Duke earned this — Marissa Young's Blue Devils were on the brink in Durham, losing to Arizona 10-1 on Saturday before rattling off three straight wins (11-1 over Marshall, then back-to-back 8-6 and 9-4 finals over Arizona) to flip the regional. Arkansas swept Fayetteville 3-0 with a 27-3 run margin: 8-0 Fordham, 9-1 South Florida, 10-2 South Florida in the title. Bogle Park is one of the toughest road environments in the country, and the Razorback lineup is deeper than anything Duke saw all year — fresh arms vs. a Duke staff that just threw 5 games in 3 days.
Curd is a different look than anything Arkansas saw all SEC season — lefty, lower velo, more spin. But after a 3-loss-elimination grind in Durham, Duke's staff is gassed. Razorback bats find the bottom by Game 2.
Series Schedule
Best of 3 · All times Eastern
Game
Date
Time
Matchup
Result
TV
Game 1
Fri, May 22
11:00 AM CT
Duke at Arkansas
Arkansas14–5
ESPNU
Game 2
Sat, May 23
4:00 PM CT
Duke at Arkansas
Arkansas10–2
ESPN2
Game 3 (if necessary)
Sun, May 24
TBA
Duke at Arkansas
—
ESPN / ESPN2
Hosted at Arkansas. Game 3 only played if the series is split 1-1.
Game Recaps
2 games in the books
Game 1·Fri, May 22·11:00 AM CT·ESPNUFinal/5 · Run-rule
Arkansas
14
▲ Winner
vs
Fayetteville
Duke
5
Hero of the Gamein the box
Dakota Kennedy
Arkansas · Batter
3-for-4 · 1 R · HR · 4 RBI
“Kennedy was the bat-of-record on a night Arkansas hit five home runs and ran Duke out of the building — the Hogs are 4-0 in the tournament, all by run-rule.”
Key Moments
Duke jumps to a 3-2 lead on two early HRs
Bot 2 — Bell grand slam + Kennedy HR fuel a 5-run frame, 6-1 Arkansas
Bot 5 — Davison 3-run HR caps a 14-5 run-rule win
Hogs improve to 4-0 in the tournament, every win by run-rule
Pitchers
R. Herron3.2 IP 5 H 3 R 3 ER 0 BB 4 K
WS. Timmerman1.1 IP 2 H 2 R 2 ER 3 BB 0 K
LC. Curd0.1 IP 2 H 3 R 3 ER 2 BB 0 K
L. Jacquez2.2 IP 9 H 7 R 7 ER 3 BB 1 K
A. Bradshaw1.1 IP 1 H 4 R 4 ER 3 BB 0 K
Top Batters
D. Kennedy (DP)3-for-4 · HR · 4 RBI
T. Bell (1B)2-for-3 · HR · 4 RBI
K. Davison (2B)1-for-3 · HR · 3 RBI
E. McDowell1-for-1 · 4 R · 3 BB
A. Vega (Duke)2-for-3 · HR · 1 RBI
Game 2·Sat, May 23·4:00 PM CT·ESPN2Final / 5 · Run-rule
Arkansas
10
▲ Winner
vs
Fayetteville
Duke
2
Hero of the Gamein the circle
Payton Burnham
Arkansas · Pitcher
5.0 IP · 3 H · 2 ER · 2 BB · 6 K (CG W)
“Burnham went the distance in a 5-inning run-rule win and Arkansas' lineup blasted three HRs to chase Duke from the super regional in two games.”
Key Moments
Davison's 3-run HR keyed the Hogs' rally
McDowell scored 3 runs (2-for-3, 2 RBI, 1 BB)
Bell added a 2-run HR for the third Arkansas long ball
Rijo went 3-for-4 with 2 RBI to keep the line moving
Arkansas wins by run-rule, sweeps Duke 2-0 — OKC bound
The winner of this best-of-three series advances to the Women’s College World Series at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, May 28 – June 5. The WCWS is double-elimination through the semifinals, followed by a best-of-three Championship Series.
Arkansas
