Arkansas’ gritty comeback stuns Oklahoma State 6-5 in NCAA Softball Tournament thriller

BY DUDLEY E. DAWSON

FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas head softball coach Courtney Deifel and her players have been steadfast in declaring this year’s Razorback squad a different force of nature.

Perhaps the best evidence of that came Saturday as Arkansas rallied from a 5-1 sixth-inning deficit to down Oklahoma State 7-6 in eight innings at Bogle Park.

Courtney Day’s walk-off, two-out RBI single scored Atalyia Rijo and capped off a proud moment for Deifel and the 3,041 fans on hand for the NCAA Tournament Fayetteville Regional winner’s bracket game.


It was at this point the past two seasons that the Razorbacks faltered and eventually were eliminated on their home field.

“I am just so incredibly proud of this group,” noted Deifel, who took over the helm of the Razorbacks in 2016. “It was one of the most resilient, grittiest performances that we have had in my time here and that I have seen in general.

“I am so proud of them for staying the course when we didn’t feel like it was going our way, we weren’t getting breaks. But we stayed the course and left the game come back to us and the unwavering belief this group has in themselves and each other is incredible.”

The win means national four seed Arkansas (42-12) needs just one more victory to advance to a Super Regional that it would host.


A loss would have left them needing three victories – one Saturday and two on Sunday to keep the season from ending.

They will get their first chance Sunday at 3 p.m. against the winner of Saturday’s 5:30 game between either Indiana or St. Louis and Oklahoma State (34-19), who has been to five straight Women’s Softball College World Series.

“So I am just really proud of them,” Deifel said. “Our work is not done. We know we still have a lot of work ahead of us, but today was huge. The character, the fight and the heart of this team – just really proud of them.”


Rijo, who was 4 for 4 own the day, got the comeback started with a solo home run in the sixth that cut Oklahoma State’s lead to 5-2.

“I think this season itself has shown what we can do and we just never count ourselves out and we proved that in the last three innings when we came together a a team in that moment,” Rijo said.

The Razorbacks followed that by scoring three runs to tie it in the seventh beginning with one-out walks to Raigan Kramer and Bri Ellis.

Day doubled in a run and another crossed the plate on a throwing error on the play to cut the Arkansas deficit to 5-4.

Ella McDowell’s two-out singled plated Day and tied it.

McDowell’s game-tying single was a moment of redemption after she lost a foul ball in the sun that later led to Tennessee plating two runs to take a 3-1 lead in the fourth.

“I think it was really special of her to pull through at that moment,” Rijo said. “We all had our trust in her. She went [0 for 5] for the day up until that at-bat, and so for her to hit a double, it just, again, moved the momentum back into our dugout.”

Day, a former University of Texas players who was a high school teacher and coach last season in Texas, figured she was going to get the chance to win it in the eighth.

“Me and (Arkansas hitting) Coach (DJ) Gasso going up that, he knew that Jimmy, Raigan Kramer, was going to walk and they were going to walk Bri,” Day said. “So it was going to be up to me and I wanted it to be me.

“I wanted to have the moment and to do it for my team. So I was just looking for a pitch to hit and not trying to do too much. Just make it happen.”

To have the moment was mind-blowing for Day, who chose to use her final season of eligibility at Arkansas.

“I never even thought that I would come back and play,” Day said. “Coach Deifel giving me the opportunity to be a part of such a wonderful program, it’s just something that I just could never imagined and I’m so forever grateful for.”

Deifel and Day both had confidence she would come through in the clutch.

“She has a huge belief in herself,” Deifel said. “She actually said (she wanted it) a little bit more colorfully in her head. She gave you the PG version.

“Just the belief that she has in herself in that moment is so huge. To not make it bigger, but just to trust yourself. You could see how she was managing her at-bat. She was dialed. This team has a strong belief in themselves and each other.”

Freshman pitcher Payton Burnham (15-2) pitched the final four innings while allowing no runs on just two hits.

Burnham, who pitched a five-inning no-hitter in Arkansas’ 10- 0 win of St. Louis own Friday, worked in relief of starter Robyn Herron.

Herron allows five runs on five hits while walking three and striking out three.

“She (Burnham) battled for us,” Deifel said. “She trusted her stuff and she trusted her defense. She showed a ton of grit, as she has all year.

“And I thought Robyn battled, too. We didn’t get some breaks. We needed every pitch she threw. We needed every pitch that Payton threw….It was just gritty.”

Photo by John D. James