???? Monday Halftime Pod — featuring RSN’s Brett Dolan
Phil & Tye discuss Arkansas’ 5th straight loss, interview RSN’s Brett Dolan, and more!
Anderson previewing Tuesday’s road matchup against Kentucky
Arkansas coach Mike Anderson talked Monday afternoon before his team left for Lexington and talked about facing the No. 4 Wildcats before a hostile crowd at Rupp Arena.
Gibson named co-SEC player of week after home run cycle performance last week
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Sophomore Danielle Gibson has been named SEC Softball Co-Player of the Week, as announced by the conference office on Monday.
Gibson became just the second NCAA Division I softball player to hit for the home run cycle – a solo, two-run and three-run home run, and a grand slam against SIU-Edwardsville Saturday night (Feb. 23).
She stands as the only other athlete to do so in four innings, as she helped the Razorbacks to a five-run 15-3 win over the Cougars.
Her four home runs and 10 RBI stand as an SEC individual game high, as do the 16 bases she racked up over the night.
Only five other players have hit four home runs in a single game: Sydney O’Hara, Syracuse vs. NC State (2017); Carli Kayler, Troy vs. Appalachian St. (2016); Allie Anttila, Georgetown vs. Rutgers (2013); Rebecca Magett, Hampton vs. UMES (2010); Jill Iacono, Canisius vs. Saint Francis (PA) (2002).
Gibson finished with a .429 look at the plate and a .455 on base percentage. Her four home runs and one double combined for a 1.048 slugging percentage.
The Razorbacks will be back at Bogle Park this weekend, starting Feb. 28, for the Woo Pig Classic. The Hogs will host Omaha, Nevada, Boston University, and Northwestern State over the course of the four-day tournament.
Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Monday
John & Tommy discuss the A&M loss, the USC series win, plus Tom Murphy joins the show!
Michael from Stuttgart calls The Morning Rush for the first time
Michael From Stuttgart shares his thoughts on Mike Anderson and the Arkansas basketball program.
Four players hit double figures to lead Hogs to Senior Day win over Rebels
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas had four players in double figures behind a 33-point performance from Chelsea Dungee in a 73-61 SEC win on Senior Day in Bud Walton Arena on Sunday.
Dungee played 39 of 40 minutes helping send seniors Malica Monk, Bailey Zimmerman, Raven Northcross-Baker, Sydney Stout and Keiryn Swenson out with a win. Sophomore A’Tyanna Gaulden added 12 points in the win while Alexis Tolefree and Jailyn Mason scored 10 points each for Arkansas (17-11, 6-8 SEC).
The win over Ole Miss (9-19, 3-11 SEC) moves Arkansas one step closer to a first-round bye in the SEC Tournament which takes place March 6-10 in Greenville, South Carolina.
Ole Miss came out of the gates strong looking to avenge a 30-point loss to the Razorbacks earlier this season. The teams played to an 18-all tie after the first 10 minutes and it was a two-point Arkansas advantage, 35-33, at the half.
The Lady Rebels came out after the break and tried to slow the pace of play, but Arkansas was able to outrebound Ole Miss 9-6 while going on an 8-0 run to open up the lead. Dungee had eight points in the third frame while Mason added six for Arkansas helping the Razorbacks lead by as much as 11 late in the period.
Arkansas stretched the advantage to 15 points with just over a minute remaining when head coach Mike Neighbors cleared the bench letting every Razorback play.
Up Next
The Razorbacks host Missouri on Thursday in an 8 p.m. game that will be televised by the SEC Network. It is the final regular season home game of the year. Arkansas travels to Texas A&M March 3 before beginning postseason play at the SEC Tournament.
Notes
• Arkansas Starters: Alexis Tolefree, Malica Monk, Kiara Williams, Jailyn Mason, Chelsea Dungee
• Chelsea Dungee scored 10 points in the first quarter. It is the 10th time this year she has had double figures in a quarter. She finished with 33 points. It is her 14th game of the year with 20+ points and her third with 30+ points.
• A’Tyanna Gaulden had 12 points – her fourth game of the season in double figures.
• Alexis Tolefree finished with 10 points scoring in double figures for the 14th time this year.
• Jailyn Mason scored 10 points, and was in double figures for the eighth time.
Tolefree, Dungee talk about getting back on track against Rebels
Razorback players Alexis Tolefree (10 points, 3 rebounds) and Chelsea Dungee (33 points, 4 rebounds) recapped the 73-61 win over Ole Miss on Sunday afternoon.
Neighbors glad to break losing streak with win over Ole Miss
Arkansas downs Rebels on Senior Night at Bud Walton Arena on Sunday afternoon and coach Mike Neighbors was glad to break losing streak.
Hogs close out Razorback Invitational with 10-2 win over IUPUI on Sunday
FAYETTEVILLE — Catcher Kayla Green sealed the deal for the University of Arkansas softball on Sunday when she took a 2-2 count from IUPUI’s Lexi Lucas over the right-center wall, scoring three and giving the Hogs a nine-run lead that would lead to the Razorbacks’ 10-2 victory.
Arkansas (12-3) scored its first run of the game in the bottom of the first, after sophomore Hannah McEwen tripled to right-center and senior Katie Warrick followed with a single through the right side, it looked like the Hogs had sparked an early rally, but consecutive fly balls to left field would end the inning for the Hogs.
IUPUI (3-12) responded with a run of its own in the third, tying the game at 1-1 after a Razorback error. The Hogs would end up committing three miscues through five frames.
The Razorbacks didn’t waste time recovering their lead, posting two more runs in the bottom of the inning off the bat of Ashley Diaz who soared one out to centerfield and scored Warrick and Danielle Gibson as the Jaguar muffed the catch.
The fourth inning began with a single up the middle by Maggie Hicks, and that hit would spark a seven-run rally highlighted with RBI from Sydney Parr, Gibson, Diaz, and Green.
Over the course of the four-day invitational, Arkansas outscored opponents 36-16, and outhit opponents 52-37. As a team, the Hogs swung a .342 average at the plate, with McEwen leading the pack at .474.
Green and teammate freshman Taylor Greene caught four players stealing on four total attempts through six games.
Up Next
The Razorbacks will stay in Fayetteville for another week and will host their Woo Pig Classic next weekend (Feb. 28-March 3). The Hogs will face Omaha, Nevada, Northwestern State and Boston University. Admission to all games during the Woo Pig Classic is free to the public.
Fletcher’s late homer gives Hogs shot before falling in 10 innings against USC
LOS ANGELES — Junior Dominic Fletcher nearly became the Arkansas hero Saturday night after he hit the go-ahead home run in the top of the 10th inning Saturday night at Dedeaux Field.
However, USC came back with three runs in the bottom half of the frame, including getting a two-run walk-off home run from CJ Stubbs, to beat the Hogs, 6-4, and prevent the three-game sweep.
The Razorbacks (5-1) and Trojans (3-3) were locked in a pitchers’ duel throughout the majority of the game, but late-game hits provided a back-and-forth battle in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings that eventually took the game into extra innings.
Christian Franklin’s RBI in the seventh tied the game at 2-2 and Fletcher launched his first home run of the year with a solo bomb in the 10th.
But, USC, with the benefit of the final at-bat, got three hits in the bottom half, including a game-tying single by Jamal O’Guinn followed by the two-run homer by Stubbs.
It’s the first extra-inning game for the Razorbacks this year, but was the second-lowest run output by the Hog offense in the season’s first six games.
Arkansas was 1-1 in extra-inning games a year ago. Even with the loss, Arkansas takes the series from the Trojans marking its first road series win since taking 2-of-3 from Alabama in Tuscaloosa in 2017.
Nine Razorbacks recorded at least one of Arkansas’ 11 hits in the game. Jacob Nesbit and Christian Franklin, Arkansas’ Nos. 8 and 9 hitters, each posted two hits to lead the team.
Franklin drove in two runs for the second-straight night and had one of the biggest hits of the game when his single up the middle scored pinch runner Casey Opitz in the seventh inning, tying the game at 2-2.
Starting pitcher Connor Noland, making his second start of the year, went four innings, but was not as sharp as a week ago, giving up two earned runs on three hits, including a solo home run, with two strikeouts.
Junior Jacob Kostyshock was first out of the bullpen and kept the USC offense in check, retiring the first 10 batters he faced and ended up going 3.2 innings with three strikeouts.
Over his two outings this season, Kostyshock has only allowed one run in 8.2 innings and not allowed more than three hits in both outings.
Sophomore Casey Martin, who had one hit on Saturday, finishes the weekend as Arkansas’ top hitter, going 4-for-14 (.286) with three extra-base hits and five RBIs.
Four other players came away with three hits in the series including, Trevor Ezell, Fletcher, Jack Kenley and Heston Kjerstad.
Ezell was one of the toughest outs in the series, as he reached base seven times in 15 plate appearances, batting out of the three hole. The graduate senior drew four walks, three in Friday’s game two, and reached on an error twice in game one, while also stealing a combined three bases.
Razorback Quotables
“It was a really good weekend for us. Obviously, we wanted to win game three and sweep the series. USC has a lot of talented players, they have good arms on the mound, and to come out here and win two of three is good. We were so close to sweeping it that would have made it a really good weekend. We learned a lot about our team. We learned a lot about how to coach some guys in certain situations and we learned a little about the toughness of some of our players. I’m disappointed with the loss, but not disappointed with the effort at all.” — Coach Dave Van Horn the Saturday loss, but getting the series win over USC
“I talked with the team about how fragile the game is. When you’re playing good competition and make a little mistake here, whether it be the dropped pop-up or not getting a bunt down or you just miss a spot. It’s a fine line between winning and losing. We might have lost tonight, but maybe it will help us win a game in a week or two.” — Van Horn on what he told the team after the game
Up Next
Arkansas returns home for a 13-game homestand next week starting with a single mid-week game against Memphis on Wednesday at Baum-Walker Stadium.
First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. and will be televised on SEC Network+.
