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KB Sides flashed why she was the SEC Player of the Year early and Danielle Gibson showed why she is a finalist for National Player of the Year late in Arkansas’ run-rule victory over Princeton on Friday.
The former used her speed on the base paths to helps scratch across a couple of runs before the latter blasted a grand slam to blow open the Razorbacks’ 11-0 five-inning win over the Tigers in the first game of the 2022 Fayetteville Regional.
It was actually a close game for a few innings, with the Razorbacks managing just one run in the first two innings.
That came in the bottom of the first when Arkansas dialed up a hit-and-run and Sides — who reached on a leadoff walk — went first to third on Hannah McEwen’s ground out. She drew a throw from first baseman Sophia Marsalo, but it got by third baseman Haley Hoffman. The error allowed her to score easily.
With the score still 1-0, Sides led off the third inning with a single and moved up on McEwen’s ground ball to second. Cate Bade had no issues fielding it, but a brief thought of trying to get Sides as the lead runner resulted in her being late on a throw to first, allowing McEwen to reach on a fielder’s choice.
Both runners came around to score, first on Taylor Ellsworth’s RBI double off the wall and then on a sacrifice fly by Gibson, which made it 3-0.
Even without the explosive fourth inning, that was plenty of run support for Mary Haff.
The super senior tossed a two-hit shutout in which the only base runners she allowed came with two outs — a walk in the first and singles in the second and third. Haff retired the final seven batters she faced and finished with six strikeouts in five innings. It was her 27th career shutout, the most in UA history.
She didn’t have to pitch any more than that, though, because her teammates invoked the mercy rule with the aforementioned 8-spot in the fourth.
Gibson supplied the biggest blow, crushing a grand slam for her 19th home run of the season. That gives her 47 in her Arkansas career, which is tied with Devon Wallace for second in school history and one shy of teammate Linnie Malkin’s 48.
An RBI single by McEwen capped the scoring, with all of the other runs coming on mistakes by Princeton — a wild pitch and two bases-loaded hit by pitches.
Arkansas will now await the winner of tonight’s Oregon-Wichita State matchup in the winner’s bracket game at 1 p.m. CT Saturday, while Princeton will face the loser in an elimination game at 3:30 p.m.
