No. 16/18 Softball drops NCAA Super Regional opener at No. 4 Arkansas, 7-1

Thursday, May 26

Fayetteville, Ark.

6 p.m. CT

University of Texas

41-19-1

#4 Arkansas

48-9

Texas

Arkansas

No. 16/18 Softball drops NCAA Super Regional opener at No. 4 Arkansas, 7-1

05.26.2022 | Softball

Box Score

With two hits, senior Janae Jefferson broke the 22-year-old Texas single season record for hits (84)

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Numerous missed offensive chances came back to haunt No. 16/18 Texas softball (41-19-1) on Thursday night in the opener of the NCAA Fayetteville Super Regional at Bogle Park as the Longhorns left eight combined base runners stranded while dropping a 7-1 decision to No. 4 Arkansas (48-9).

Notes

With two hits to give her 84 for the year, senior second baseman Janae Jefferson broke the 22-year-old Texas single-season hit record formerly held by Lindsay Gardner (2000).
Jefferson led off the game with her 20th double of the season to move into a tie with former Longhorns Paige von Sprecken (2018) and Lindsey Stephens (2016) for the Texas single-season mark.
With four K's against Arkansas, senior pitcher Hailey Dolcini reached the 800-career strikeout milestone.
Texas is now 9-7 all-time over seven NCAA Super Regional appearances and 4-3 in Super Regional openers. Texas has lost its last three such openers with all of those occurring on the road in 2019, 2021 and 2022.
Jefferson is batting a remarkable .529 overall (9-for-17) so far over five games in the NCAA Tournament with seven runs scored, a double, two HR's and a .579 on-base percentage.
Senior left fielder Lauren Burke isn't far behind Jefferson in NCAA Tournament batting average by hitting .462 (6-for-13) with a team-leading four RBIs over five games.

Major Players

Senior second baseman Janae Jefferson (2-for-3, walk, double); senior left fielder Lauren Burke (2-for-3, run, double); freshman third baseman Mia Scott (RBI groundout)

In the Circle

Starting senior pitcher Hailey Dolcini (21-10) suffered the loss after allowing two earned runs on seven hits with four walks and four strikeouts over 4.1 innings of work. Freshman Sophia Simpson (0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 K) and sophomore Logan Hulon (1.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 K) finished off the game in relief.

The Details

After each team wasted a leadoff double in the first inning, sophomore shortstop Alyssa Washington got the Longhorns off to a positive start in the second by driving a leadoff base knock to left. With the UT runner within 60 feet of paydirt following a groundout and a long fly ball to right, Arkansas starter Chenise Delce battled Burke over a 12-pitch at-bat before registering an inning-ending K to escape an early jam.

The Razorbacks got two runners aboard in the bottom of the second, but Dolcini also fought her way out of trouble with an inning-ending strikeout of shortstop Marlene Friedman.

Arkansas failed to score despite two more golden opportunities in the third and fourth innings. In the third, UA stationed runners on the corners with two retired only to have Gammill fly out to center. During the fourth, the Razorbacks got two more aboard with two down only to have center fielder KB Sides groundout back to the circle.

After getting the leadoff batter on base in three of its first four innings, Texas did it again starting the top of the fifth as freshman first baseman Katie Cimusz singled to left. Burke followed with a base knock to deep short, sophomore outfielder Alyssa Popelka sacrificed the runners up 60 feet and Jefferson was intentionally walked to pack the bags. Facing a huge threat, Delce again fought her way out of a jam as a strikeout looking and a bouncer to second lifted Texas' left stranded count to six.

A leadoff double from left fielder Hannah McEwen got the Arkansas offense untracked in the bottom of the fifth. With McEwen at third after a sac bunt, first baseman Danielle Gibson was intentionally walked to place runners at the corners. That set the stage for Gammill to grant the Razorbacks the lead as she lined a RBI single through the left side to make it 1-0. Following a Linnie Malkin bloop single to left center, right fielder Kacie Hoffman bounced a ball to first. The ball was fielded cleanly, but the throw home trying for the force was wide for an error as two unearned runs scored for a 3-0 lead.

Four hits and another key Texas miscue opened the door for more in the bottom of the sixth as the Razorbacks scored four times, two of those runs unearned, to boost their advantage to 7-0.

The Longhorns kept battling in the top of the seventh as a Burke double to the wall in center, a Jordyn Whitaker hit by pitch and a Jefferson base knock to center loaded the bases with one out. Scott came to the dish and got Texas on the board via a RBI groundout to cut the deficit to 7-1. Unfortunately, that was as close as UT could get as a fly out to left concluded the contest.

NCAA Fayetteville Super Regional Schedule

Thurs., May 26

6 p.m. CT #16/18 TEXAS (41-18-1) vs. #4 Arkansas (47-9) – ESPN2 – Arkansas, 7-1

Fri., May 27

5:30 p.m. CT #4 Arkansas (48-9) vs. #16/18 TEXAS (41-19-1) – ESPN2

Sat., May 28

TBD #16/18 TEXAS (41-19-1) vs. #4 Arkansas (48-9) – if necessary - TBD