Long Ball Highlights Wooo Pig Day 1 Split
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas softball team registered five more home runs Friday on day one of the Wooo Pig Classic, including a walk-off shot by Nicole Schroeder against Buffalo. The Razorbacks played to a split on day one of their second home tournament with a 15-14 win over Buffalo followed by an 8-6 loss to Northern Iowa. Arkansas is back in action Saturday with games at 3 and 5:30 p.m. (CT) on its home field at Bogle Park.
The Razorbacks’ offense generated a season-high 15 runs and 20 hits in a back-and-forth affair with Buffalo that witnessed five lead changes and saw at least one team score in all but one inning. In the day’s finale, Arkansas trailed 6-0 after five before putting together a would-be rally over the team’s final three times at the plate.
Game 1: Arkansas 15, Buffalo 14 | Box Score
With her team facing a one-run deficit in the seventh, designated player Rachel Box added to the Razorbacks’ season-high hits total with a lead-off double to set the table for Schroeder’s heroics. The Yorba Linda, Calif., native provided the fireworks with a towering two-run shot to center field. The walk-off blast was Schroeder’s sixth home run of the season and 19th of her career, which puts her in sole possession of ninth place in program history.
Buffalo scored the first three runs of the game before the Razorbacks put together nine runs between the second and third innings to lead 9-3. Arkansas batted around in the second on its way to five runs before adding four runs in the third, thanks in part to a solo home run off the bat of Shelby Hiers. However, the Bulls responded with an eight-run fourth to take an 11-9 advantage into the fifth.
Arkansas batted around again in the fifth on its way to plating four runs—all with two outs—to take a 13-11 lead. Autumn Russell and Ashley Diaz started the scoring with RBI hits before Schroeder capped the outburst with an RBI double to left center. The visitors had one last answer with three runs—only one earned—in the top half of the seventh to re-establish a short-lived lead before Schroeder’s dramatic clincher.
Game 2: Northern Iowa 8, Arkansas 6 | Box Score
For the second time in as many games Friday, the Razorbacks trailed early in their matchup with Northern Iowa. While the offense struggled to put together timely hits, the Panthers jumped out to a 6-0 lead through five and a half innings. Arkansas began chipping away with two runs on an errant throw that allowed Russell to score from third and Schroeder sacrifice fly that plated Diaz in the bottom of the fifth.
The pitching staff kept UNI off the scoreboard in the sixth which the offense took advantage of to close the gap with a pair of home runs in the bottom of the inning. Diaz hit a solo shot to go along with the two-run homer by pinch hitter Tori Cooper, and the Razorbacks trailed by just one heading into the seventh. However, Northern Iowa took advantage of timely hits and an Arkansas fielding miscue to add a pair of insurance runs that withstood a solo home run by Hiers in the bottom of the seventh.
Season tickets are now on sale for $45 through the Razorback Ticket Center. For more information about purchasing season tickets, call 800-982-HOGS (4647) or 479-575-5151, email raztk@uark.edu or visit the Razorback Ticket Center located next to Baum Stadium. For more information about Arkansas softball, follow @RazorbackSB on Twitter.
