Arkansas Softball Only Allows a Score in One of Its First 19 Innings of 2023

Razorbacks take down Baylor to secure perfect sweep during five-game weekend in Las Vegas, placing Deifel two wins away from being winningest coach in school history

Author:
allHOGS Staff
Publish date:
Feb 13, 2023 10:48 AM EST

LAS VEGAS – After having an entire summer and fall to simmer in the disappointment of letting the Fayetteville Super Regional slip away at the hands of the national runner-up Texas Longhorns, the No. 6 Razorback softball team finally got to take out a little frustration on someone other than themselves.

The two-time defending SEC champions are now 5-0 after sweeping all five games by a combined score of 51-9 in Las Vegas at the Rebel Kickoff hosted by UNLV, including a 31-0 start to the season before giving up any runs.

During this stretch, Arkansas hit 11 home runs in 29 innings.

Razorback coach Courtney Deifel is now up to 243 wins, which puts her just two away from being the school's all-time winningest coach.

Arkansas 11, Baylor 7 [Sunday afternoon]

Sunday afternoon featured the marquis match-up of the event as the undefeated reigning National Invitational Softball Championship winners squared off against Arkansas.

The Bears were the first team to push Arkansas in any way, but weren't ready for the explosive hitting of freshman shortstop Atalyia Rio.

Rijo went 3-for-4 against Baylor with three RBIs and her first career home run. The New Yorker broke a 0-0 stalemate in the top of the second with an RBI double to the left field corner that drove in Kacie Hoffman to give Arkansas its first lead of the game.

Up to bat again in the fourth, Rijo drove in her second run on a single to left center that drove in sophomore Spencer Prigge. First baseball Cylie Halvorson then cranked a home run to left center to drive in three more runs in what turned out to be a much needed five-run inning.

That's because Baylor narrowly avoided becoming the Razorbacks' fourth mercy rule victim of the weekend with a huge seven-run inning in the bottom of the fourth.

Stephen F. Austin transfer Shayla Govan hit a grand slam off Robyn Herron who had just come in to relieve reigning SEC Pitcher of the Year, Chenise Delce. The Bears cut the lead to 8-7 before getting Aaliyah Binford to fly out, keeping Delce in line for the win.

Prigge roped a two-run home run during a three-run seventh inning to finally put things away for good and secure the win for Delce to move her to 2-0 on the season.

"We went from an eight-run lead to Baylor being within striking distance," Prigge said. "We stayed flexible knowing we still had the lead and felt minimal pressure. Going into my last at bat, I was looking for my pitch, even if that meant taking some strikes. I knew one swing wouldn’t change the game, but my swing shifted the momentum back to us which was a good way to end the game.”

Arkansas 8, Weber St. 0 (5) [Friday Afternoon]

Kristina Foreman hit the first of her three home runs over the weekend with a solo shot in the second inning that put Arkansas up 6-0. Callie Turner got the win after scattering four hits over four innings.

Arkansas 11, UNLV 0 (5) [Friday Night]

This one was over the second Delce took the mound. The sophomore ace pitched a complete game, striking out five over five innings.

Arkansas kept the pressure on UNLV's pitchers as the Razorbacks put up 11 runs despite only having six hits. This was possible because half of those hits were home runs.

Foreman and Prigge continued to pound the deep ball, while first baseman Cylie Halvorson got in on the act as well.

Arkansas 11, Weber St. 0 (5) [Saturday Morning]

The racked up Razorbacks racked up their third win of the season Saturday morning with an 11-0 win over Weber St. in five innings.

It was the second time in two days Arkansas pitchers shut out the Wildcats. This time it was Herron who picked up the win in her first career start, striking out five while only giving up one hit and no walks.

The game was essentially over in the second inning when a hit by pitch put Hoffman on to lead off the inning, followed by three consecutive hits that included a double to left-center by Rylin Hedgecock.

The Razorbacks went up 7-0 and never looked back. The win gave Arkansas three consecutive shutouts to start the season.

Arkansas 10, Southern Utah 2 [Saturday Afternoon]

Freshman LHP Hannah Camenzind made her first career start in game two vs. Southern Utah. Tossing three innings, Camenzind struck out one and did not surrender an earned run.

Junior LHP Callie Turner (2-0) earned her second win of the week after plowing through the Thunderbird line-up over the final four innings, averaging a strikeout per inning while only giving up a single hit.

Second baseman Christina Foreman hit a solo shot in the first inning and Prigge dropped a three-run blast in the fourth to give Arkansas more than enough for the win.

Up Next

The Razorbacks head to the TaxAct Clearwater Invitational in Clearwater, Florida Feb. 17-19. Arkansas opens the weekend Friday against No. 4 Florida State on ESPNU. The first pitch is scheduled for noon.

Arkansas will also face No. 19 Duke, No. 24 Louisiana, Nebraska and Indiana in another five-game weekend.