Arkansas
Oklahoma Responds Well But Collapses Late to Drop Series With Arkansas
Oklahoma put their best foot forward in the second game of their three-game series against No. 17 Arkansas. A great effort was undone by a late eighth inning collapse.
After getting run ruled in the first game on Friday, OU responded with gritty play but fell 12-8 in a loss to Arkansas, dropping the series. The No. 24 Sooners gave their best effort from the mound and the plate, but couldn’t overcome mistakes.
Cameron Johnson had a day he’d like to forget. Only 2.1 innings of play with three strike outs and four runs off two hits. Despite the lackadaisical play from the mound, OU was able to rebound with hitting and pitching from the bullpen.
Deiten LaChance got things rolling with a single shot in the first inning with two outs. The momentum was short lived as the Razorbacks came to life at the plate.
A single home run and a two-run home run took the lead back for the home team in the second inning. Johnson lost a bit of control from the mound and Arkansas took advantage.
Oklahoma was able to regain control in the third when Camden Johnson grounded out with one out, but Connor Larkin was able to score to cut the Razorback lead at 3-2. OU would have a runner at third but Jaxon Willits flied out to center field to end the Sooners’ chances at tying the game.
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Oklahoma continued to fight despite Arkansas taking advantage of Sooner mistakes.
A fielder’s choice in the third inning increased the Razorback lead to 4-2 — but OU would answer in the fourth.
Dasan Harris hit a solo home run in the fourth with nobody on and two outs, the second time the Sooners were able to salvage a situation with a run. The inning ended shortly thereafter, denying OU the chance to tie.
Another fielder’s choice resulted in a Razorback run to round out the fourth inning. At 5-3, it seemed like anything Oklahoma would do, Arkansas would answer right back.
OU was able to navigate out of a sticky situation in the fifth with runners in scoring position. Xander Mercurius and Kadyn Leon were able to strike out two Razorback betters to keep the score at 5-3.
But just when it seemed like things were going the way of the home team, Kyle Branch — one of the more clutch player in the lineup — hit a two-run homer in the sixth, scoring Harris to tie the game at five a piece.
It was LaChance again in the seventh inning, this time a double into right center — Johnson and Jason Walk scored to put the Sooners ahead for good. At 7-5, OU had the wind at their backs.
Harris had it going once againt to give the Sooners insurance in the eighth. Heading to the plate to lead off, Harris hammered a solo shot into right field to increase the lead to 8-5 in favor of Oklahoma. From there, OU went 1-2-3, but the damage was done.
Kuhio Aloy was able to cut into the Sooner lead in the bottom of the eighth with an error on Willits, scoring a Razorback runner.
Arkansas wasn’t done. Two back-to-back RBIs tied the game at eight a piece. Seven hits, six runs in total in the eighth doomed Oklahoma.
Oklahoma and Arkansas will meet for the third game tomorrow at 1:00 p.m.
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Last year Kansas and Arkansas were in the Fayetteville Regional but never got a chance to play. That will change tonight at 5 p.m. when the top two seeds face off in the winner’s bracket of the Lawrence Regional.
Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn watched the Jayhawks last year and believes they are a better team than last year.
“They are a very good team,” Van Horn said. “They were in our regional last year. We didn’t face them, but you could see from the stands or our offices when we watched them play that they’re physical.
He continued:
“They added to it, got a couple key guys back, and they can hit the ball over your head with the best of them. Really good here (at home). They had one rough weekend here against West Virginia. Other than that, they’ve been great.”
Kansas will face a talented pitcher in Dietz
The Jayhawks are set to face one of the best pitchers they have seen this season. Hunter Dietz is expected to start for the Razorbacks and should be healthy.
In the SEC tournament against Texas, he took a line drive off his leg that sidelined him. He threw a bullpen earlier in the week and looked good according to Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn.
“That’s the plan, is to pitch him,” Van Horn said. “Unless something crazy goes on with his leg or whatever. But yeah, he seems to be feeling good. He seems to be moving around good and no complaints. I feel like he’s ready to go, so that’s who we’ll go with.”
[Jayhawks open with a win over Northeastern]
Dietz is projected to go in the first round and some draft analysts say he might be the best left-handed pitcher in the country. The 6-foot-6 lefty’s fastball is consistently in the 93-96 mph range and he mixes in a cutter and slider.
This year he has eye-opening numbers with 121 strikeouts and only 29 walks.
Containing the running game from Northeastern
A lot of the talk going into the first round against Northeastern was their speed on the bases. They led the nation in stolen bases by a wide margin but did not get one against Kansas.
“It was the emphasis going in,” said head coach Dan Fitzgerald. “Now, the Big 12 prepares us for that. You think of the teams that we play against, you’ve heard me refer to the Big 12 as the take-what-they-give-you league.”
Fitzgerald gave credit to his coaching staff working with the pitchers on their delivery and holding runners on.
“It took a lot of game planning,” Fitzgerald said. “I thought that Coach Scott and Coach Holland did a tremendous job today. I thought the scout was amazing, but that was a big deal to hold them down.”
Kansas will have a rested bullpen
One good thing going into the Arkansas game is a rested bullpen. Dominic Voegele threw seven innings on 102 pitches and was followed by Boede Rahe who threw 32 over two innings of work.
Fitzgerald said after the game it was a key factor to get through game one with two pitchers.
“It was huge, and they were both fantastic,” he said. “Boede has told me daily the entire season that he’s good to go, so he’ll be able to bounce back. Dom was so efficient, and again, it’s so hard to be efficient against a lineup like that.”
Rahe leads the team in saves and he has appeared in back-to-back games this season. If he is needed in a close game tonight don’t be surprised to see him available for a limited pitch count.
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – No. 5 National Seed Arkansas Razorbacks’ historic season came to an end on Friday night with an 11-0 (5 inn.) loss to UCLA at the Women’s College World Series inside Devon Park.
With the loss, Arkansas finished its season with a 47-13 record that culminated in the program’s first Women’s College World Series berth. The Hogs’ 47 wins were the second-most in program history, trailing only the 2022 team’s 48-11 overall record.
Tianna Bell, Atalyia Rijo, and Kailey Wyckoff all recorded base hits for Arkansas in the loss. Wyckoff and Karlie Davison both drew walks. Payton Burnham (14-4) took the loss for Arkansas after allowing four runs on three hits in 1.1 innings of work.
Taylor Tinsley (33-7) took the win for UCLA, pitching five shutout innings while striking out two and allowing three hits and two walks.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Payton Burnham made her 19th start of the season for Arkansas, while UCLA went with senior Taylor Tinsley.
In the top of the first inning, Atalyia Rijo had a hand in all three outs of a 1-2-3 frame that featured a pair of groundouts and a popout. Tinsley responded with a 1-2-3 inning herself, courtesy of a strikeout, flyout, and lineout in the home half of the first inning.
Aleena Garcia gave UCLA a 1-0 lead with a lead-off solo home run to dead center field in the top of the second inning. Kaniya Bragg got hit by a pitch, and Alexis Ramirez singled before Soo-Jin Berry made it a 4-0 game with a three-run home run to left field. Following Ramirez’s homer, Saylor Timmerman entered in relief for Arkansas. Megan Grant later extended the Bruins’ lead to 7-0 by way of a three-run home run to center field, her 42nd of the season. Senior LHP Robyn Herron entered with two runners on and two outs in the inning. UCLA extended its lead to 9-0 courtesy of a two-RBI double off the top of the wall in right field by Bragg.
In the bottom of the second inning, Karlie Davison became the first baserunner of the game for Arkansas after reaching on a two-out walk. She later advanced to second base on a single from Atalyia Rijo. Kailey Wyckoff later walked to load the bases, but UCLA would escape with a flyout to get out of the inning.
In the top of the third inning, Herron registered a pair of strikeouts while UCLA made it 10-0 by scoring a run by way of a wild pitch. Tinsley retired the Hogs in order in the bottom of the third inning.
Herron retired UCLA in order in the top of the fourth inning while picking up a pair of strikeouts. Tianna Bell singled down the third-base line to lead off the bottom of the fourth.
In the top of the fifth inning, the Bruins’ Jolyna Lamar increased the UCLA lead to 11-0 with a solo home run to right field.
Kailey Wyckoff singled down the third-base line to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning before UCLA retired three consecutive batters to end the game.
NOTABLES
- Arkansas finished the season with a 47-13 overall record. The Razorbacks’ 47 wins were the second-most in program history, trailing only the 2022 team’s 48-11 overall record.
Up Next
The Razorbacks will be back in action in the spring of 2027.
For schedule updates and other news, go to ArkansasRazorbacks.com, or follow @RazorbackSB on X, Instagram and Facebook.
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