Razorbacks make statement in sweep of Auburn

Arkansas Softball continues to prove why they are one of the best programs in the country following a sweep of No. 17 Auburn

Arkansas Softball saved the best for last in Sunday’s finale against Auburn.

The No. 10 Razorbacks entered the weekend as winners of three-straight SEC series and needed a key series win against No. 17 Auburn to send a message to the pollsters and the rest of the SEC that they were as good as advertised.

The message was sent loud and clear, as Arkansas put on an offensive clinic Sunday in their 17-4 win over Auburn, giving them the weekend sweep over the Tigers.

Arkansas pressed their foot to the gas and never let up, as they scored at least four runs in every inning against the Tigers, with their biggest inning being the 1st inning, where five runs were sent across the plate to score.

Most of the offensive production came off the bats of [autotag]Taylor Ellsworth[/autotag], [autotag]KB Sides[/autotag], and [autotag]Kacie Hoffman[/autotag], as they combined to score 14 of Arkansas’ 17 runs on just five combined hits.

Between the three, Ellsworth made the most noise by collecting all six of her RBI on two swings of the bat. On a day where both teams combined to hit seven home runs, Ellsworth joined Sides by hitting a two-run blast in the 2nd inning to extend Arkansas’ lead to 9-0. She upstaged that swing by hitting a grand slam in her next at-bat, giving Arkansas the 13-0 lead heading to the 4th inning. Ellsworth had a noteworthy day, as she collected her 2nd multi-home run game of the season, and hit the team’s sixth grand slam of the season.

Sides was next in line by going 2-for-5 with 5 RBI. Her first runs scored of the day came in the 2nd inning, when she crushed her 7th home run of the season over the center field fence to extend Arkansas’ lead to 7-0.  She collected three more in the 4th inning on a bases-clearing triple which pushed the Razorbacks lead to 16-4. She was the final run to cross the plate in the game for Arkansas, as she came home on a sacrifice fly by [autotag]Hannah McEwen[/autotag]. Five RBI ties a career-high for Sides.

Hoffman did her damage early, hitting a three-run blast as part of the five-run first inning for the Razorbacks. The freshman has now hit 5 home runs in her rookie campaign with 14 RBI.

While the offense had a great weekend, the Razorbacks do not have that production without a solid arm in the circle. [autotag]Chenise Delce[/autotag] was remarkable, providing a reliable relief arm for Arkansas in their three-game series with Auburn. Delce appeared in all three games, striking out a combined 15 batters while allowing just two hits in 7.2 innings. In Sunday’s action, the transfer from Tulsa struck out every batter she faced, sitting down four batters in 1.1 innings pitched.

Arkansas is poised for another big series, as they welcome the No. 12 Kentucky Wildcats to Bogle Park this weekend. Before then, Arkansas will sit back and see how much movement they make in the weekly polls.

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