A day after losing a heart-breaker to host Arizona in the Bear Down Fiesta, the No. 13 Arkansas softball team returned the favor on Saturday, handing the Wildcats their first loss of the season.
The Razorbacks (7-2) entered the event’s second day with an breezy 9-2 win over Omaha, before exacting some revenge in a 3-2 win over Arizona (9-1).
Across both games on Saturday, Arkansas outhit its opposition 20-11, and allowed just four runs over 14 innings of play.
Omaha actually jumped in front of the Hogs 2-0 in the first inning of Game 1, but couldn’t contain the red-hot Arkansas bats. Junior Bri Ellis led off the second inning with her third home run of the weekend, a shot to left-center field, cutting the lead to one. The Razorbacks took control with four runs in the fourth and four more in the seventh.
The Hogs racked up six hits in that fourth frame, including a huge three-run bomb to left by senior Rylin Hedgecock.
Sophomores Rylee Cloud and Reagan Johnson led off the seventh with back-to-back doubles. Seniors Nia Carter and Cylie Halvorson then both added run-scoring doubles later in the inning, to put the game on ice.
In Game 2, sophomore left-hander Robyn Herron (3-2) continued her blazing start in the circle, cooling off the Wildcat bats for the second straight day.
After holding Arizona to just one run on two hits in 6.1 innings on Friday, the Florida native went all seven innings against the home team on Saturday. She held the Cats to just two runs on five hits, striking out three along the way. Herron has already tossed 27 innings this season, with a slim 1.30 ERA and 30 strikeouts.
The Hogs shot out to a 2-0 first-inning lead this time around, as Johnson and junior Raigan Kramer both reached base, then pulled off a double steal to start the rally. Johnson scored on Carter’s fielder’s choice and Kramer came home on a a fielding error.
After Arizona cut the lead to 2-1 in the second, senior Hannah Gammill blasted her second home run of the season in the fourth inning, to make it 3-1.
The Wildcats then cut the lead back to one with a sacrifice fly in the fifth, but Herron proceeded to shut them down the rest of the way, giving up just one meaningless hit over the final two frames.
The Razorbacks will wrap up the weekend in Tucson on Sunday, facing Omaha again at 10 a.m. The game will be available to stream on FloSoftball.
Arkansas will then return to Bogle Park for its home opener on Thursday, facing Illinois State at 4 p.m., in the first of the four-day Razorback Invitational.