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No. 20 Arkansas wins extra-inning thriller over No. 9 Tennessee

by:Cooper Taylor•03/22/25
Screenshot 2025-03-22 at 5.50.46 PM
Courtesy of Arkansas athletics

It was a highly anticipated pitching duel between Karlyn Pickens and Robyn Herron, and the two aces delivered. No. 20 Arkansas took the extra-inning battle 6-3 behind Herron’s career-high 16 strikeouts.

Pickens tossed a scoreless first inning and Tennessee immediately threatened in the bottom half. Kinsey Fiedler led off with a double, and Taylor Pannell drew a walk to put runners at first and second with no outs. However, Herron responded with three straight strikeouts to end the inning.

The momentum carried over to the second, as Bri Ellis led off with a single and Courtney Day followed with a two-run home run to left-center, giving Arkansas a 2-0 lead. Herron continued to dominate, striking out two more batters in the home half to keep the Lady Vols at bay.

Pickens responded with a pair of strikeouts in a quick 1-2-3 third inning. Tennessee then tied the game in the top of the fourth, as Fiedler’s one-out walk set the stage for McKenna Gibson, who launched a two-out, two-run homer to right field, evening the score at 2-2.

The two aces exchanged strikeouts in the fourth, with each tallying a pair of Ks. The game remained tied heading into the fifth inning, where Arkansas took the lead. Karlie Davison led off with a double, and Raigan Kramer’s single loaded the bases. Kailey Wyckoff followed with a single to right field, bringing in the go-ahead run, 3-2. Pickens responded with two strikeouts to end the inning, but Herron quickly shut down the Lady Vols in the bottom half, striking out two more batters.

Pickens continued her dominance in the sixth, retiring the side on just nine pitches. In the bottom half, Gibson worked a nine-pitch walk to lead off. With one out, Sophia Nugent lined a double to left-center, scoring the pinch runner Amanda Ahlin and tying the game at three. Herron stranded two runners with a clutch strikeout to end the inning, setting up an exciting finish.

Both pitchers kept the game scoreless through the seventh. Pickens issued a two-out walk to Kramer but came back with a strikeout of Wyckoff to end the top of the inning. Herron then retired the side in order in the bottom half, sending the game into extras.

In the eighth, Ellis struck out for the third time in the game to start the inning. However, a Tennessee fielding error and back-to-back singles loaded the bases for Arkansas with one out. Davison delivered the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly to right field, and Pickens’ control faltered as she hit Kennedy Miller to reload the bases. Back-to-back walks from Pickens also brought in two more runs, extending Arkansas’ lead to 6-3.

Herron finished what she started, closing out the game with a complete game effort. She scattered four hits and threw 155 pitches. Pickens went the distance as well, striking out 10, but was tagged with the loss.

Arkansas will look to secure its first SEC series victory tomorrow, with game two scheduled for 12:00 p.m. ET on SEC Network.

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