Big Bats Lead Hogs to Double-Header Sweep of Boston U

FAYETTEVILLE – The Razorbacks were challenged on Saturday night (March 2) by the Terriers of Boston University on the final day of the Wooo Pig Classic, claiming the double-header sweep in a 4-2 victory and an absolute shoot-out 12-7 game-two win.

Arkansas (17-3) wasted no time firing up the bats in game one, jumping out to a four-run lead after one inning with a single-RBI double from senior Katie Warrick and a three-run home run from sophomore Nicole Duncan. The long ball was Duncan’s second of the season.

Boston (8-5) scored two in the top of the sixth off a two-run shot from Terrier catcher, Alex Heinen, but the Razorbacks halted the action there and held onto the 4-2 win.

Sophomore Mary Haff pitched the complete seven innings for the Hogs, dishing out 12 strikeouts and allowing no free bases. The walk-less win is the fifth for Haff this season.

Moving on to game two, the Razorbacks again used the bats to dominate the diamond, outscoring Boston, 6-1 through five frames.

Autumn Storms earned the start for the Hogs in the game two, but after the Terriers scored four in the top of the six, Arkansas called on Haff for relief in the circle. Storms’ time in the circle was well done, as she racked up 11 strikeouts and allowed only one walk – throwing 75 strikes in 103 total pitches.

Boston stacked on two more runs in the sixth to take a 7-6 lead under Haff, but the Hogs responded well, fighting fire with fire in the bottom of the inning and scoring each of the six runs scored upon them in the top of the inning.

As if it was written by the stars, both teams scored six runs on six hits in the sixth inning.

With Julia Handfield on the mound for Boston, Duncan and Aly Manzo went back-to-back on opposite sides of the field with hard hit doubles to the warning track. Manzo’s double scored Duncan and the Hogs and Terriers were all tied up 7-7. What Boston was unprepared for was the ensuing rally to follow.

The Hogs kept rolling in the runs and scored five more Razorbacks after Duncan with runs batted in by Danielle Gibson, Ashley Diaz, Kayla Green and Duncan.

Arkansas needed only to secure three outs in the top of the seventh and they did just that; Haff struck out the first Terrier looking, then Duncan snagged a line drive off the bat of Boston’s Killebrew and Green followed with a mask-off sliding catch behind the plate to end the game.

Haff’s time in the circle is good for another win, making her 9-3 on the season.

The 14 hits by the Hogs in game two is the seventh time this season the team hit in double-digits, improving their overall average to .342 – an increase of nearly .100 since game one of the season (.241).

The Razorbacks closed out the Wooo Pig Classic with two more wins, giving them a clean 6-0 record on the weekend. The Hogs will be traveling to Missouri State on Wednesday (March 6) before starting SEC play next weekend in Oxford, Miss. at Ole Miss.

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