Arkansas softball played five games in three days over the weekend and won them all
Arkansas softball had a very enjoyable weekend at Bogle Park. The Razorbacks played twice on Friday and Saturday before concluding the weekend with a single game on Sunday. Facing Southeast Missouri State and Northwestern, the Hogs didn't make a single misstep over three days, collecting five wins in the extended weekend set of games at the Razorback Invitational.
On Saturday, Arkansas began the fun with a 7-0 win over Northwestern. Pitcher Payton Burnham delivered a complete-game shutout to give the Hogs an efficient win in which they didn't need to extend their rotation.
Arkansas then hammered SEMO 16-2 in the second game. The Hogs poured it on and were able to cruise to a run-rule-shortened win. It's valuable to achieve run-rule wins so that the team stays fresh over the course of the long season and isn't stretched thin.
On Sunday, Arkansas beat Northwestern 9-8 in a wild game. Atalyia Rijo delivered the game's biggest hit, a tiebreaking three-run homer in the fifth after Northwestern had rallied from a 6-0 deficit to tie the game. Not allowing that final game to slip away -- and being able to win a close contest after a lot of decisive wins earlier in the weekend -- has to feel both like a relief and an achievement for the Hogs.
Arkansas scored a grand total of 44 runs in the five games over the weekend, an average of just under nine runs per game. The Hogs look like a generally well-rounded team, though a few pitching stumbles merit at least some attention in the bigger picture. The competition should get more robust for this team, and the pitching rotation will need to respond to the challenge.
OTHER SEC SOFTBALL RESULTS FOR SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22
Elsewhere in SEC softball on Sunday, Alabama beat Dartmouth. Florida topped Middle Tennessee. Auburn crushed California. Oklahoma dominated Washington. Missouri lost to Louisiana-Lafayette. Texas blew away Arizona. Virginia Tech beat Georgia. Ole Miss stumbled, falling to Missouri State. Texas A&M lost to UCLA. LSU nipped Howard. Kentucky walloped Indiana State. Tennessee smashed Southern Illinois. Ole Miss got trounced by Mercer.
SEC BASEBALL RESULTS FOR SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22
Auburn beat Louisville. Oklahoma blitzed Coppin State. Tennessee lost to Kent State. Georgia obliterated Samford. Missouri whipped New Haven. Florida outslugged Kennesaw State. Texas blanked Michigan State. Texas A&M handled Pennsylvania. Vanderbilt pounded Marist. Mississippi State defeated Delaware. Ole Miss fought past Missouri State. LSU wiped out UCF. South Carolina topped Air Force.