Arkansas walks off Ole Miss with HR again

Arkansas catcher Kayla Green (13) is shown during a game against Ole Miss on Sunday, March 21, 2021, in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE – For the second time in two days, the University of Arkansas softball team rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Ole Miss 3-2 with a walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning.

After junior Danielle Gibson abruptly ended Saturday’s extra-inning game with one swing, senior Keely Huffin hit the first pitch she saw down the left-field line and onto the sidewalk behind Bogle Park – sending the limited, but sold-out, crowd into a frenzy.

“She had thrown me that pitch two times earlier in the game, and I missed it both times,” Huffine said of the inside fastball. “And I had already told myself that I would not miss that pitch if she threw it again. I was just thinking, ‘throw it again, throw it again.’ And she did.”

The win keeps the No. 17 Razorbacks (23-3, 6-0) perfect atop the SEC standings. It is the first time Arkansas has started conference play 6-0 in the program’s 25-year history.

“I have never had so much fun playing softball,” Huffine said. “We have come a long way since my freshman year, so this is a really good feeling.”

Freshman Jenna Bloom gave Arkansas its third consecutive quality start, following in the steps of Mary Haff on Friday and Autumn Storms on Saturday. Bloom went 6 2/3 innings, allowing 5 hits and striking out 9. Storms (3-0) pitched the final 1 1/3 innings.

“I thought Jenna Bloom threw an outstanding game, then Stormy came in and finished it off, and it just takes everyone,” Coach Courtney Deifel said. “Really, all I can say is how proud I am of every single player on this team.”

Ole Miss (18-10, 3-3) struck first when Tate Whitley led off the game with a single, then advanced to third on a double by Blaise Biringer. Whitley came home on Paige Smith’s sacrifice fly to make it 1-0. The Rebels went up 2-0 when Jessica Puk singled in Abbey Latham in the fourth.

“Even when we were down 2-0, we weren’t scared,” Huffine said. “Everyone knew we were fine and we weren’t going to give up. Nobody felt down. Nobody felt defeated. It’s just a whole new mindset with this team.”

Arkansas tied the score in the sixth with a little luck and some gutsy calls by Deifel.

Danielle Gibson lined a one-out single to center, and advanced to third on a double by Kayla Green. Linnie Malkin struck out, but the third strike sailed to the backstop, allowing Gibson to scamper home and Malkin to reach first base.

“That wasn’t how she wanted her at-bat to go, but she busted it down to first, and in the end, it helped us score a run,” Deifel said. “Like I tell them, it’s not always how it looks, it’s just a matter of finding a way.”

With pinch-runner Cally Kildow on third, Allie Manzo laid down a suicide squeeze bunt, as Kildow slid in safely to tie the score 2-2.

“It’s really just the unexpected, because we don’t do it a ton,” Deifel said of the squeeze attempt. “But when you look at that situation, I don’t think they were expecting it. Allie is an incredible bunter with the fastest girl on our team [Kildow] on third. I talked with the other coaches, and we just decided that we had to go for it. And they executed it perfectly.”

In the top of the seventh, Aynslie Furbush reached on a two-out double off the top of the center-field wall. It was initially ruled a home run by the plate umpire Kalee Young, but was reversed after a discussion with the field umpire. The hit did prompt Deifel to bring in senior hurler Autumn Storms, who got Mikayla Allie to ground out and end the inning.

“Sometimes you just get some breaks,” Deifel said. “This can be a game of inches, and the yard keeping that one in really helped us.”

After Arkansas left bases loaded in the seventh, the Razorbacks turned a double-ply to shut down the Rebels in the eighth.

Manzo grounded out to start the eighth, but Huffine soon stepped to the plate for the game winner.

“I felt like Keely was seeing the ball well all day,” Deifel said. “Did we think she was going to put that one out? No. But I’m not surprised by it.”

Deifel is now 170-109 since she arrived six years ago and is undoubtedly experiencing her best year as a head coach.

“Whatever it is I really like it,” she said with a chuckle. “I don’t know what it is, but all I can tell you is this team has a ton of heart and a ton of fight. And it doesn’t matter whose turn it is. It’s been a great start, but like I told the girls, we can enjoy this right now, but we have a tough week ahead of us.”