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Calling the Hogs: No. 20 Arkansas Takes Series from No. 9 Tennessee

by:Cooper Taylor•03/23/25
Screenshot 2025-03-23 at 1.16.43 PM
Courtesy of Arkansas Athletics

No. 20 Arkansas captured its first SEC series of the season with a dominant 9-0 win over No. 9 Tennessee. After a tense extra-inning battle in the opener, both teams handed the ball to freshmen in the circle for game two. Erin Nuwer got the start for Tennessee, while Arkansas turned to Payton Burnham.

Nuwer opened her SEC debut with a pair of strikeouts, shutting out Arkansas in the first inning. Burnham matched her, earning a strikeout and keeping the Lady Vols off the board in the first.

The Razorbacks broke the deadlock in the second inning with an unearned run. Atalyia Rijo led off with a single, and a two-out Tennessee error allowed her to reach second. Reagan Johnson followed with a single down the left-field line, scoring Rijo for a 1-0 Arkansas lead. Burnham responded with a shutdown frame in the bottom half, working around a leadoff walk to keep the lead.

Arkansas took control in the third, getting to Nuwer for three runs. Bri Ellis led off with a double to right field, her second hit of the game. After two outs, Rijo’s RBI double scored Ellis to make it 2-0. Karlie Davison followed with a two-run homer, doubling the Razorbacks’ lead and chasing Nuwer from the game.

Tennessee responded by getting the leadoff batter on base in the third, but three consecutive flyouts ended the threat. Sage Mardjetko entered in relief for the Lady Vols and kept Arkansas quiet in the fourth. Burnham continued her strong performance though, setting Tennessee down in order in the fourth.

In the fifth, Tennessee made another pitching change, bringing in freshman Peyton Tanner, who kept the Razorbacks off the board. Despite a leadoff double from Gabby Leach, Burnham shut down the Lady Vols with a pair of flyouts and a strikeout to keep the 4-0 lead intact.

Tanner also kept the Razorbacks scoreless in the sixth and Burnham responded with a shutout inning in the home half. After walking Taylor Pannell to start the inning, Burnham struck out McKenna Gibson. A one-out single from Sophia Nugent gave the Lady Vols its biggest opportunity of the game; however, Burnham escaped the jam, striking out Ella Dodge to end the inning.

Arkansas blew the game open in the seventh, scoring five insurance runs. Courtney Day led off with a home run, setting the tone for the inning. Back-to-back one-out walks chased Tanner from the game and Tennessee went back to Nuwer, who then walked the bases loaded. Johnson singled on the second pitch she saw, driving in her second run of the game to extend the lead to 6-0. After a strikeout, Kailey Wyckoff cleared the bases with a two-out, full-count double, making it 9-0.

With a commanding lead, Arkansas turned to Robyn Herron in the circle, but when Tennessee loaded the bases, Burnham returned to the mound. She induced a pop-out from Gibson to seal the victory and earn her first SEC win.

With the victory, Arkansas takes the series from Tennessee and will look to complete the sweep tomorrow. Meanwhile, Tennessee will hope to salvage a game in the series finale. The game is set for 7:00 p.m. ET on SEC Network.

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