No. 7/8 Arkansas Increases Winning Streak to 10 Games by Downing Northwestern, SEMO

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Behind Karlie Davison’s strong day at the plate in addition to impressive starts in the circle from Payton Burnham and Lillie-Faye McWhorter, No. 7/8 Arkansas increased its winning streak to 10 games with a pair of wins over Northwestern (7-0) and SEMO (16-2, 5 inn.) during the second day of the Razorback Invitational at Bogle Park on Saturday afternoon.

The Razorbacks are now 12-1 this season and are outscoring opponents, 137-15, with nine of their 12 wins coming by way of run-rule.

Davison had an outstanding day at the plate, going 3-5 with two home runs, a triple, five RBI, and two runs scored. The Torrance, Calif., product blasted a two-run homer during the Hogs’ 7-0 win over Northwestern before following it up with a solo shot and a triple in the 16-2 run-rule win over SEMO.

In the circle, Burnham improved to 3-1 after pitching a complete-game shutout against Northwestern while striking out seven and allowing just one walk and five hits in her seven innings of work. Lillie-Faye McWhorter carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning during her first collegiate start against SEMO and earned her first career victory after striking out three and allowing two runs on two hits and five walks in 4.1 innings pitched

In addition to Davison’s performance at the plate, freshman Brinli Bain increased her reached-base streak to 13 games after going 1-3 with an RBI against Northwestern (6-8) and 3-3 with a double, a run scored, and three RBI in the win over SEMO (3-10).

GAME ONE

Payton Burnham earned her fourth start of the season for Arkansas, while Northwestern turned to sophomore Signe Dohse.

Burnham kept the Wildcats off the scoreboard while fanning two in the top of the first. Northwestern put a pair of baserunners on in the inning courtesy of back-to-back one-out singles from Kelsey Nader and Kaylie Avvisato.

Arkansas wasted no time getting on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first. Reagan Johnson registered the Hogs’ first base-hit of the game with a one-out infield single. Johnson then scored on an Ella McDowell double off the right centerfield wall. Following McDowell’s double, Tianna Bell doubled to left field on the very next pitch. Brinli Bain then grounded into an RBI fielder’s choice that Northwestern first baseman Kansas Robinson threw away, which allowed Tianna Bell to score from second in addition to McDowell, increasing the Hogs’ lead to 3-0.

Burnham and Dohse kept the opposing sides at bay over the course of the next four innings. Burnham added five more strikeouts in the second, third, and fourth innings while Dohse retired the Hogs in order in both the second and third innings.

Arkansas threatened to extend its lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. Brinli Bain increased her reached-base streak to 12 games with a leadoff single. Kennedy Miller then singled to third base to put runners on first and second. With two outs, Karlie Davison hit a screaming ground ball down the third-base line that the Wildcats’ Tru Medina made an incredible diving stop before stepping on third for the final out of the inning.

Both sides put a baserunner on courtesy of a base hit in the fifth inning. Northwestern’s Avvisato singled in the top half, while McDowell singled in the bottom of the fifth inning for Arkansas.

Burnham retired Northwestern in order in the top of the sixth inning with a pair of flyouts and a foul out. Arkansas plated four runs in the home half, courtesy of a Northwestern error, and back-to-back home runs from Karlie Davison (two-run) and Dakota Kennedy, increasing the Hogs’ lead to seven.

In the top of the seventh inning, Burnham issued back-to-back infield popouts and a lineout to Atalyia Rijo at shortstop to wrap up the complete-game shutout.

Northwestern’s Dohse took the loss despite allowing just two earned runs and nine hits during her six innings of work.

GAME TWO

Freshman Lillie-Faye McWhorter made her first collegiate start in the nightcap while SEMO turned to junior right-hander Maddie Carney.

McWhorter pitched a scoreless top of the first inning while picking up a strikeout and allowing the Redhawks’ Madison Winkler to reach on a walk.

Arkansas plated two in the bottom of the first inning. Reagan Johnson recorded the Hogs’ first hit courtesy of a bunt single down the first-base line. Ella McDowell then doubled to the right-center field gap, moving Johnson to third. Tianna Bell then gave the Hogs a 1-0 lead with an RBI groundout to shortstop. Brinli Bain singled down the left-field line to move McDowell to third before Kailey Wyckoff made it 2-0 with an RBI double to left-center field.

In the second inning, McWhorter issued a leadoff walk before turning a rare 1-4-3 for the first two outs of the stanza, before issuing a 6-3 groundout.

During the home half, Karlie Davison made it 3-0 with a one-out solo home run to right field, her second of the day.

McWhorter faced the minimum in the third inning while picking up her second strikeout of the contest. In the bottom of the third, Arkansas added four more runs, as Tianna Bell led off the inning with a double down the left-field line before scoring on a double from Brinli Bain a batter later. Wyckoff then walked before Ramsey Walker singled to right field to score Bain, increasing the lead to 5-0. Two batters later, Davison tripled down the right-field line, plating two more and pushing the Arkansas advantage to seven.

In the top of the fourth, McWhorter continued to breeze through the Redhawks’ lineup, allowing just one batter to reach on a walk while issuing a pair of flyouts and a strikeout.

Arkansas unloaded for nine runs in the bottom of the fourth. Bain added two more RBI with a single up the middle before Cam Harrison drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, extending the Hogs’ lead to 10. Ava Carter followed two batters later with a two-run single to center field. Following Carter’s pinch-hit single, Johnson walked to load the bases and then McDowell brought home a run with a free pass in the next at-bat. Kyler Del Duca later capped the Arkansas scoring by smashing a bases-clearing double off the wall in left field to make it 16-0.

With one out in the fifth inning, the Redhawks’ Raigan Brannon spoiled McWhorter’s no-hit bid with a bloop single to shallow left-center field. SEMO then drew a pair of walks before Kamden Hutton singled up the middle to put the guests on the board. Following Hutton’s single, Arkansas brought in Lexi King in place of McWhorter. Redhawk center fielder Madison Winkler made it the final, 16-2, by driving in the second run of the game for SEMO with an RBI single down the left field line. Following Winkler’s single, McDowell turned an impressive 5-3 double play to end the game as Arkansas improved to 12-1.

Carey took the loss for SEMO after allowing 10 runs on 10 hits and three walks while picking up a strikeout in three innings pitched.

QUOTABLES

Arkansas Head Coach Courtney Deifel

On the day…
“I am pretty pleased with the day overall. It was a better day than yesterday. The final score of the first game does not tell the whole story. I do think that it was a great win. We put the exclamation point at the end of game one. That game felt a lot different than the final score. I am glad and really pleased with how our team stayed the course. Payton (Burnham) was outstanding. I thought our defense was great behind her and capitalized early. It is a game of inches. If you go back in that first inning and we were an illegal pitch away from just scoring one. It is a game of inches. That is the game sometimes, and we ended up capitalizing on it, and that is what we ultimately needed. We got better as the day went on, and we were better than we were yesterday, which I am really pleased with overall.”

NOTABLES

• Arkansas increased its winning streak to 10 games. It marks the 11^th season in program history in which the Hogs have recorded a winning streak of 10+ games.
• Reagan Johnson recorded two more hits and now needs 23 hits to set the Arkansas career hits record, currently held by Hannah McEwen (261).
• Arkansas is 679-105-1 when outhitting opponents since 1998 and 303-27 when doing so under Courtney Deifel.
• Payton Burnham tossed her third career seven-inning complete-game shutout
• Kyler Del Duca registered her first career hit with a three-run double in the win over SEMO.
• Freshman Brinli Bain extended her reached-base streak to 13 games. She has now reached safely in all 13 of her collegiate games. She is the first freshman to reach in the first 13 games of a season since Kayla Green in 2018.

Up Next

Arkansas will conclude the Razorback Invitational tomorrow at 1 p.m. against Northwestern. The game will be streamed on SEC Network+.

For schedule updates and other news, go to ArkansasRazorbacks.com, or follow @RazorbackSB on X, Instagram and Facebook.