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No. 6 Arkansas tops No. 2 Texas A&M behind Bri Ellis’s two-homer day

Screenshot 2025-02-05 152517by:Cooper Taylor•04/26/25
Screenshot 2025-04-26 at 4.55.32 PM
Photo courtesy of Arkansas Athletics

A pair of freshmen earned starts in game two of this high-stakes series. Payton Burnham, after earning the save in Arkansas’ Friday win, got the ball. Meanwhile, Texas A&M head coach Trisha Ford turned to Sydney Lessentine in the circle.

The leash was short for Lessentine, though. After walking the first two batters faced, she registered just one out in her start. Fortunately for the Aggies, Emily Leavitt settled things down, retiring the next two batters to end the inning.

In the home half, Kennedy Powell reached on an error to lead off. Then, after a strikeout and a flyout, Mac Barbara hammered a two-run homer to give the Aggies an early lead.

Bri Ellis led off the fourth by mashing her 23rd home run of the season, cutting the deficit in half. Ellis’s homer broke up a streak of eight straight retired by Leavitt. Back-to-back singles from Ella McDowell and Kailey Wyckoff chased Leavitt after three innings of work.

The Aggies turned back to Lessentine in the top of the fourth and Courtney Day welcomed her back with an RBI single to tie the game. Lessentine retired the next three batters she faced, but the Razorbacks had tied the game.

Facing Lessentine again in the fifth, Reagan Johnson led off with a single and a stolen base. Then, a Texas A&M error scored Johnson from second to take a 3-2 lead. A four-pitch walk to Ellis and a McDowell single loaded the bases with no outs, ending Lessentine’s day. Freshman Kate Munnerlyn came on in relief. In her first batter faced, Wyckoff lifted a fly ball that was misjudged by the right fielder, scoring two more Razorback runs. Munnerlyn then escaped the inning by retiring the next three batters, holding the Aggies’ deficit at 5-2.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Aggies loaded the bases with a pair of singles and an intentional walk to Barbara, but KoKo Wooley left the bases loaded with a flyout.

The Razorbacks continued to pour on in the sixth, scoring in each of the last three innings. A one-out infield single from Johnson allowed Ellis to knock her second homer of the game: a two-run shot to extend the Razorbacks’ lead to 7-2.

The Aggies again threatened in the home half, but a web gem catch in center field by Johnson staved off the comeback bid.

In the seventh, Texas A&M brought the tying run to the plate. Three walks and a Barbara single pushed a run across, cutting the Hogs’ lead to 7-3. With the tying run at the plate, the Razorbacks turned to their ace, Robyn Herron in relief. Facing Herron, freshman Dee Dee Baldwin drew a bases-loaded walk, bringing the winning run to the plate. To end the game, freshman Frankie Vrazel lined out to left field and the Aggies stranded the bases loaded in consecutive innings. Arkansas held on to win 7-4, nabbing a fifth straight series win.

On 119 pitches, the freshman Burnham went 6.2 innings and earned the win. Herron’s relief appearance also secured her second save of the season. Lessentine took the loss for Texas A&M, allowing three runs in 1.1 innings pitched.

The Razorbacks will go for the sweep tomorrow while the Aggies aim to salvage a game in the series. Game 3 is set for 1:00 p.m. ET on SEC Network.

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