Arkansas softball didn't win its series against Oklahoma, but the Hogs didn't get swept
The highlight of the past weekend for Arkansas athletics was the softball team's Saturday win over Oklahoma. The Hogs lost the three-game series with defeats suffered on Friday and Sunday, but the Saturday win was big. It showed UA that it can go head to head against the colossus of NCAA softball and prevail. Kyle Sutherland of Hawgbeat has more:
"Arkansas used Friday’s tough Game 1 loss to No. 1 Oklahoma as a launching pad to the first victory over the Sooners (41-6, 14-3 SEC) since April of 2009 in a 3-2 win on Saturday night at Love’s Field in Norman, Oklahoma.
"The fifth-ranked Razorbacks (36-7, 11-6 SEC) escaped with the one run victory after falling by one in the opener in which they matched the Sooners’ eight hits, but a seventh inning rally fell short. It was the first win over a top-ranked team since 2012 and third in program history.
"Ace southpaw Robyn Herron entered Saturday’s matchup in relief of Payton Burnham (5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K) with one out in the sixth inning after OU sensation Kendall Wells deposited her ongoing freshman record 33rd home run high over the far left field wall on a full count."
Arkansas snapped Oklahoma's 31-game home winning streak with the upset win. The victory by the Hogs kept them No. 6 in this week's new NCAA softball poll. It rates as a legitimate milestone moment for this team, which is a foremost contender for a spot in the Women's College World Series.
BASEBALL STUMBLES AGAINST GEORGIA
Arkansas didn't get swept by Georgia, but the Hogs did lose their weekend series, and they did so by allowing 26 runs in the series finale over the weekend. Georgia scored 11 runs in the ninth inning. Arkansas committed five errors in a terrible display of baseball. Pitching and defense both have a long way to go. Coach Dave Van Horn has to be able to get his team to play fundamentally sound ball the rest of the way and cultivate sharper habits. Arkansas has been far too inconsistent over the course of the season to merit supreme trust heading into the postseason.
ARKANSAS BASKETBALL ROSTER CHANGE
Guard Jaden Karuletwa is entering the transfer portal. He wasn't able to crack the regular rotation for John Calipari this past season. This gives Calipari another chance to adjust the roster and realign the pieces in ways which maximize Arkansas' chances of getting back to the Final Four.