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McDowell punishes South Carolina with key hit for Hogs run-rule win

Razorbacks make Gamecocks pay full price for being unwilling to pitch to Ellis.

Daniel Shi

Arkansas Razorbacks' Reagan Johnson slides into home against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Bogle Park in Fayetteville, Ark.
Arkansas Razorbacks' Reagan Johnson slides into home against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Bogle Park in Fayetteville, Ark. / Andy Hodges-Hogs on SI Images
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It was bound to happen eventually. South Carolina had no interest in pitching to Arkansas first baseman and national player of the year frontrunner Bri Ellis. The Gamecocks put Ellis on base via the free pass four separate times. It didn't work as Arkansas won the series opener in run-rule fashion, 10-2.

It was bound to happen. Ellis came into the game leading the SEC in batting average (.511) and homers (20). South Carolina had no interest in letting Ellis beat them.

For 4+ innings, it seemed to work. South Carolina scored a solitary run in each of the first two innings and made a 2-1 lead stick until the bottom of the fifth.

With runners on first and second, South Carolina threw Ellis four straight balls to load the bases. Third baseman Ella McDowell, hitting behind Ellis, had been 0-for-2 on the day, laced a bases-clearing double into the left-center field gap to give the Hogs a 4-2 lead.

"She [Ellis] just turns around and screams at me," McDowell said when Ellis gets walked. "Sometimes I scream back and sometimes I like hit myself in the head just to quiet the voices. We just kind of have this like telepathy thing that It's time to go. We gotta figure it out."

"It was just a really composed at bat," coach Courtney Deifel said. "She was grinding, she was battling and then just got good barrel to the ball to drive it in the gap."

The double finally opened the game up for Arkansas as the Hogs scored nine runs in the fifth and sixth to cap off a dominant win. Reagan Johnson continues to be the sparkplug for the team, scoring three more runs out of the leadoff spot.

"I will never take for granted what Reagan Johnson does for us on offense and defense," Deifel said. Every time I talk about our offense, I'm going to take the opportunity to talk about her defense because she's game changing."

The offensive outburst allowed for starter Robyn Herron to work her way through six innings for her eighth complete game in 14 starts. Coming into the game with an even 100 strikeouts on the season, she added nine to her ledger and allowed just two runs for a season ERA of 2.12.

"I've seen myself grow in that knowing teams still don't have that much success even when I don't have my best stuff," Herron said. "If I just attack every batter and do my best and trust myself that I can face off against anyone. Learning to fight has really helped me and this team get into a groove."

The Razorbacks will go for the series win against the Gamecocks 7 p.m. Saturday. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network.

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Daniel Shi
DANIEL SHI

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