FAYETTEVILLE — Tennessee came to Bogle Park this week hoping to wrap up the SEC championship race.
Instead, the third-ranked Lady Vols (39-7, 17-4 SEC) left Fayetteville with their first three-game series loss of the season.
Hannah Camenzind (4-2) threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings and Chenise Delce preserved the shutout as the No. 12 Arkansas softball team blanked Tennessee 2-0 in Monday night's rubber match.
The Lady Vols stranded eight runners, and a two-run home run by Rylin Hedgecock in the fourth inning was all the Razorbacks (37-14, 13-8) needed to earn their second win in as many days.
“They just stayed the course, and they competed their butts off all weekend,” Arkansas coach Courtney Deifel said. “I thought we played really well on Saturday, too, and we just didn't get the win. And they just fought.
“I'm so proud of them. Tennessee is really, really tough. And we're tough, too.”
Camenzind shut down one of the nation’s best offenses. She allowed 5 hits against 25 batters faced with 2 strikeouts. The freshman left hander from Valley, Neb., also worked four scoreless innings Sunday en route to a 6-4 victory.
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“I have chills thinking about it,” Deifel said of Camenzind’s series performances. “We all got to see just how well [Hannah] was in the zone. You know, she was just locked in and just being really, really crafty the last two days. They are a really, really tough lineup and they make really great adjustments.
“And so for [Hannah] to do what she did back-to-back days is pretty incredible.”
She worked her way out of multiple jams, including one with the bases loaded in the third inning to keep Tennessee off the scoreboard. It came after Deifel instructed her to intentionally walk Zaida Puni with runners at second and third base.
Camenzind fielded a ground ball and threw to twin sister and catcher Lauren Camenzind for a force out at home, who then turned a double play with a throw to first baseman Cylie Halvorson.
“That was huge,” Camenzind said. “And, I mean, we were in the middle of their lineup, so just to take more pitches off of me and [it resulted in] less pitches they got to see. It was huge. It really changed the momentum in the game.”
It was the next inning when Hedgecock roped a home run, her SEC-leading 20th of the season, over the wall in right center. The home run was one of four hits Tennessee starter Karlyn Pickens allowed, but the pitch left over the plate to Hedgecock was a costly mistake and spoiled an otherwise strong performance.
All eight runs the Razorbacks scored in their two victories were on home runs.
“She throws 70 miles per hour, somewhere around there, and so my biggest thing was just being on time,” Hedgecock said, recalling her go-ahead hit. “And after my first at-bat, I thought I put a good swing on it, but I was just late. My second at-bat, I really just wanted to be on time.
“Even after the first pitch, I swung out. I was late, too, so my main thing was, ‘I am going to swing as hard as I can and I'm going to be on time. It doesn't matter like where the pitch is, really.’ I just made sure that I was on time for that pitch.”
Tennessee got consecutive singles off Camenzind in the sixth inning, and Deifel turned to her senior ace. Delce entered the circle and secured an inning-ending strikeout of Giulia Koutsoyanopulos to strand a pair of Lady Vols in scoring position.
Delce was lights out in the seventh inning and secured her fourth save with a quick three up, three down frame. Three of the four batters she faced struck out swinging.
A three-game series Bogle Park attendance record was set due to the 2,977 on hand Monday. Over the course of the series, 9,595 people entered the Razorbacks’ home ballpark.
“It hits me a couple times a year,” Deifel said, “and I looked at the crowd tonight and I was like, ‘This is a Monday night.’ If you ask anybody across the conference, it's the hardest night to fill.
“Our fan base is incredible.”
The Razorbacks are set to conclude their regular-season schedule with a three-game series at Missouri that begins Friday.