FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas softball made a statement this weekend, dominating all three of their matchups in the Fayetteville Regional to advance to just the second Super Regional in program history.
The Razorbacks shut out their first two opponents, Manhattan and South Dakota State. In the regional final against Stanford, things got tougher, if just minimally. Braxton Burnside hit a homer to give the Razorbacks a 2-0 lead, before Stanford rallied to go up 3-2.
The, some controversy: Linnie Malkin launched a ball into the left field parking lot, only to have it called foul, much to the disagreement of the Arkansas faithful. Ball don't lie, as the philosopher's say, and the next inning, Malkin hit a no-doubt two run homer to put the game out of reach.
Once again, Mary Haff was immaculate, this time in relief, tossing six scoreless innings and striking out three. In 17 innings across three games of Regional play, Haff did not allow a single run.
It's the second time in program history that Arkansas wins a NCAA Regional the first coming at Bogle Park in 2018. That year, the team advanced to play Oklahoma in the Norman Super Regional, and were swept by the Sooners in two games. This time around, the 6th-seeded Razorbacks get to host a Super Regional, and either Arizona or Ole Miss will head to Fayetteville next week with a spot in the College World Series in Oklahoma City on the line.