Razorbacks sweep doubleheader to begin home campaign

Arkansas' Hannah Gammill (20) high fives Razorbacks coach Courtney Deifel during a game against North Dakota State on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE — Courtney Deifel moved into second place on the University of Arkansas’ all-time wins list Thursday, as the No. 25 Razorbacks opened up their 2021 home schedule with a doubleheader sweep of North Dakota State in the first round of the Razorback Invitational.

Arkansas (7-2) walloped the Bison 9-0 in the five-inning opener, then extended its win streak to six in a row with Mary Haff’s 5-0 complete-game shutout in the nightcap at Bogle Park.

The victory in the second game was No. 149 for Deifel – against 109 losses – since arriving in Fayetteville six years ago. That ties her with Mike Larabee, who put up a 149-181 mark from 2010-15. Carrie Dever-Boaz sits atop the wins list with a 244-274-1 record while coaching the Razorbacks from 1997-2004.

“Wow, that’s great. I had no idea, but I will take it,” Deifel said. “I think that just says a lot about the players we have been able to bring in here, and how much they have meant to this program and the effort they have given, on and off the field. I hope I get to be here long enough to take that first spot.”

The Razorbacks hit three more home runs in the sweep, giving them a total of 20 through nine games. Linnie Malkin leads the club with five, and freshman Hannah Gammill has four. The two went back-to-back in the first inning of the opener.

“It feels great to be able to have some success early this year,” Malkin said. “I have just been trying to play more freely and have fun out there, kind of doing my own thing and helping the team as much as I can.”

Arkansas wasted little time scoring in the opener, giving starter Autumn Storms an early first-inning cushion. After Braxton Burnside and Danielle Gibson reached on singles, Malkin hit the first pitch she saw over the left-field fence. Three pitches later, Gammill followed that with another blast to left, putting the Hogs up 4-0. Larissa Cesena’s single allowed Audrie LaValley to score another run as the Hogs led 5-0 after one.

“The ball is just looking like a watermelon for me – I’m seeing it really well — and I have been able to get a lot stronger, thanks to our strength and condition coaches,” Malkin said. “And I am so excited for Hannah [Gammill] to be hitting so well, too. She is one of the hardest workers I have ever been around.”

Storms (1-0) commanded the circle from the start, baffling the North Dakota hitters with her consistent drop ball. She allowed two hits and faced just 13 batters – one over the minimum for four innings. Jenna Bloom pitched the fifth inning for the Razorbacks, retiring the side in order on eight pitches, including a pair of strikeouts.

“I think our pitchers are getting us back to where we need to be, and they really are capable of being dominant out there,” Deifel said. “Autumn and Mary are both veterans for us now, and they really are a solid 1-2 punch against any offense.”

Malkin doubled in two more runs in the fourth, giving her a team-leading 15 RBIs on the season. Then, once again, Gammill followed that up with a two-run single of her own to make it 9-0.

Gibson finished 3 for 3 and scored two Arkansas runs.

Haff kept the Bison bats silent in the second game, as she followed Storms’ dose of drop balls in the opener with a barrage of rise balls.

Haff (4-1) gave up 2 singles in 7 innings and struck out a season-high 10. She has now struck out 30 batters in 30 innings this season.

The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the third, when Burnside hit her third homer of the season to center field, scoring Keely Huffine for a 2-0 Arkansas lead.

Gammill added to the Razorback lead in the fifth with a line drive to center that scored Burnside for a 3-0 lead.

Arkansas will host Texas Tech today at 3 p.m.