Category: Other Sports

Arkansas vs. Central Arkansas: Game preview, how to stream Tuesday’s game

Since Arkansas’ 6-4 win in Conway on April 5, both teams have a combined record of 19-2. Tuesday’s game should be a treat to softball fans across the state.

Fresh off of a series sweep at Florida, the No. 5 Arkansas Razorbacks are looking ahead to their final non-conference game of the season.

The Razorbacks welcome Central Arkansas to Bogle Park for a non-SEC contest on Tuesday night and look to keep perfecting their craft heading into the final two SEC weekend series of the season.

These two in-state foes squared off on April 5, with Arkansas winning 6-4 in Conway. Arkansas broke the game open early with a grand slam off the bat of [autotag]Danielle Gibson[/autotag]. [autotag]Hannah Gammill[/autotag] was also hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to give the Razorbacks the 5-0 lead before the Sugar Bears could pick up a bat.

Arkansas extended its lead in the 4th inning on a solo blast by [autotag]Audrie LaValley[/autotag], making their lead 5-0.

Central Arkansas began a comeback effort in the bottom of the 4th inning, beginning with a solo home run by Tyla Vernon. Jayla Englekes would plate three runs over the final three innings to cut Arkansas’ lead to 6-4. Central Arkansas’ comeback effort fell short following the RBI double by Englekes that scored two runs, when Kylie Griffin grounded out to end the game.

Since then, both teams have been playing great softball. Central Arkansas has won 9 of their last 10 games, with their lone loss being a 2-1 decision to Lipscomb on April 23. Arkansas has won 10 of their last 11 games, with sweeps over Auburn and Florida in that stretch.

Arkansas shuts out Florida to sweep series

Chenise Delce’s eight strikeout performance shuts down the Gators on Sunday, giving Arkansas the sweep in Gainesville.

Following a historic win on Saturday, the No. 6 Arkansas Razorbacks pledged to keep their foot on the gas in hopes of sweeping the No. 9 Florida Gators on Sunday. In what turned out to be a defensive-heavy day, one swing of the bat and a dominant effort in the circle made the difference.

A home run by [autotag]Danielle Gibson[/autotag] in the 2nd inning, a costly error in the 6th inning, and an eight strikeout day by [autotag]Chenise Delce[/autotag] were enough to power Arkansas to a 2-0 win on Sunday, giving them the sweep of Florida.

After solidifying a series win over Florida (35-12, 11-10 SEC) for the first time in history on Saturday, Arkansas (35-8, 14-4 SEC) looked to keep the momentum going on Sunday. The Razorbacks’ sticks had a challenging day with the Gators defense, grabbing just four hits on the day, but a swing of the bat and an error late in the game would be the deciding factor.

After going down in order in the 1st inning, clean-up hitter Danielle Gibson would lead off the 2nd inning with a home run that would just clear the right field wall to put the Razorbacks up 1-0.

The bats would stay relatively quiet until the 6th inning. [autotag]KB Sides[/autotag] led off the inning with a hard grounder through the left side. Two more baserunners would reach after being hit by a pitch, setting up an opportunity for [autotag]Linnie Malkin[/autotag] to extend the lead.

Malkin would make contact, and Arkansas would gain a run on a throwing error by Gator shortstop Sarah Longley, extending the lead to 2-0.

While the Arkansas offense did enough to put runs on the board, the win would not be possible without the effort of Chenise Delce.

Delce got the nod for game three and, just like she has all season, limited her opponents production at the plate. In a full-game’s work, Delce struck out eight batters while allowing just two hits without issuing a walk.

In three appearances in the series with Florida, Delce struck out 19 batters, allowed one earned run and seven hits while walking two batters in 15.0 innings of work.

Arkansas has now won all six SEC series this season, and take full control of the Southeastern Conference lead after Texas A&M took two of three from Alabama over the weekend. Next up for Arkansas is a midweek game with Central Arkansas on Tuesday, before hosting South Carolina for a three-game SEC slate beginning Friday night at Bogle Park.

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Arkansas at Florida: Game preview, how to stream Sunday’s finale

After a historical win on Saturday, Arkansas looks to grab a Sunday sweep at Florida.

The no. 6 Arkansas Razorbacks made history in Saturday’s middle game with the no. 9 Florida Gators.

With Saturday’s 5-4 win over the Gators, Arkansas solidified a series win in Gainesville for the first time in its program history.

Florida got off to a hot start, responding to Arkansas’ early 1-0 lead by scoring three runs on a bases-loaded triple by Cheyenne Lindsey to give Florida the 3-1 lead heading into the 2nd inning.

Arkansas followed that by plating three runs in the top of the 3rd inning. [autotag]Taylor Ellsworth[/autotag] picked up her second RBI of the game on a groundout, and [autotag]Hannah McEwen[/autotag] hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 3-3. The Razorbacks regained their lead thanks to the bat of Linnie Malkin, who doubled to left field to score [autotag]Danielle Gibson[/autotag]. The Gators would bounce back yet again to tie the game in the bottom of the 3rd inning on a sacrifice fly by Charla Echols.

The final blow would be a double by [autotag]KB Sides[/autotag], that scored [autotag]Cally Kildow[/autotag] to put the Razorbacks up for good, 4-3.

Hannah Gammill and KB Sides each recorded three hits for Arkansas, while Taylor Ellsworth led the team with two RBI. [autotag]Mary Haff[/autotag] had a solid start for Arkansas in the circle, allowing three earned runs on five hits with a strikeout. [autotag]Chenise Delce[/autotag] slammed the door on the Gators, striking out two batters in two innings of relief, earning the save.

WATCH: Arkansas Softball commit hits a mammoth home run

It appears that the “Bogle Bombers” legacy will continue for years to come.

It appears that Arkansas softball will “reload” instead of “rebuild” once the elder “Bogle Bombers” hang up their cleats at the end of their collegiate careers.

[autotag]Kennedy Miller[/autotag], an Arkansas Softball pledge for the Class of 2023 from Georgetown High School in Georgetown, Texas, showcased her power in a 9-6 win over Liberty Hill on Tuesday night by smacking a home run over the scoreboard in left field.

Miller committed to Arkansas early in her 11th grade year, announcing her intentions to play for head coach [autotag]Courtney Diefel[/autotag] and the Razorbacks in September of 2021.

According to her recruiting page on SportsRecruits.com, Miller can play first base, third base, and catcher. Her current stats are not available at the time of this post.

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Player of the Year? Hogs’ Gibson makes final 25 list

Danielle Gibson is in the midst of one of the greatest Arkansas seasons of all-time.

[autotag]Danielle Gibson[/autotag] is having a season to remember for [autotag]Arkansas softball[/autotag].

The Razorbacks, ranked No. 6 in the country, are angling toward hosting an NCAA Tournament Regional and a Super Regional. Much of that is due to Gibson. On Wednesday, she was announced as one of the 25 semi-finalists for USA Softball’s Player of the Year.

Gibson leads Arkansas in batting average at .480. She holds an on-base percentage of .536 and a slugging percentage of .902. Her batting average is fifth in the nation, her total bases number is seventh, her hits rank her eighth.

She is one of six SEC players to make the final 25. That number will be trimmed to 10 finalists in early May then a final three May 18.

Gibson, a second-team All-American last year, has 20 multi-hit games this season and she became the team’s all-time RBI leader earlier this month. She is currently five home runs shy of tying Devon Wallace’s Arkansas record of 47.

The Hogs (32-8, 11-4) lead the SEC by a game over Alabama. Arkansas travels to No. 10 Florida for a three-game series Friday through Sunday.

Arkansas golfer John Daly II signs NIL with Hooters

The NIL deal between John Daly II and this particular restaurant isn’t the most surprising of alliances.

The Hooters location in Fayetteville, Arkansas, hasn’t been open in almost 10 years. But one Arkansas athlete has a bond with the restaurant now, anyway.

John Daly II, son of the famous Arkansas golfer, signed a name, image, likeness deal with Hooters, it was announced Monday. Daly, a freshman on the Razorbacks golf team, played one tournament for the Hogs in the fall.

The father-son duo won the PNC Championship in Orlando in November. They beat, among others, Tiger and Charlie Woods and broke the tournament scoring record in doing so.

Arkansas won the SEC Match Play title in the fall is currently ranked No. 11 in the nation.

Linnie Malkin Earns Player of the Week honors from Extra Innings Softball

Linnie Malkin is becoming one of College Softball’s most dangerous hitters

When you hit five home runs with 12 RBI, all in one week, it’s hard to go unnoticed.

For [autotag]Linnie Malkin[/autotag], that was enough to earn National Player of the Week honors from Extra Innings Softball.

Here are some of the reasons that Malkin was awarded the honor, according to Extra Innings Softball:

  • In five games last week, Malkin batted .600 (9-15) with five home runs and twelve RBIs to her credit.
  • During a midweek doubleheader against Southeast Missouri State, Malkin was 2-2 with two home runs and five RBIs in the opening games against the Redhawks before hitting a solo home run in her first at-bat of game two of the doubleheader. She homered in three consecutive at-bats on the day.
  • Following a 1-3 performance in game one of a weekend series against Kentucky, Malkin was 3-4 in game two of the series on Saturday, with a solo home run and a 2-RBI single to her credit in the affair.
  • On Sunday, in the series finale, Malkin was 2-3 at the plate with a towering 3-run home run that cleared the outfield fence, the berm, and the stadium fence in left-center field, all on the fly. The senior slugger also scored a second run in the game and helped buoy her team to a run-rule victory to close the week.

Malkin and the Razorbacks travel to Florida this weekend for a three-game set with the Gators. First pitch for Friday’s series-opener is set for 7 p.m. CT in Gainesville, Fla.

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How did the series win over Kentucky affect Arkansas in the latest polls?

Did Arkansas receive a boost following a series win over a top-15 team? The answer will surprise you.

As Rodney Dangerfield famously said, “I get no respect.”

The same sentiment can be felt by Arkansas Softball, who got no respect in the latest polls following a series win over a top-15 team over the weekend.

After winning two of three games over then-No. 12 Kentucky at home last weekend, Arkansas makes no jump in either of the four major polls, remaining at their same spot from a week ago.

While there was no movement in the polls this week, the Razorbacks have a chance to boost their stock yet again this upcoming weekend on the road. Arkansas travels to Gainesville, Fla. to face the No. 11 Florida Gators beginning Friday night.

Arkansas Gymnastics: Postseason roster moves begin to take shape

Two gymnasts who were a part of the 2022 roster have made decisions regarding their futures with the program.

The early stages of the offseason mean the same for Gymnastics as it does for every other sport. It’s now time to play “are they staying? Or are they going?”

Arkansas Gymnastics’ team season concluded on April 2, with two members of the Gymbacks’ squad competing for individual national titles on April 14. Since then, two athletes have announced their decisions on their future with the program.

One of the individual national competitors, [autotag]Kennedy Hambrick[/autotag], announced Monday that she will be returning for her 5th season.

Hambrick joined Sarah Shaffer at the National Championships in Dallas, Texas by competing in the All-Around event, while Shaffer competed in bars. According to Arkansas Athletics, her score of 39.575 in the regional semifinal was a season high, and featured no scores lower than 9.875.

While at nationals, Hambrick was named all-around All-American after placing in the top-8, grabbing the 52nd All-American honor for Arkansas Gymnastics.

Hambrick joins [autotag]Bailey Lovett[/autotag] in returning for one more season. Lovett announced her decision in February.

While one members returns, one will be leaving the program to focus on academics and her future career.

[autotag]Amanda Elswick[/autotag], a four-year competitor for Arkansas, has announced her plans to continue her academic career at another institution.

Elswick saw action in all four years that she was a Razorback, but participated in every meet on vault and beam for Arkansas during her senior year. Some of the highlights of her season include a career-best 9.950 on beam against SEMO on February 6, and winning the beam title in the meet with Georgia on February 25.

“Bogle Bombers” power Arkansas to Sunday win, series over Kentucky

Arkansas hit four home runs, including a total moonshot by Linnie Malkin, in their series-clinching win over Kentucky on Sunday.

The Razorbacks were seeing the softball well at the plate on Easter Sunday.

No. 6 Arkansas (32-8, 11-4 SEC) hit four home runs on Sunday, which included a multi-home run game for [autotag]KB Sides[/autotag], leading the Razorbacks to an 8-0 run-rule victory over No. 12 Kentucky (29-11 9-6 SEC) in six innings, giving them their fifth straight SEC series win.

The Razorbacks followed Saturday’s game where they hit three home runs by stepping up their game to hit four as a team. Sides, who is currently having the best season of her collegiate career at the plate, hit her 9th and 10th home runs of the season against Kentucky in the rubber game of the series.

Sides added to Arkansas’ 5-0 lead by crushing a solo shot just wide of the right field foul pole to move the Razorbacks’ lead to 6-0 in the 4th inning.

Her second long ball of the afternoon was a shot to dead center in the 6th inning to extend Arkansas’ lead to 7-0. The Razorbacks would walk off as winners three at-bats later when [autotag]Danielle Gibson[/autotag] singled home [autotag]Hannah McEwen[/autotag] to post the necessary 8th run to put the run-rule into effect.

The first home run of the game came in the 1st inning off of the bat of [autotag]Taylor Ellsworth[/autotag]. After Kentucky recorded the firs tow outs of the inning, Ellsworth hit her 12th home run of the season just hard enough to clear the left field fence to put Arkansas on the board, 1-0.

[autotag]Linnie Malkin[/autotag], who finished the week by hitting five home runs, hit one of the longest home runs that Bogle Park has seen in its’ history.

The three-run home run put Arkansas up 5-0 in the 3rd inning, and would be a key factor in Sunday’s win. Arkansas, who trailed only Georgia entering the day for the conference lead in home runs, has now hit 81 home runs on the year.

[autotag]Audrie LaValley[/autotag] joined Gibson as Razorbacks to record an RBI without using the long ball.

Arkansas outhit the Wildcats, 11-4 on Sunday. [autotag]Chenise Delce[/autotag] was a dominant force yet again in the circle, going the distance by allowing four hits and striking out five batters in the win.

With the series win, Arkansas remains the only team in the SEC to win every conference series so far on the season. They are also tied with Alabama for the overall lead in the SEC.

Arkansas will now take the midweek off to prepare for a road trip to face a tough No. 9 Florida squad. The three-game SEC series will begin Friday in Gainesville, Fla.

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