The No. 12 Arkansas softball team opened its season with a two-game sweep Thursday, on the first day of the Paradise Classic in Boca Raton, Fla.
Arkansas (2-0) opened the tournament with a 10-3 victory over Marshall, then needed just five innings to beat host Florida Atlantic, 8-0.
Sophomore lefty Hannah Camenzind earned the win in the opener, hurling 4.2 scoreless innings in relief, allowing just four hits and striking out three.
After the Thundering Herd grabbed a 3-2 lead in the top of the third, the Razorbacks tied it at 3-3, on senior Cylie Halvorson’s RBI single.
The Razorbacks began to take control in the fifth, plating three runs pounded in three runs in the fifth. Following a leadoff double by Bri Ellis, senior designated player Rylin Hedgecock put the Hogs back ahead with an RBI-single to left. Camenzind plated another with a sacrifice fly, before junior Spencer Prigge made it 6-3 with an RBI-double.
After Marshall walked in a run in the sixth, junior Raigan Kramer knocked in a run for Arkansas. Camenzind then knocked in the final two runs with a double to left-center.
The Razorbacks tallied 11 hits in the game, including four doubles. Halvorson and Ellis each went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a pair of runs scored.
“We had a lot of composure, and we ‘stayed the course’. It was very business-like considering it was our first game out there. We had a little nerves and unexpectedness, but we handled it very well. Reis (Beuerlein) gave us a good start. Hannah Camenzind came in and complemented her and did a good job using our defense. We exhaled at the half way point and started acting like ourselves.”
Sophomore left-hander Robyn Herron went the five-inning distance in Arkansas’ nightcap win over the Owls, tossing her third career complete game shutout. The Tampa native allowed just two hits, while striking out seven.
“Robyn Herron was outstanding. She controlled an offense that has the potential to really get going, so I was pleased with her outing.”
The Razorbacks’ bats exploded early, as they jumped out to a quick 5-0 first-inning lead. Ellis broke the ice with a two-run single. A hit batter and an FAU errors allowed two more runs to score, before sophomore Reagan Johnson added a run-scoring single. Johnson finished with two hits in the game.
Kramer slapped a two-run single in the second, and Halvorson capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the fourth.
“I thought it was huge to score early runs in the second game. The start was contagious and shows a lot of potential for putting pressure on other teams. We did a really good job of passing the bat.”
Arkansas will next face Ohio at 11:30 a.m. (CT) on Friday, before a double-header against Penn State and Michigan State on Saturday. All games are available on FloSoftball.