Hogs Dismantle No. 7 Tennessee, 9-0 to Earn Series Win

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Behind 6.1 scoreless innings from freshman Payton Burnham and home runs from Karlie Davison and Courtney Day, the No. 14 Arkansas Razorbacks defeated No. 7 Tennessee, 9-0 on Sunday afternoon at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium to earn a series win.

With the game two triumph, Arkansas (23-6, 3-5 SEC) set up the possibility of a sweep with a victory in tomorrow night’s series finale at 6 p.m.

The Razorbacks became the first team to win an SEC series in Knoxville since they accomplished the feat previously on March 18-20, 2022, when they took the first two games of the three-game set. Tennessee entered the series having won 17 of their last 18 league series, including 11 straight at home.

Burnham was nearly unhittable during her eighth start of the season, allowing just three hits and three walks while striking out five in 6.1 shutout innings. With the victory she improved to 6-2 on the season.

Davison’s two-run blast in the third inning was her first as a Razorback and 15th of her career. Day’s solo shot in the seventh was her second home run in as many days and 11th this season. Raigan Kramer set a single-game career-high with four walks in the victory, which tied for the second-most in a single game in program history.

Reagan Johnson (2-5, 2 RBI, 1 R), Bri Ellis (2-5, 2B, 1 R), and Atalyia Rijo (2-2, 2B, 3 R, RBI) all recorded multiple hits. Davison (1-3, 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB) and Kailey Wyckoff (1-5, 2B, 3 RBI) each had multi-RBI games in addition to Johnson.

Tennessee (26-6, 2-3 SEC) freshman Erin Nuwer took the loss to fall to 4-1 after allowing six runs (five earned) on eight hits and three walks while striking out three in 3.1 innings.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Freshman Payton Burnham got the ball for Arkansas, marking her eighth start of the season. Freshman Erin Nuwer got the nod in the circle for the eighth time this season for Tennessee.

Raigan Kramer became the game’s first baserunner by drawing her 95th career walk with one out in the top of the first inning. Bri Ellis increased her hitting streak to five games with a single up the middle. Tennessee then escaped the inning courtesy of an Arkansas pitch clock violation with two strikes resulting in an inning-ending punchout.

Burnham tossed a scoreless bottom of the first inning, highlighted by striking out the Lady Vols’ Taylor Pannell for the second out of the stanza. Arkansas shortstop Atalyia Rijo made two impressive plays by picking a short hop and firing it across the diamond for the first out and snagging a blooper behind third base for the final out of the inning.

Rijo smoked a ground ball through the right side for a single with one out in the visiting half of the second. Kennedy Miller reached on an error to put runners on first and second with two outs for Reagan Johnson who would give the Hogs a 1-0 lead with a single down the third-base line that scored Rijo. Kramer then walked to load the bases, but Nuwer issued a flyout to right field to escape the inning with minimal damage.

Destiney Rodriguez drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the second inning but that is all Tennessee would get as Burnham retired the next three batters.

In the third inning, Ellis doubled down the right-field line and later came around to score on a double to left-center field from Atalyia Rijo. Karlie Davison then stepped to the plate and blasted the first pitch she saw from Nuwer over the wall in left field for a two-run homer, her first round-tripper as a Razorback, extending the Arkansas lead to 4-0.

Davison’s two-run blast knocked Nuwer out of the game for Tennessee for the time being, as she would re-enter in the seventh. She allowed six runs on eight hits and three walks in 3.1 innings of action. Sage Mardjetko would take over and pitch 1.1 scoreless innings.

Burnham made it three consecutive scoreless innings in the bottom of the third. Johnson highlighted the frame with a diving catch in the left-center field gap to take an extra-base hit away from the Lady Vols’ Kinsey Fielder.

Kramer drew her third walk of the game in the top of the fourth. Burnham retired Tennessee in order in the home half, capped by a strikeout.

Payton Tanner would enter the circle in the fifth for the Lady Vols. Courtney Day was hit by a pitch with one out in the top of the fifth and Rijo battled back down 0-2 to draw a walk, but the Lady Vols would escape the frame without damage.

Gabby Leach led off the bottom half with a double down the left-field line. Burnham would be unfazed, however, as she issued a lineout, strikeout and flyout to retire the next three batters.

Kramer drew her fourth walk of the game in the top of the sixth, setting a new single-game career high.

Tennessee threatened in the home half of the sixth inning. Taylor Pannel led off the inning with a walk and Sophia Nugent singled in the frame to put two on with just one out. Burnham would issue a lineout and a strikeout to crush any chances of a Tennessee rally and end the inning.

Day made it 5-0 in favor of Arkansas in the top of the seventh by blasting a towering solo home run to left field, which left the stadium and ended up on the train tracks well beyond the left field wall. Reagan Johnson made it 6-0 a few batters later with a single through the left side. Kailey Wyckoff then smashed a bases-clearing three-run double down the right-field line to make it the final, 9-0.

Robyn Herron came into pitch in the bottom of the seventh and would issue two free passes and two hits in 0.2 innings before Burnham re-entered the game and recorded the final out by getting McKenna Gibson to line out to Rijo at short to complete the shutout and earn her sixth victory of the season.

QUOTABLES

Arkansas Head Coach Courtney Deifel

On the game…
“I thought our team was dialed from the very first pitch to the last. Payton was outstanding in the circle and our defense was nails behind her. Our offense was committed to the plan and was relentless. It is a tough place to come in and win the series. I’m really proud of the team.”

Arkansas Utility Player Courtney Day

On her home runs and preparation this weekend…
“I was hunting a pitch to drive and testing the prep and game plan that we had coming into the game… Coach Gasso gave us their tendencies and we were just hunting specific pitches that we are comfortable hitting.”

NOTABLES

• The Razorbacks became the first team to win an SEC series in Knoxville since they accomplished the feat previously on March 18-20, 2022, when they took the first two games of the three-game set. Tennessee entered the series having won 17 of their last 18 league series, including 11 straight at home.
• Arkansas has now won 16 of its last 18 road series in SEC play since 2021, which is the best mark among all SEC members during that time span.
• The Razorbacks became the first team to hit multiple home runs against Tennessee this season courtesy of a two-run homer from Karlie Davison and a solo shot from Courtney Day. Arkansas is now 147-23 when hitting multiple home runs as a team under Courtney Deifel (2016-present)
• Courtney Day hit her 11^th home run of the season with a solo homer in top of the seventh inning. The two-run blast was the 37^th of her career.
• Raigan Kramer now has 98 career walks which ranks fifth in program history. Her four walks during the victory were a career-high and tied for the second-most in a single game by an Arkansas player.
• The Hogs series win over No. 7 Tennessee was the first over a top 10 opponent since they took two of three games at No. 7 LSU on April 26-28, 2024.
• Arkansas is now 23-0 win out-hitting opponents this season and 272-25 when doing so under head coach Courtney Deifel.

UP NEXT
The Razorbacks will look to sweep the Lady Vols tomorrow in the series finale at 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network.

For schedule updates and other news, go to ArkansasRazorbacks.com, or follow @RazorbackSB on X, Instagram and Facebook.