Tag: KB Sides

Arkansas makes history in SEC Tournament win over Ole Miss

Linnie Malkin and Mary Haff break records in Arkansas’ quarterfinal win over Ole Miss late Thursday night.

If you stayed awake long enough to watch the entirety of Arkansas’ quarterfinal game with Ole Miss in the SEC Softball Tournament, you were fortunate to see a historical performance from the Razorbacks.

[autotag]Linnie Malkin[/autotag] hit her program-best 48th career home run, while [autotag]Mary Haff[/autotag] tied an Arkansas record by recording her 26th career shutout in the Razorbacks win over Ole Miss, 3-0.

Linnie Malkin broke [autotag]Devon Wallace[/autotag]’s home run record to extend Arkansas’ lead to 2-0 in the 2nd inning on a solo home run to lead off the inning. For Malkin, that was her 20th home run of the season. At the plate in 2022, Malkin has exceeded career highs in home runs (20), RBI (63), and average (.408).

Senior [autotag]Danielle Gibson[/autotag] is not far behind Malkin in career home runs as a Razorback. Gibson, counting her one season at Arizona State, has hit 58 career home runs, hitting 46 of those during her time at Arkansas.

Haff had a great night in the circle. In a complete-game effort, Haff struck out nine batters and allowed just five hits in the win. In addition to tying the school record in shutouts, she recorded her 800th strikeout, which has happened only once before in program history. Both marks were first made by [autotag]Heather Schlichtman[/autotag], who played at Arkansas from 2001-04.

Joining Malkin in hitting a home run was [autotag]Taylor Ellsworth[/autotag] in the 5th inning. Her 15th long ball of the year gave Arkansas the 3-0 lead. The Razorbacks got on the board in the first inning on a fielding error, allowing [autotag]KB Sides[/autotag] to run across the plate.

Arkansas will now face the SEC Tournament host, Florida, on Friday at 4:30 p.m. CDT. The game can be seen on SEC Network.

[mm-video type=video id=01g1shgh4b9j94cpnr58 playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g1shgh4b9j94cpnr58/01g1shgh4b9j94cpnr58-ae850d034b4fdb67c34a153bb56fa1e2.jpg]

[listicle id=8541]

Arkansas Softball: Razorbacks blast Texas A&M to close regular season

Arkansas closes the regular season by taking care of Texas A&M. Next up is the SEC Tournament beginning Thursday night!

After falling in extra innings to Texas A&M on Friday night, the No. 4 Arkansas Razorbacks fought back to win the final two games of the weekend, which cemented the eighth series win in as many tries on the season.

The Razorbacks used power in the regular-season finale, defeating the Aggies 8-5 on Sunday at Davis Diamond in Bryan-College Station.

For the second game in a row, Arkansas’ offense was solely based on the long ball. In Saturday’s 7-3 win over Texas A&M, Arkansas scored all seven runs on four home runs. Those four home runs would be enough to break a school record, as Arkansas has hit 96 home runs as a team on the season. In Sunday’s win, four more Arkansas home runs would result in eight of their nine runs scored.

The only run to score not involving a home run came in the top of the 1st inning. [autotag]Hannah McEwen[/autotag] would score on an RBI single by [autotag]Danielle Gibson[/autotag] to put Arkansas on the board, 1-0. Gibson would score in the next at-bat on a two-run shot by [autotag]Hannah Gammill[/autotag] to extend the lead to 3-0.

In the 2nd inning, freshman [autotag]Spencer Prigge[/autotag] battled with Texas A&M pitcher Emiley Kennedy for ten pitches before breaking through with a two-run home run to move Arkansas’ lead to 5-0.

Over the next two innings, Texas A&M would trim Arkansas’ lead to 5-4, but the Razorbacks would use a big 5th inning to pull away from the Aggies.

The big swing of the inning came off the bat of Danielle Gibson, who hit a three-run home run with one out. Her 18th home run of the season would improve Arkansas’ lead to 8-4.

With the home run, Danielle Gibson had once again tied [autotag]Linne Malkin[/autotag] for the team lead in home runs with 18. That tie lasted just two at-bats, as Malkin scored the final run of the game on a solo home run, and to re-take the team’s top spot on the home run leader board.

Gibson was the top batter in the game, going 3-for-4 with 4 RBI. [autotag]KB Sides[/autotag] followed suit with two hits on the afternoon. [autotag]Chenise Delce[/autotag] got the win for Arkansas, where she allowed four hits and five runs while striking out six batters in 4.0 IP. [autotag]Mary Haff[/autotag] struck out two batters and allowed one hit in 3.0 innings of relief.

The win improves Arkansas to 41-9 on the season, and will finish the regular season with a 19-5 SEC record. Next up for the Razorbacks is the SEC Tournament hosted by Florida. Arkansas wrapped up the No. 1 seed, and will play Thursday at 6:30 p.m. CDT against the winner of the No. 8 Ole Miss vs. No. 9 Georgia game that will be played on Wednesday evening at 6:30 p.m.. The games will be televised on SEC Network.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01fc3h383th881vsf1 player_id=none image=https://razorbackswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Arkansas Softball uses long ball to defeat South Carolina

Arkansas scored all eight runs on four home runs in Saturday’s win over the Gamecocks, clinching the series.

It was business as usual for the “Bogle Bombers” on Saturday.

The No. 5 Arkansas Razorbacks (38-8, 16-4 SEC) defeated South Carolina (25-26, 2-18 SEC) by scoring all of their runs via the longball, en route to an 8-4 victory to claim the series at Bogle Park in Fayetteville.

The Razorbacks went down in order in the first inning but bounced back in their next frame to grab the early lead. [autotag]Danielle Gibson[/autotag] led off the inning by crushing the second pitch of the at-bat into the crowded berm in right field to give Arkansas the 1-0 lead.

The “big inning” came in the 4th, when six runs scored on two swings of the bat. [autotag]Taylor Ellsworth[/autotag] and Danielle Gibson reached base to open the inning, and came home on a three-run homer to right field, extending the Razorback lead to 4-0.

The fun did not stop there, as two more Razorbacks would reach base to give [autotag]KB Sides[/autotag] an equal opportunity. For the second time in the inning, an Arkansas batter would crush a three-run bomb. Sides’ home run would break the game open for Arkansas, as they jumped in front , 7-0.

South Carolina scored their first run in the top of the 5th inning with a leadoff home run of their own, and Arkansas would respond by scoring their final run of the game on Malkin’s second home run of the game, ending the inning with an 8-1 lead. For Malkin, it was her third multi-home run game of the year, and her first since hitting two against Auburn on April 8.

Over the final two innings, the Gamecocks would score three runs to cut the Razorbacks lead in half, but would come up short in the final inning.

Malkin, Sides, and Gibson led the team in hits with two, with Malkin scoring four runs. [autotag]Mary Haff[/autotag], [autotag]Callie Turner[/autotag], and [autotag]Chenise Delce[/autotag] combined to strikeout 10 batters on the day, allowing just five hits and three earned runs.

The finale of the three-game series is set for a 10:30 a.m. CDT first pitch at Bogle Park.

[mm-video type=video id=01g1shgh4b9j94cpnr58 playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g1shgh4b9j94cpnr58/01g1shgh4b9j94cpnr58-ae850d034b4fdb67c34a153bb56fa1e2.jpg]

[listicle id=8231]

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.

[mm-video type=video id=01g126e2j5e6vxwhcxdd playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g126e2j5e6vxwhcxdd/01g126e2j5e6vxwhcxdd-e16c0be95a1a32f3b17fbf4233f016ac.jpg]

[listicle id=8197]

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.

“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.

[listicle id=7885]

Arkansas runs winning streak to 8 games with sweep of SEMO

The red-hot Razorbacks continue to get the job done

It was business as usual for the No. 6 Arkansas Razorbacks (30-7, 9-3 SEC), as they swept Southeast Missouri State in a doubleheader on Tuesday, 9-1 and 14-0 respectively. By grabbing two wins on the day, the winning streak for Arkansas has now improved to eight games.

The red-hot Razorbacks would produce 11 hits in game one’s win off the bat of eight different batters. [autotag]KB Sides[/autotag], [autotag]Danielle Gibson[/autotag], and [autotag]Hannah Gammill[/autotag] would pace the offense with two hits each; Sides and Gammill would also record three RBI apiece.

Arkansas would also add three home runs to their season total as well. Sides and Gammill would score multiple home runs on their solo shots, while [autotag]Linnie Malkin[/autotag] would hit her 10th home run of the year.

[autotag]Chenise Delce[/autotag] would win her 8th game of the season by striking out eight batters while allowing five hits and an earned run in 5.0 innings of work.

Arkansas added 13 more hits and did their damage in two innings against SEMO in game two’s 14-0 win. Malkin would go deep two more times, scoring five runs. [autotag]Audrie LaValle[/autotag]y and [autotag]Taylor Ellsworth[/autotag] would also homer in the game. Danielle Gibson went 3-for-3 with 2 RBI. She collected both RBI on a single in the 1st inning, contributing to the six-run inning.

[autotag]Callie Turner[/autotag] grabbed her 2nd win of the year, allowing just three hits in 3.0 IP. [autotag]Lauren Howell[/autotag] struck out two batters in 2.0 innings of relief.

Arkansas will now look ahead to their meeting with No. 12 Kentucky. The three-game set will begin Friday evening at Bogle Park.

[listicle id=7885]

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.ย  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.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 category=132]

Late score pushes Arkansas over Auburn, Razorbacks clinch fourth straight series

The Razorbacks got a late push by Rylin Hedgecock in the 6th inning to give them the 4-3 win over Auburn on Saturday.

In what was a pitcher’s duel, the No. 10 Arkansas Razorbacks (28-7, 9-3 SEC) grabbed a late run in the 6th inning to defeat the No. 17 Auburn Tigers (29-8, 7-7 SEC), 4-3 on Saturday at Bogle Park. The win was the ninth straight for Arkansas softball over Auburn and gives the Razorbacks their fourth straight SEC series win to open the conference slate.

Tied 3-3 with one out in the inning, sophomore[autotag]Rylin Hedgecock[/autotag] was called to bat for [autotag]Valerie Ventura[/autotag], and did was she was called to. On the second pitch of the at-bat, Hedgecock hit a sacrifice fly to left field that was deep enough to score [autotag]Cally Kildow[/autotag], who pinch ran for [autotag]Linnie Malkin[/autotag] who reached base via the base on balls, from third base to put Arkansas in front, 4-3.

Following the sacrifice fly by Malkin, [autotag]Chenise Delce[/autotag] repeated her performance from Friday by slamming the door on the Tigers, striking out the final two batters to solidify the win.

Arkansas had to dig themselves out of trouble early. Following a wild pitch that allowed Auburn to score their first run of the game in the 1st inning, Danielle Gibson answered by hitting her 14th home run of the season, a two-run blast to center field to help the Razorbacks grab their first lead of the game, 2-1.

The Razorbacks extended their lead in the 3rd inning. After a walk to [autotag]Taylor Ellsworth[/autotag] and a base-hit by Gibson to open the inning, [autotag]Hannah Gammill[/autotag] would send Ellsworth home on a single to left field to give Arkansas the 3-1 lead.

In what would be Auburn’s last contribution to the score, Makayla Packer would hit a game-tying, two-run home run to even the score at 3-3.

Despite getting the win, Auburn outhit Arkansas 10-8, and stranded ten runners on base in the loss. The Tigers relied on Maddie Penta in the circle for the entire game, she allowed four earned runs and six hits while striking out seven batters in 6.0 innings of work.

Delce grabbed the win for Arkansas, striking out four batters in 2.1 innings of relief. Gibson was the only Razorback to have multiple hits in the game, going 2-for-3 with two RBI. [autotag]KB Sides[/autotag], Hannah Gammill, [autotag]Audrey LaValley[/autotag], and [autotag]Sam Torres[/autotag] each had one hit in the game.

The series finale between the Razorbacks and Tigers is set for 1 p.m. Sunday. The game can be seen on SEC Network+.

Razorbacks hold off Central Arkansas in midweek action

An early grand slam by Linnie Malkin would be enough to lift the No. 10 Razorbacks over Central Arkansas in midweek action on Tuesday.

The No. 10 Arkansas Razorbacks (25-7) started strong in their midweek game against in-state foe Central Arkansas (19-15) on Tuesday, but the Sugar Bears refused to quit.

After going down 6-0 early, Central Arkansas scored four runs over the final four innings, including two runs in the bottom of the 7th, but the early deficit was too much to overcome, as Arkansas grabbed the 6-4 win at Farris Field in Conway, Ark.

Jaylee Engelkes looked to play the role of hero for Central Arkansas on Tuesday, as she was responsible for scoring the final three runs of the night in the attempted comeback effort. Following a solo home run by Tyla Vernon in the 4th inning to put the Sugar Bears on the board, Englekes would double to right-center, which scored a run on an error by [autotag]KB Sides[/autotag] to cut into the Razorback lead, 6-2. Then, in the bottom of the 7th inning, Englekes would strike again by recording a double to right-center field to score Tremere Harris and Jenna Wildeman to clear the bases and to cut into Arkansas’s lead, 6-4.

However, for Central Arkansas, their effort was shutdown as Kylie Griffin grounded out to end the game.

The Razorbacks, who just came off a series win at Ole Miss over the weekend, started off the game with hot bats. The first six batters of the inning reached base, with five of them scoring.

[autotag]Taylor Ellsworth[/autotag] walked on a full-count, becoming the third-straight Razorback to reach base to begin the inning. The next batter, [autotag]Danielle Gibson[/autotag], would reach base on a fielder’s choice to 2nd base, which unfortunately ended with Sides being thrown out at home. Arkansas would score their first run of the game in the next at-bat, when [autotag]Hannah Gammill[/autotag] was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

As the bases remained loaded, the momentum would stay on Arkansas’ side as [autotag]Linnie Malkin[/autotag] would get an opportunity to add to the lead. It was an opportunity she gladly took.

Malkin crushed her 7th home run of the season over the center field fence to blow the game open, giving Arkansas the 5-0 lead before Central Arkansas had the chance to respond.

The Razorbacks would get one more run in the game on a solo home run by [autotag]Audrie LaValley[/autotag], who hit her second homerun of the season in the 4th inning, giving Arkansas the 6-0 lead.

Sides and LaValley led the team in hits with two each. Callie Turner earned the win in the circle by striking out three batters and issuing just two walks in 5.0 innings of work, Jenna Bloom would finish the game in relief, allowing a hit and two earned runs in 2.0 innings.

Arkansas Softball returns to Bogle Park on Friday to host the No. 17 Auburn Tigers for game one of a three-game SEC weekend series. First pitch for game one is set for 6 p.m. CT.