Braxton Burnside and Mary Haff were a potent 1-2 punch who helped the University of Arkansas start SEC play with a sweep against South Carolina in Columbia, S.C., over the weekend.
Burnside hit four home runs and Haff got two wins and a save as the No. 19 Razorbacks (20-2, 3-0 SEC) notched their first SEC road sweep since 2009 while extending their program-record winning streak to 19 games.
Arkansas Coach Courtney Deifel said Burnside — whose 15 home runs lead the SEC and rank second in the country — has been a bedrock of the Razorbacks’ lineup.
Today's game glance
No. 19 Arkansas vs. Liberty
WHEN 6 p.m., Tuesday
WHERE Bogle Park, Fayetteville
RECORDS Arkansas 20-2; Liberty 17-9
WATCH SEC Network-Plus
“She’s a huge part to our offense whether she gets a hit or not,” Deifel said. “I think that’s the thing when you look at her numbers. Obviously they are incredible, but what you don’t see is what she does for everyone around her.
“I think she’s an incredible athlete. She brings even more than what you guys can see just on the field.”
Burnside also leads the conference with 34 RBI to go with her .427 batting average.
First baseman Danielle Gibson also had a great weekend, including going 5 for 5 on Saturday. She leads the team with a .434 batting average, which ranks ninth in the league.
Burnside and Gibson, who hit second and third in the batting order, rank 1-2 in the SEC in total bases and RBI.
Arkansas ranks second nationally with 53 home runs, behind only top-ranked Oklahoma. Gibson and Linnie Malkin, both juniors, have nine home runs each. That trails only Burnside and three others in the SEC with 10.
“I thought Sam Torres was great in the leadoff spot to set the table for Braxton,” Deifel said. “And I thought Danielle was incredible behind Braxton. Throughout the lineup the amount of pressure that our hitters are putting on the other team, their pitchers, their defense, I just think when you’re on the other side of that and you feel like you have to be perfect, you don’t get a chance to breathe.
“It’s really exciting to be on our side of that for sure. They are just finding a way to pass the bat, whether it’s a typical success or it’s a mentality success passing it to the next one.”
Haff led a group that did its job in the circle against the No. 20 Gamecocks, Deifel said. The redshirt junior improved to 12-1 and leads the country in victories. She has also pitched 78 innings, which also is tops in Division I.
Haff got the complete-game victory and struck out 10 on Friday, then came back to close the deal on Saturday and Sunday. She allowed a run over five innings in the extra-inning win Saturday, then needed just 17 pitches to get the final eight outs Sunday.
“She’s just been such a steady force for us in the circle, just so consistent,” Deifel said. “She was used in different roles this weekend. It was nice to have the ability to do that. You could feel they didn’t have a ton of confidence stepping in against her, and I understand why.”
Arkansas plays host to Liberty tonight at 6 p.m. in Bogle Park. The Flames (17-8) are no pushover, either. They lost twice to the top-ranked Sooners over the weekend, including a 5-4 decision. The Razorbacks host Ole Miss this weekend for a three-game series.