Razorbacks blank Rutgers in season opener
PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico – The No. 8 Arkansas Razorbacks used strong outings from pitchers Mary Haff, Callie Turner and Chenise Delce to shut out Rutgers 4-0 in the opening game of the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge.
How it Happened
2021 SEC co-Pitcher of the Year Mary Haff picked up where she left off last season, spinning four scoreless innings while allowing only two singles and walking none with a pair of strikeouts to earn her first win of the year. The Razorbacks’ offense scratched out a run in the bottom of the first when leadoff hitter KB Sides worked a walk to open the inning, stole second and worked her way around when Danielle Gibson’s flare into shallow center field dropped for a run-scoring double.
The Hogs blew the game open in the third inning with a two-out rally. Catcher Taylor Ellsworth was hit by a pitch in front of Gibson, who doubled for the second time but this one found it’s way to the left field wall to put runners on second and third. After another hit batter, Linnie Malkin punched a single through the left side but the Rutgers left fielder misplayed the ball allowing it to roll all the way to the wall and clear the bases for a 4-0 Arkansas lead.
Turner made her Arkansas debut in the fifth, working around two walks, and Delce made her Arkansas debut in the sixth, punching out three over the final two frames to lock down the first win of the season.
Hog Highlights
• Haff won her 78th game as a Razorback, adding to her already school record.
• Gibson had two of the Hogs’ four hits in the win, both doubles and now has 34 doubles in her Razorback career.
• All four new transfers on the roster saw action in the opener with Sides (Alabama) and Ellsworth (Texas) both earning starts while Turner (Tennessee) and Delce (Tulsa) both received time in the circle.
• True freshman Spencer Prigge cracked Head Coach Courtney Deifel’s opening-day lineup, getting the nod at shortstop.
• Arkansas beat Rutgers for the third time in four games in a series dating back to 2007.
Up Next
The Razorbacks play their first doubleheader of the season tomorrow, taking on Memphis at 12:30 p.m. and No. 7 Washington at 8:30 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on FloSports.
