. We got the word that he was hot.
“I thought he was hotter than what he just said. Really, he's a reliever. He doesn't need long.”
Reindl gave up a slow roller to give up one run in the bases-loaded jam. Dallas Baptist made it 2-0 in the second on a single, a hit batsman, sacrifice bunt and a groundout. But that's when Reindl began to rack up zeroes.
It wasn't like Reindl dazzled the Patriots. There were some hard hit balls, including one that left fielder Heston Kjerstad kept out of the UA bullpen with a spectacular catch in the sixth. Devlin Granberg blasted a hanging slider that was held up slightly by a hint of a northeast wind.
“I didn't have very good stuff,” Reindl said. “I couldn't command anything. Nothing was moving. It was interesting how I had to navigate through things.”
Kjerstad said Reindl did more than enough, especially in the Dallas Baptist fifth when a misjudged fly banged off the side of Kjerstad's face for an error. Reindl got the next batter, former Shiloh Christian teammate Luke Bandy, on a three-pitch strikeout for the third out. That was on Kjerstad's mind later when he robbed Granberg.
“Jake was working his butt off,” Kjerstad said. “He had my back, so I had to have his back.
“Give it to our pitchers. They kept us in it every game.”
That was the case the first two nights when starters Blaine Knight and Kacey Murphy both went eight innings to keep the top pitchers in the bullpen rested. Arkansas won the regional and never had to throw Barrett Loseke, an important arm in the final half of the regular season.
Campbell, the streaky third starter in the UA rotation, failed to make it three quality starts. Van Horn didn't like to bring the early hook, but said there was a fear of what the Patriots did to Southern Miss in an elimination game Sunday afternoon, a 9-4 DBU win that included five home runs by the winning team.
“What I thought was that Jake was our best option,” Van Horn said. “I didn't want the game to get away from us.
“Really, I hated to make that move. Isaiah is a big part of our team. I still have confidence in him.
“What I will say that Jake had my back. If he'd given up a couple of hits there in the first inning, it wouldn't have worked out so well.”
Van Horn said the plan was to get to the seventh inning and perhaps turn the game over to closer Matt Cronin.
“Jake didn't have his command of the fastball, then he got it in the fifth,” Van Horn said. “That's when he started throwing some at the knees. So we went a little longer with him.”
Van Horn did have a back-up plan if things got away late.
“We had Kole Ramage and Barrett Loseke saved for (a possible Monday championship) game,” Van Horn said. “But we didn't need it.”
Cronin did have to work through some trouble in the ninth, partly because of a missed call at first base. Jameson Hannah was called safe on a ball hit to the infield, but replay showed he was out by at least a half step.
There are no replays available in regional play. They will be available the rest of the postseason.
“That was a tough call in the ninth,” Van Horn said. “But Matt kept it together and kept his cool.”
Cronin called it a “shock” when the Hogs didn't get that call.
“I just thought, 'Stay cool,'” he said.
Cronin gave up a sacrifice fly for the first out, then recorded a three-pitch strikeout before Kjerstad squeezed a medium depth pop in left for the final out.
There were only hand shakes as the Hogs celebrated advancing to college baseball's round of 16.
“We are excited, but it's just one step in the process,” Kjerstad said.
Reindl added, “We are excited, but we want a lot more than this.”
Van Horn said dog piles shouldn't happen for regional championships, a contrast to a year ago in Fayetteville when Missouri State piled on the Razorbacks' mound.
“Maybe you'd do it for a conference title and maybe if you go to Omaha,” Van Horn said. “But I don't even like them then because you might get someone hurt. I'm just excited we played well.”