Arkansas catcher Kennedy Miller injured after controversial sequence at home plate

Things went from bad to worse for Arkansas in the first inning of a Super Regional winner-take-all contest against Ole Miss. Catcher Kennedy Miller had to leave the game as a result.

The action started when Ole Miss’ Lexie Brady singled to shortstop. She then stole second, and that’s when chaos ensued.

The lead runner ahead of Brady took off for home and there was a close play at the plate. Miller appeared to lay down the tag, but upon review officials determined that the runner was safe at the plate.

Moments later, when Miller threw the ball back to the pitcher, Brady took off from third base toward home. There was a collision at the plate, and Miller was shaken up as the run scored, making it 4-0 Ole Miss.

Miller had to leave the game, ultimately replaced by Kailey Wyckoff at catcher. Miller was named the designated player at that point, so it’ll be interesting to see if she can remain in the game with her bat. In any case, Arkansas was able to get out of the first inning with a strikeout without any further damage. So it’s a four-run hole to climb out of.

At the end of the first inning, Ole Miss led Arkansas 4-1. You can catch up on the series history below.

Arkansas vs. Ole Miss Super Regional Results

Game 1: Ole Miss def Arkansas, 9-7

The battle between Arkansas and Ole Miss started off fierce, with the Razorbacks scoring three in the bottom of the first to take a two-run lead over the Rebels. However, Ole Miss would chip away at Arkansas over the next couple of innings, scoring twice in the second inning, four times in the third and plating two more runs in the fifth. The Razorbacks made it interesting, loading the bases in the ninth before falling victim to the Rebels as Kailey Wyckoff hit a potential walk-off homer to the warning track. Ashton Lansdell led the way with three RBIs for Ole Miss in the dub.

Game 2: Arkansas def. Ole Miss, 4-0

The Razorbacks live to fight another day after rallying to force a Game 3 of Super Regionals in Fayetteville. They wasted no time getting the scoring started with a pair of runs in the opening inning and never looked back on its way to the shutout. A throwing error in the fifth allowed two more runs to score to provide some insurance. The defense was stifling behind pitcher Payton Burnham, who had seven strikeout, including one in the final inning. The teams play again Sunday in a winner-take-all with a trip to Oklahoma City on the line.

On3 staff also contributed to this report.