Razorback sophomore third baseman Hannah Gammill (#20) from Beebe, AR prepares to throw to first for a put-out against Texas Saturday afternoon at Bogle Park in Fayetteville, AR.
By Otis Kirk
FAYETTEVILLE -- The dream season for Arkansas Softball came crashing down on Saturday when they lost to Texas 3-0 in the finals of the Fayetteville Super Regional at Bogle Park.
During the postseason the sixth inning had been a magical one for Arkansas. However, on Saturday it turned into the difference in the game. Texas broke a scoreless time in the top half of the sixth with three runs to take the win.
For Arkansas it came down to missed opportunities earlier in the game and later as well. In the second inning Arkansas had runners on second and third with no outs. Two strikeouts and a fly out to center field ended that threat.
The very next inning the Razorbacks had runners on second and third with just one out. Marlene Friedman was thrown out at the plate by Texas' shortstop on a grounder by Taylor Ellsworth. Then a strikeout ended the inning.
The Razorbacks also had multiple runners on in the final three innings of the game, but just couldn't punch anyone across the plate. It was similar to what happened to Arkansas on Friday. Courtney Deifel talked about it following the game.
“I think you just saw us press a little bit,” Deifel said. “I think that we’ve grown accustomed to us coming up big in those situations. That’s what we’ve done all year, and we didn’t get the timely hits today or yesterday. We did really good job of setting a table and we just couldn’t drive them in.”
Texas Coach Mike White saw his pitcher Sophia Simpson gain more and more confidence each time the Hogs failed to capitalize on runners in scoring position.
“Without a doubt, because every time you get out of something like that it becomes a little more pressure on that other team to score and they start doing the what-ifs,” White said. “Left on bases hurt you. You never know when a pitcher’s going to find a groove and get going, just like we did (on Thursday). We had opportunities and didn’t get it and (Arkansas’ Chenise Delce) stuck in there and threw a great game against us. Today, it was on our side fortunately.”
Deifel was complimentary of the job Simpson did while also explaining what she felt happened to her team.
“Simpson did a really good job mixing speeds,” Deifel said. “That is an equalizer in our game. We have to give her credit. She was tough today. I felt like we were just a little indecisive. More than anything I just feel like the pressure outweighed the competing. This team wanted it really bad and I really wanted it for them. We just couldn’t get it done today.”
Arkansas finishes its season at 48-11. They won the SEC regular season without losing a single series. They won the SEC Tournament and then went undefeated to take the Fayetteville Regional. They didn't lose a single series in the SEC during the regular season.
One strange ending to the season was Arkansas hit seven home runs in the Fayetteville Regional. That gave them 109 for the season. They didn't hit any home runs in the super regional. Texas entered the super regional having only hit 57 home runs. They hit the only two, on Friday, in the entire super regional.
Razorback senior pitcher Mary Haff (#4) from Winter Haven, FL throws a strike against Texas Saturday afternoon at Bogle Park in Fayetteville, AR.
Razorback sophomore third baseman Hannah Gammill (#20) from Beebe, AR makes a throw to first for a put-out against Texas Saturday afternoon at Bogle Park in Fayetteville, AR.
Razorback senior left fielder Hannah McEwen (#23) from San Diego, CA throws to second base to prevent a double by Texas Saturday afternoon at Bogle Park in Fayetteville, AR.
Razorback head softball coach Courtney Deifel encourages her Hogs to rally against Texas Saturday afternoon at Bogle Park in Fayetteville, AR.
Razorback junior pitcher Chenise Delce (#7) from Oklahoma City, OK throws a strike against Texas Saturday afternoon at Bogle Park in Fayetteville, AR.
Razorback senior first baseman Danielle Gibson (#41) from Murrieta, CA is consoled after the Hogs' loss to Texas Saturday afternoon at Bogle Park in Fayetteville, AR.
Razorback players cheer for a rally against Texas Saturday afternoon at Bogle Park in Fayetteville, AR.