No. 10 Arkansas (6-2) posted 22 runs and rallied in the third inning of game two to secure two victories over Wichita State and Longwood Saturday afternoon at Bogle Park.
Hannah Gammill hit a grand slam in the first game to start off Arkansas' offensive tear for the day and had three RBI on the day. Jenna Bloom (1-0) had the win for Arkansas in the circle for game one and Mary Haff (4-1) earned it in game two.
How It Happened
The day started with Wichita State for the Razorbacks, and they got out to a solid start with a single from KB Sides to get on base in the bottom of the third. Sides then stole second and reached third on an error before Hannah McEwen's sac fly brought her home for a 1-0 lead.
The second inning was quiet for both sides, but Arkansas plated four more in the bottom of the third courtesy of a grand slam from Hannah Gammill for a 5-0 edge. The Hogs staved off the Shockers again and added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth with a two-run homer from Danielle Gibson.
Wichita State rallied in the top of the fifth and put up four runs of its own. Arkansas didn't answer in the fifth or sixth, but Mary Haff kept it under control for the Hogs and held the Shockers to four for the 7-4 Arkansas victory.
In game two, the Razorbacks quickly answered a first-inning RBI double by Longwood with two runs of their own courtesy of a Lancer throwing error and an RBI double from Gammill. Longwood punched back with two runs in the top of the second and Arkansas went quietly for the 4-2 Lancer lead.
Longwood added another in the top of the third, but Arkansas' offense exploded after that. With the bases loaded and no outs, Cally Kildow ripped a two-RBI single to tie it at 4-all. Kacie Hoffman also added a two-RBI single after that for a 6-4 Razorback lead and a sac fly from Audrie LaValley extended the advantage by one more. Arkansas got out of the third with a five-run edge over Longwood at 9-4.
The Lancers had no answer for Haff in the top of the fourth and went three up, three down, but the Hogs kept the hit parade going. An RBI single from Hoffmann and a two-run double from Sam Torres plated three more for Arkansas, and the Razorbacks tacked on another three before the inning was through for the 15-4 lead.
Another quick three outs were next for Longwood and ended the game early with Arkansas up by 11 runs.
Quoting Head Coach Courtney Deifel
“Mary Haff is so steady. It doesn’t matter when we call on her. She’s super consistent. Jenna Bloom threw well today, too. She was spinning the ball real well. She had a great outing against Wichita State. Cally Kildow stepped up big time. It was a great day for the team. We wanted to see this team fight and throw punches. When you have great bats, it’s contagious all around. We have power throughout the lineup.”
Up Next
The Razorbacks conclude the Razorback Invitational Sunday with games against Illinois and Western Illinois at 11:15 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
