Razorbacks advance to program’s first softball Super Regional
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas All-Southeastern Conference freshmen Mary Haff and Hannah McEwen led the Razorbacks to hosting their first regional this weekend at Bogle Park.
On Sunday, before a crowd of 2,142, the freshman phenoms led the team to its first-ever Super Regional next weekend against the reigning national champion Oklahoma Sooners (52-3, 18-0 Big 12) in Norman, Okla. It was the third-largest crowd ever at Bogle Park.
Haff (29-6) threw a one-hit shutout in a complete game performance on Friday in a 2-0 victory over DePaul (35-17) and a two-hit shutout in a complete game against Wichita State (32-23) on Saturday when the Razorbacks (42-15) won, 5-0. She won again on Sunday in relief of starter Autumn Storms in Sunday’s Fayetteville Regional championship game, 6-4, against Wichita State. The Shockers clawed out of the loser’s bracket final Saturday night, elimination Oklahoma State (39-22).
Right fielder McEwen hit a two-run home run, her team-leading 12th of the season, off of reliever Caitlin Bingham to move the Razorbacks from down, 4-3, to up, 5-4, in the fourth inning. Arkansas added an insurance run in the sixth inning when catcher Kayla Green hit a leadoff double and pinch runner Sydney Benz scored on a wild pitch.
“I thought I was due for something,” McEwen said. “It’s been awhile. So, I was ready for it for sure, but I didn’t know it was going to be that. I was just hoping no one would get to it and once I saw it was carrying I was running to first going, ‘Please, keep carrying!’”
Haff was tagged for Asea Webber’s double as the Shockers took a 4-3 lead during the third inning. Two inherited runners scored and Wichita State scored three runs in the inning.
Haff pitched out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam after Arkansas hit two batters and issued one walk in the fifth inning. With a short non-advancing fly to center and a strikeout, Haff fended off the Shockers, then struck out the side in the sixth.
Adrenaline pumping, a resurgent Haff concluded her amazing weekend retiring the Shockers 1-2-3 in the seventh. She pitched 18 2/3 innings with 20 strike-
outs, no runs charged and four hits during the three games.
“I definitely wasn’t feeling amazing after pitching two games the past two days,” Haff said. “But I knew I had to go out there and grind for my team and do whatever I had to do to make outs.
“They were behind me to make some really good outs and helped me out at the plate, too, on the the other side with Hannah’s home run. After she hit that, I was like, ‘I’m not letting the game go. We’re not losing this game.’”
Fittingly, third baseman Autumn Buczek recorded the last putout with a lunging snag of Ryleigh Buck’s short, foul pop fly along the third base line. The senior weathered playing for former coach Mike Larrabee’s 16-37, 1-23 SEC team in 2015 and Deifel’s, 17-37, 1-23 SEC team in 2016, to help last year’s team reach the regionals and a record of 31-24.
“It was awesome,” Buczek said, “but you can’t do it without the team before that. My team did a great job of being resilient that whole game.
“Mary Haff faced adversity but she didn’t let it faze her. So there was resiliency the whole game and it was great. The game was right in my heart. I just wanted to end it, just wanted it to be over.”
Deifel recalled all in the dugout figuratively sharing Buczek’s catch.
“I think we were all willing her to make that catch,” Deifel said. “And then you hear a roar of pure joy. Autumn is the only one who can make that play, and you just saw so much heart going out there doing what she could to win this game.”
Heart and guts, Deifel said referring to Haff.
“She has a lot of guts and she’s a consistent fighter for us,” Deifel said. “It’s at that point of the season where you don’t count pitches anymore. Tired’s’ not in your vocabulary. You just do whatever you need to for your team to win. And that’s exactly what Mary did this weekend.”
Wichita State showed plenty of guts, too, Deifel said starting with pitcher Bailey Lange (18-12), who threw 341 pitches for the weekend beating Oklahoma State twice between losing to Arkansas Saturday and Sunday.
“Wichita State fought and fought and fought,” Deifel said. “Lange is such a fighter. I watched her battle against us yesterday and then night against Oklahoma State. I give her a ton of credit. She pitches with a lot of heart.”
But Lange was “gassed,” Wichita State Kristi Bredbenner said, from her weekend and relieved Sunday by Bingham after Arkansas’ three-run first. Singles by McEwen and Buczek preceded an RBI single by Ashley Diaz and a sacrifice fly by Katie Warrick.
Diaz scored when Wichita State catcher Madison Perrigan forgot there was no force play at home after Tori Cooper grounded out to first. Perrigan stepped on the base rather than tagging Diaz.
Deifel said Arkansas needed Storms to pitch on Sunday. Her innings allowed Haff to slam the door on Wichita State.
Oklahoma defeated Missouri (30-29), 7-0, in the final of the Norman Regional on Sunday.
“I first just want them to enjoy this,” Deifel said. “This is such a big moment for them and for our program. So, I just want them to enjoy it. Then, I want them to rest. Then, we’ll go to work.”