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No. 13 Arkansas takes rubber match from No. 2 Florida

Screenshot 2024-07-31 at 7.46.34 PMby: Brady Vernon04/06/25BradyVernon
Screenshot 2025-04-06 at 1.38.35 PM
Courtesy of Arkansas Athletics

The Gators decided that Bri Ellis was not going to beat them on Sunday, so the rest of the Razorbacks’ lineup did. Ella McDowell, Kailey Wyckoff and Atalyia Rijo combined for seven RBIs in No. 13 Arkansas softball won the series rubber match 9-5 over No. 2 Florida.

The back-and-forth battle started early on Sunday. Arkansas scored a pair against Florida starter Katelynn Oxley via Wyckoff’s two-out, two-run double. Arkansas starter Reis Beuerlein had her own issues in the first, walking the bases loaded before exiting for Cam Harrison. Harrison made her own mistake as Reagan Walsh blasted a grand slam to make it 4-2.

After intentionally walking Ellis for the second time, McDowell cashed in. The freshman third baseman hit a ball deep into the left field center gap for an RBI double. However, Oxley limited the damage to one to maintain the lead.

McDowell was given another chance in the fifth. Florida put Ellis on again despite walking the previous batter as well. This time McDowell lined one into the right field gap to tie the game and put two runners in scoring position. Wyckoff brought in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly. Rijo doubled in a run to extend the lead to 6-4.

Harrison settled in after giving home run grand slam, outside of a solo shot by Jocelyn Erickson in the fifth, she kept putting out zeros. Although she had help from Reagan Johnson. Taylor Shumaker smoked a ball to center field in the bottom of the sixth but Johnson leaped and stole what would’ve been a three-run homer. Harrison recorded every out but one for Arkansas and even picked up an RBI single at the plate in the Razorbacks’ three-run seventh inning. She went 6.2 innings, allowing two runs on six hits and striking out five.

Arkansas has now won three straight SEC series and returns home to host South Carolina next weekend. Florida will hit to road to visit Stetson and Ole Miss, hoping to bounce back from a 1-3 week.

Softball America April Position Power Rankings
P | C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF | UTL

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