Razorbacks smack 11 hits in win at Kansas

Braxton Burnside and Linnie Malkin each belted home runs to key an 11-hit attack for the University of Arkansas as the Razorbacks defeated Kansas 7-4 on Wednesday afternoon at Arrocha Ballpark in Lawrence, Kan.

Winning pitcher Mary Haff (15-2) and Autumn Storms combined for a three-hitter as the No. 15 Razorbacks (25-3) extended their winning streak to five games.

Haff worked 6 innings, struck out 9, walked 1, hit a batter and gave up 3 hits. Storms allowed a one-out walk in the seventh but got pinch hitter Cheyenne Hornbuckle to ground out into a game-ending double play. Storms was credited with her first save of the season.

Burnside leads the Razorbacks in home runs (16) and RBI (37).

Kasey Hamilton (3-4) took the loss for Kansas (16-9). She tossed a complete game, striking out 4, walking 3 and allowing 5 earned runs.

Burnside, Malkin, Hannah McEwen and Aly Manzo had two hits each for the Razorbacks, who held a 5-1 lead after two innings.

Sam Torres reached on an error to start the game and advanced on a single by McEwen. After Burnside singled to load the bases, Kayla Green lifted a sacrifice fly to center. McEwen scored on an error on a ball hit by Malkin for a 2-0 Arkansas lead.

After Kansas scored an unearned run in the bottom of the first, Arkansas responded with a run-scoring single by McEwen and Burnside’s two-run home run to left.

Arkansas increased its lead to 6-1 in the fourth when Green scored on Manzo’s single to right.

Kansas drew to within 6-3 in the bottom of the fourth on Ashlyn Anderson’s two-run home run. The Jayhawks closed the gap to 6-4 in the sixth on Shelby Gayre’s home run.

The Razorbacks capped the scoring in the top of the seventh on Malkin’s home run, which was her 10th of the season.