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No. 6 Arkansas strikes early, fends off No. 2 Texas A&M in 7–5 Win

by:Cooper Taylor•04/25/25
Screenshot 2025-04-25 at 10.24.39 PM
Courtesy of Arkansas Athletics

After a lengthy lightning delay, No. 6 Arkansas softball and No. 2 Texas A&M were set to face off in a crucial series-opening game. As expected, Emiley Kennedy took the rubber for Texas A&M, and Robyn Herron got the nod for Arkansas.

No score in the opening frame, as both left-handed pitchers worked around leadoff baserunners. In the second, Courtney Day put the Hogs on the board with a solo home run. A pair of Texas A&M errors scored the Razorbacks’ second run of the game. A groundout brought in a second unearned run, pushing Arkansas’s lead to 3-0 after two innings.

All six batters were retired in the third inning. After another 1-2-3 inning in the fourth for the Hogs, Herron went back to work. Herron retired 11 straight batters to end the fourth inning.

In the fifth, the Razorbacks poured it on. Back-to-back singles from Raigan Kramer and Bri Ellis set up Ella McDowell’s three-run blast, extending the Hogs’ lead to 6-0.

The Aggies would respond, though. Allie Enright reached on Arkansas’s first error of the game, and KK Dement knocked an RBI double to cut into the deficit. Herron limited the damage to just one, though, retiring the next three batters she faced. A quiet sixth for the Hogs under new pitcher Grace Sparks gave the Aggies some momentum.

In the home half of the sixth, a pair of walks and a Mya Perez single chased Herron from the game. In relief, freshman Payton Burnham retired consecutive batters, but KK Dement’s two-run single cut the lead to 6-3. To end the inning, Burnham induced a pop-up to strand the tying run at the plate.

In the seventh, the Razorbacks added an insurance run. Kramer led off with a single to center field. After Ellis struck out, McDowell singled and Atalyia Rijo reached on an error to bring a 7-3 lead into the bottom of the seventh.

The Aggies didn’t go down without a fight, though. A two-out single by Amari Harper kept the game going, and Perez launched a two-run homer off the scoreboard. Mac Barbara then drew a walk, and KoKo Wooley came to the plate as the tying run. However, on an 0-1 count, Wooley grounded into a fielder’s choice, and Arkansas held on to beat Texas A&M, 7-5.

The Razorbacks took advantage of three Texas A&M errors, scoring three unearned runs. Herron grabbed the win for Arkansas while Burnham nabbed her third save of the season. Vying for SEC positioning, tomorrow’s pivotal Game 2 will start at 5:00 p.m. ET, where Arkansas will go for its fifth straight series win.

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