When the Hogs were down by 14 to Texas A&M, Moses Moody said it was looking like it could get ugly, then they whittled it down quickly.
Musselman says Hogs played as well as they had to for win
Arkansas coach Eric Musselman said later the Hogs didn’t play particularly well, but figured out what they had to do to down A&M, 87-80.
Hogs bomb four homers for fifth time for 15th straight win
Hitting four home runs, the No. 20 Arkansas softball team coasted to its 15th straight win overpowering Northwestern State, 13-2 in six innings, at Bogle Park on Saturday afternoon.
Entering the day, the Razorbacks (15-2) led the SEC with 41 home runs and registered their fifth game with at least four bombs this season.
Infielder Danielle Gibson continued her otherworldly week at the plate hitting two more dingers, which included a grand slam, and registered RBI.
For the week, she hit .421 (8-for-19) with five home runs (two grand slams), two doubles and drove in 14 runs.
How it happened
Gibson hit the first of her two bombs in the first inning, spanking a solo shot to center that sparked an eight hit day for the bats.
The Razorbacks blew the game open in the second and scored five two out runs, pushing their lead to 6-0.
Outfielder Keely Huffine and infielder Hannah Gammill each lifted RBI base hits down the left field line and both scored on infielder Braxton Burnside’s three-run tater. Burnside has 11 bombs in just 18 games played this season.
Arkansas added seven more in the bottom of the fourth to move ahead, 13-0, as Burnside drew a bases loaded walk, allowing Gibson to smash her second grand slam of the weekend to center.
Pinch hitter Lauren Graves hit her first career jack, driving in two to cap off Arkansas’ scoring.
Mary Haff (9-1) hummed along inside the circle and faced one over the minimum in her 4.0 innings. She allowed a two out single up the middle in the second and struck out six.
Haff lowered her season ERA to just 0.87 in 56.1 innings pitched. Freshman Kaitlyn Howard made her collegiate pitching debut in the top of the fifth and allowed two earned runs on four hits.
Jensen Howell (3-3) took the loss for Northwestern State (6-6), surrendering six earned runs in 1.2 innings.
Batting from the leadoff spot, Gammill went 2-for-3 and increased her weekly batting average to .500 (5-for-10).
With two outs, the Razorbacks hit .667 (6-for-9) as a team and scored eight of their 13 runs.
Arkansas finished the week outscoring its Wooo Pig Classic competition, 46-17.
The Razorbacks travel to Central Arkansas for a 6 p.m. first pitch on Tuesday.
The game will air on CST and ESPN+. Later in the week, Arkansas opens SEC play at South Carolina with a three-game set Friday, March 12 through Sunday, March 14.
Tate on bouncing back from bad game for big finish against A&M
Razorbacks senior Jalen Tate (22 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists) had his worst game against the Gamecocks, but finished season strong.
Van Horn after Hogs’ dominating 11-6 win over Murray State
Arkansas got 12 hits and big days at the plate from several players and used five pitchers to lock up the series’ win over Murray State.
Hogs overcome four-run deficit to down Murray State, 11-6
There’s no deficit too big for the Razorbacks.
Down four runs after the top of the second inning, No. 1 Arkansas once again fought its way back to a win, taking down Murray State, 11-6, on Saturday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium.
The Razorbacks improve to 9-0 for the third time in the Dave Van Horn era (19 seasons) with the victory.
Third baseman Cullen Smith got the party started in the bottom of the second after the Racers jumped out to a 4-0 lead.
The East Tennessee State transfer launched his first homer as a Razorback, sending a three-run shot off the scoreboard in right.
Blake Adams, meanwhile, gave Arkansas exactly what it needed after the Racers’ explosive start.
The right-hander, who eventually earned the win, came out of the bullpen in relief of starter Caleb Bolden and tossed 2.1 innings, allowing only one run and striking out two.
Murray State extended its lead to 5-3 in the top of the fourth, but outfielder Christian Franklin did not let the two-run deficit last long.
The consensus preseason All-American had three hits and four runs batted in on the day, including a bases-clearing double to center in the bottom half of the fourth, to put the Razorbacks ahead, 6-5.
The Hogs never looked back after taking their first lead of the ballgame. Left fielder Zack Gregory launched his first collegiate homer in the bottom of the sixth, hitting a two-out solo shot over the wall in right to grow the lead to 7-5.
A few batters later, Franklin picked up his fourth RBI on a single to right and gave the Razorbacks a three-run lead. Murray State added one in the top of the seventh, but Arkansas still had more runs left in the tank.
Shortstop Jalen Battles’ run-scoring fielder’s choice in the bottom of the seventh made it 9-6 before first baseman Brady Slavens put the game away for good.
The Olathe, Kan., native hit his fourth homer of the year in the bottom half of the eighth, going the opposite way to left field with a two-run shot. His blast put the Razorbacks ahead by five.
Right-hander Zebulon Vermillion provided much-needed stability out of the bullpen to close out the game. He tossed a scoreless 2.1 innings of work while striking out one and allowing only two hits to earn the save.
The Razorbacks go for their second series sweep of the young season at 1 p.m. tomorrow. A win in Sunday’s contest would move Arkansas’ record to 10-0, which the program has only achieved once before in the Van Horn era (2003).
Listen to Hogs-Aggies online here or on ESPN Arkansas stations
• Who: No. 12-13 Arkansas Razorbacks (20-5, 12-4 SEC) vs. Texas A&M Aggies (8-8, 2-7 SEC)
• What: This is the regular-season finale for both programs before heading to the SEC Tournament next week.
• When: Saturday, March 6, 4 p.m. (pregame starts at 3:30 p.m.)
• Where: Nolan Richardson Court at Bud Walton Arena, Fayetteville, Ark.
• TV: SEC Network (Dave Neal and John Sunvold) CLICK HERE
• ONLINE: HitThatLine.com LISTEN HERE
• Radio: ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home (Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman)
The No. 12-13 Arkansas Razorbacks play their final regular-season game of the year on Saturday against the Texas A&M Aggies.
Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. and the game will be televised on the SEC Network.
Pregame coverage starts at 3:30 p.m. and you can LISTEN HERE or on the radio at ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home.
Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman will have all the coverage.
• This will be the 161st meeting between Arkansas and Texas A&M. The Razorbacks own a 103-57 advantage in the series and the series is tied, 38-38, in games played at A&M. The Hogs have a slight 8-6 advantage in games since A&M joined the SEC for the 2012-13 season.
• Texas A&M is one of six teams that Arkansas has played over 100 times and one of three teams the Razorbacks have at least 100 wins against.
• The Aggies are the Razorbacks’ most common opponent with 160 games played in the series. The teams met in Arkansas’ first season of basketball (1923-24) until 1990-91. The teams met once in 2010 in Dallas then the series resumed when A&M joined the SEC in 2012-13.
• After a 28-point road win at South Carolina, Arkansas climbed seven spots to 12th —the program’s highest ever NCAA NET Rankings.
• Arkansas has clinched a double-bye for the SEC Tournament and the #2 seed, meaning the Razorbacks will not play until the quarterfinals on Friday – Mar. 12 – at 6 pm.
• Arkansas’ 12 wins are the most since the 2016-17 Hogs won 12 (12-6).
• The second-place regular-season finish is the program’s best since finishing 2nd in 2014-15.
• Arkansas has won 20 games for the second straight season and Coach Musselman has won at least 20 games in each of his six seasons as a collegiate head coach.
• Not only was Arkansas 6-0 in the month of February, the Razorbacks tallied five Quad 1 wins in the month vs Alabama, at Missouri, vs Florida, vs LSU and at Kentucky.
• Arkansas has won 10-straight SEC games, its best since winning 11 straight SEC games to close the 1993-94 season.
Overall, Arkansas won 13 straight during that stretch with a regular-season win over Montevallo mixed in the SEC games and an SEC tourney win over Georgia. The Hogs won 11-straight Southwest Conference games in the 1990-91, 1989-90 and 1980-81 seasons.
Arkansas was a perfect 16-0 in the SWC in 1976-77 as part of an 18-game overall league win streak (final SWC game of 1975-76, all 16 SWC games in 1976-77 and first two SWC games in 1977-78).
Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.
Dungee on ballot for Wooden Award for top player in nation
Chelsea Dungee continues to rack up the national awards this season, as she earned a spot on the Wooden Award National Ballot, announced Saturday morning.
Selected by the Wooden Award National Advisory Board, the National Ballot consists of 15 student-athletes who are candidates for the Wooden Award All American Team and Wooden Award Trophy as the most outstanding college basketball player in the United States.
Dungee has cemented her legacy in her final season at Arkansas, putting together her best season on the Hill.
Dungee is averaging career-highs in several categories this season, including points per game (22.2), field goal percentage (42.7 percent), and three-point percentage (38.2 percent).
She has scored 20+ in 17 of her 26 games played this season, and has gone for 30 or more points in four contests.
Dungee’s consistency this season has been remarkable, scoring in double figures in all 26 games this season and 10 or more in 31 games dating back to the end of last season, the longest such streak of her career.
All that scoring added up, as Dungee now has 2,120 career points, the highest collegiate total of any Razorback Women’s Basketball player ever.
When the lights were brightest, Dungee always seemed to be at her best. Against teams currently in the top-10 of the AP Poll this season, Dungee has been electric, averaging 22.0 points per game on 45.7 percent shooting and 43.3 percent from deep.
In the Hogs’ two ranked wins this season, Dungee has been nearly unstoppable, averaging 29.5 points per game, while shooting 56 percent from the field and 44 percent from three.
In a year full of memorable performances from the Arkansas guard, her showing against UConn stands out, as she dropped 37 points on the Huskies, the most by any single player against them this century.
All balloted players have been certified by their university to meet or exceed the qualifications for the Wooden Award as set forth by Wooden when the Award was established.
Voting will take place from March 16-23 and voters take into consideration a player’s entire season of play as well as the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
The finalists for the 2021 Wooden Award presented by Wendy’s will be announced on March 26.
TRUSTING THE PROCESS: Otis Kirk of the Pig Trail Nation
Tye and Otis on starting out in Mena, being one of the pioneers in Arkansas recruiting, going to Chainsmoker concerts and more!
Razorbacks shut out in Friday road trip at Kentucky, 7-0
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Arkansas dropped a road trip to 20th-ranked Kentucky (13-3, 3-2 SEC) on Friday night, 7-0.
In doubles, Melvin Manuel and Adrien Burdet earned a win on court three by downing Yasha Zemel and Joshua Lapadat, 6-2.
The scoring was tied at 1-1, but the Razorbacks duo won five of the final six games for their first win of the season as a pair.
Enrique Paya bounced back after dropping the initial set to Zemel, 4-6. Paya evened up the match with a 6-3 victory in the second, but the Razorback eventually fell in a third set tiebreak (11-13) on court five.
After dropping the first set on court three, Manuel battled Millen Hurrion to an extended second set. However, the Wildcat eventually won the set, 7-6 (7-4), and the No. 3 spot for UK.
“Well done to Kentucky. They are very good in the situation like today, at home, four indoor courts, and winning a close doubles point,” said coach Andy Jackson. “We played hard, but they played better. We are going to keep our heads up and get ready to play outdoors on Sunday in Nashville against Vanderbilt.”
Arkansas continues its road trip with a visit to Nashville, Tenn. to face the Vanderbilt Commodores. First serve on Sunday, March 7, is scheduled for 12 p.m.
Hogs win 14th straight game, sweeping doubleheader Friday
No. 20 Arkansas swept a doubleheader, downing Kansas, 8-3, and Northwestern State, 13-5 (6 innings), on Friday night during day two of the Wooo Pig Classic at Bogle Park.
The Razorbacks have won a program-record 14 straight games, surpassing the previous mark of 12 consecutive wins held by the 1999 and 2008 teams.
Game 1: No. 20 Arkansas 8, Kansas 3
The Razorbacks (15-2) jumped on the scoreboard first, scoring three in the first on outfielder Linnie Malkin’s base hit, infielder Audrie LaValley’s bases loaded walk and outfielder Ryan Jackson’s sacrifice fly.
Kansas (6-4) answered right back in the top of the second, aided by an error and a two RBI triple, to tie the game, 3-3.
After both teams struggled in the third and fourth innings, Arkansas’ offense went back to work in the sixth as infielder Braxton Burnside gave the team a 5-3 lead by driving her first bomb of the day, a two-run homer, to left center.
The bats tacked on three more insurance runs the next frame on infielder Hannah Gammill’s two RBI double and infielder Danielle Gibson’s RBI groundout.
Autumn Storms started for the Razorbacks and went 2.1 innings before being lifted.
Mary Haff (8-1) was outstanding in relief, tossing 4.2 scoreless innings and allowing just two hits with seven strikeouts.
Tatum Goff (2-1) took the loss firing 4.0 innings and allowing five earned runs for Kansas. She walked three and struck out one.
Both Gammill and Burnside led the way with two hits and two RBI apiece. Gammill also scored a career-high three runs.
Game 2: No. 20 Arkansas 13, Northwestern State 5 (6 innings)
The Bogle Bombers tied the single-game program record, smacking five homers in a game for the second time this season.
Gibson hit two and was joined by catcher Kayla Green, outfielder Ryan Jackson and Burnside in the home run department.
Northwestern State posted a four spot in the first inning, but Arkansas scored six in the bottom of the stanza to grab a 6-4 lead.
Burnside (two-run), Gibson (solo) and Jackson (three-run) each went yard as the Razorbacks scored every run of the inning via the long ball.
Arkansas scored three more runs in the third and four in the sixth to shorten the game.
Gibson hit a mammoth two-run shot to right that landed on Stadium Drive in right and Green blasted a two-run homer to center, ending the game.
Lauren Howell (2-0) picked up the win out of the bullpen tossing 2.0 innings and allowing just one run with a strikeout.
Fellow freshman Allie Light pitched admirably and inherited a bases loaded nobody out jam in the fifth, and after an error, just one Demon runner crossed the plate.
She worked 2.0 innings and did not allow a hit with a strikeout. Redshirt freshman Jenna Bloom worked the game’s first 2.0 innings. Bronte Rhoden (1-1) took the loss for NSU out of the bullpen.
The Razorbacks outhit the Lady Demons, 11-9, with both Gibson and Burnside registering three hits and four RBI. Jackson was also 2-for-3 with three RBI.
Arkansas plays one more game this weekend as it takes on Northwestern State again at 3 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday.
