Delce, Hogs Shut Down UNLV in Nightcap
LAS VEGAS – Redshirt senior RHP Chenise Delce tossed a complete game, two-hit shutout to propel No. 6 Arkansas (2-0) to a 11-0 (5 inn.) win against UNLV in Friday’s nightcap at the Rebel Kickoff. With two wins under their belt, the Razorbacks outscored their opponents 19-0 across 10 innings on opening day.
Arkansas’ high-powered offense continued to impress against the Rebels. Accumulating three home runs, six hits, 10 walks and 11 RBIs on the night, Arkansas scored in all but one inning.
Arkansas drove in at least one run in nine of 10 frames played Friday.
Following a solo home run in game one, graduate second baseman Kristina Foreman orchestrated another phenomenal game at the dish in game two. The Tampa product hit her second home run of the day, a three-run blast, in the third. Junior Cylie Halvorson and sophomore Spencer Prigge also tanked home runs against the Rebels. Prigge finished with career highs in hits (2) and RBIs (3) while Halvorson finished 1-for-3 with three RBIs.
Reigning SEC Pitcher of the Year Chenise Delce (1-0) picked up where she left off. In five innings of work, Delce punched out five and surrendered just two hits. The Oklahoma City native did not allow an extra base hit and worked around two walks.
In her second career start, freshman Reagan Johnson continued to impress after smacking a leadoff double that rolled to the left center wall to begin the game. Johnson has recorded hits in her first two games as a Razorback while holding it down in center field.
Freshman shortstop Atalyia Rijo also filed her first base knock as a Hog after singling to center in the second. Rijo also drew two walks at the bottom of the order.
Notes
- Chenise Delce tossed a complete game, two-hit shutout in her first start of the season
- Arkansas tossed two shutouts to begin the 2023 campaign
- Delce did not allow an extra base hit
- The Razorback pitching staff did not allow an extra base hit across two games
- Arkansas outscored its opponents Friday 19-0
- Three different Razorbacks parked home runs in game two: Kristina Foreman, Cylie Halvorson and Spencer Prigge
- Head coach Courtney Deifel is only five wins away from becoming the program’s all-time winningest head coach
- Kristina Foreman homered in her first two games as a Razorback
- Cylie Halvorson hit her first home run as a Hog
Quotes
Cylie Halvorson on starting season 2-0: “We had great energy in both games today. You could tell everybody was excited for game day to finally be here. We were focused and played loose today which resulted in two big wins against strong programs. We had each other’s backs in both games. Nobody felt like the pressure was on their shoulder’s.”
Cylie Halvorson on her approach at the plate: “I felt loose and knew which pitch I was looking for. Practice over the last month prepared me for the moment. My teammates provided me with key information on the opposing pitchers, so I felt really calm stepping into the box.”
Up Next
The Razorbacks play a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. CT against Weber State. Arkansas battles Southern Utah in game two, which is slated to start at 1:30 p.m. Both games are available to stream on UNLV’s YouTube page, but there will be no audio available. Live stats links for each game can be found on Arkansas’ website.
