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Burnham spins gem vs. Ole Miss to keep Arkansas' WCWS hopes alive

Screenshot 2024-07-31 at 7.46.34 PMby: Brady Vernon05/25/25BradyVernon
Screenshot 2025-05-24 at 8.03.56 PM
Photo courtesy of Arkansas Athletics

Arkansas will need to share its recipe to cure food poisoning because whatever they gave Payton Burnham was the remedy and more. The Softball America Freshman All-American spun a gem, leading Arkansas to a 4-0 win over Ole Miss.

The freshman didn’t face much resistance the whole game. She allowed a single in each of the first three innings, but it didn’t amount to anything. Burnham retired 14 straight batters to end the game. She struck out seven and allowed one walk.

The Razorbacks took advantage of three walks in the first inning from Bri Lopez. Kailey Wyckoff hit a slow roller and Ole Miss only had a play at first base to bring home the first run. Ella McDowell hit a chopper to Ole Miss’s Persy Llamas at first base, but the ball took her too far from the bag, allowing McDowell to reach and the second run to score.

Lopez settled in after that. She kept Arkansas off the board and cruised until the fifth. Bri Ellis collected her first hit of the NCAA Tournament with a single to left field. Courtney Day followed with a double to put two into scoring position for Wyckoff. She got enough of a pitch to send it to the right side and it hopped up on Mackenzie Pickens. The two-out error allowed two more runs to score.

Sunday’s win-or-go-home game will decide which program will go to the Women’s College World Series for the first time.

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