UCA blanks No. 10 Razorbacks to sweep season series

Arkansas coach Courtney Deifel speaks with her players Friday, May 20, 2022, during the fourth inning of the Razorbacks' 11-0 run-rule-shortened win over Princeton at Bogle Park in Fayetteville.

CONWAY — Surrounded by a record-setting crowd of 2,475, the University of Central Arkansas softball team got it done.

UCA beat the University of Arkansas 4-0 on Tuesday night at Farris Stadium for the first win over the No. 10 Razorbacks ever in Conway, sweeping the regular season series after a 2-1 win in Fayetteville on March 6.

“It’s a huge accomplishment,” UCA Coach Jenny Parsons said. “To sweep an Arkansas team that’s been the back-to-back SEC champions, this is outstanding. I couldn’t be more proud of my team and my program.”

The win in Fayetteville was headlined by a seven-inning, one-run performance from senior pitcher Jordan Johnson.

On Tuesday night, her pitching tag-team partner, fellow senior Kayla Beaver, did her one better with a complete game shutout that included eight strikeouts.

“My pitcher, she just pitched her tail off,” Parsons said. “She got out of some jams, she gave up some hits, but she got some really big strikeouts when we needed them.”

In Beaver’s start against the Razorbacks in 2022, she allowed 6 runs in 7 innings — 5 coming in the first inning. She said getting off to a much different start was her No. 1 priority Tuesday, and she struck out the first three Arkansas batters in order.

“I was confident going in, but that really set the tone,” Beavers said. “Last year, the first inning did not go our way at all. [Tonight,] the first inning really set the tone for everything.”

With a lineup like the one Arkansas (28-11) put together, which is ranked in the top 30 in the nation in scoring, Beaver couldn’t take a single pitch off.

“I had to take it one pitch at a time,” Beaver said. “You throw one pitch for a strike, OK, cool. Well, you’re only as good as your last pitch. So I just had to come back, take a deep breath and go to the next pitch.

After four scoreless innings that included seven combined baserunners, UCA (28-7) broke the deadlock in the bottom of the fifth. The Bears loaded the bases after a Colleen Bare walk, a Jaylee Engelkes single and a fielding error. Arkansas catcher Lauren Camenzind dropped a would-be force out two batters later, instead allowing the first two runs to cross unearned, making it 2-0.

Arkansas put a runner in scoring position in the fourth and fifth innings. But both times Beaver pitched her way out of a jam. In the sixth inning, Beaver struck out the heart of the Arkansas order on 12 pitches.

In the bottom half of the sixth inning, UCA scored two more runs on an overthrown ball by Arkansas shortstop Atalyia Rijo that scored Madi Young and McKayla Betts to make it 4-0.

“We’re a small-ball kind of team,” Parsons said. “We have some hitters that can hit some doubles and home runs against teams like this. We just try to get the ball in play and run around the bases.”

Arkansas freshman left-hander Robyn Herron (6-4) suffered the loss after allowing 1 unearned run on 2 hits while striking out 4 in 4 innings. Reliever Hannah Camenzind worked 2 innings, giving up 3 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits with 2 strikeouts.

“We earned a lot of people’s respect tonight,” Beaver said. “We paved the way for this, and it’s taken a while. But we finally made it here and got the job done. But it doesn’t stop here.”