Burnham shuts down Ole Miss to force Game 3 in Fayetteville Super Regional

The Arkansas Razorbacks (44-13) are one win away from their first ever Women's College World Series appearance after evening the series against the Ole Miss Rebels (41-19) at Bogle Park Saturday night in Game Two of the Fayetteville Super Regional before a raucous crowd of more than 3,100.

First pitch for Game Three on Sunday is set for 4 p.m. CT and will air on ESPN2.

After spending Friday's opener in bed with a stomach bug, freshman righty Payton Burnham continued her NCAA Tournament dominance by posting a complete shutout over the Rebels in which she retired the final 14 batters she faced. The Oregon native won her 16th game of the season, surrendering three hits while walking just one batter and striking out seven on only 77 pitches.

"Friday morning at 3 a.m. [I started feeling bad]," Burnham said. "When I woke up today I started feeling a lot better and throughout the day I started gaining more energy. I was able to spin it tonight and the atmosphere was electric."

Burnham's continued development at the college level has been evident as the season has gone along, but she has cranked it up a notch in the postseason and has not allowed a single run in 16 innings pitched during NCAA Tournament play.

She completed a five inning shutout against Saint Louis in Game One of the Fayetteville Regional, tossing the first postseason no-hitter in program history, then got the job done in a come-from-behind 6-5 triumph over Oklahoma State in extra innings the following day.

"Quite honestly, she has been really good for us all year and what I have seen is her trusting her stuff," Deifel said. "I have seen her in attack mode and relishing in the fact that she has one of the best defenses behind her.

"Maybe she has a fluke outing here and there that is not that ideal, but she turns the page and gets right back on track. I feel like I am used to seeing it because it is what she has done."

The Razorbacks quickly plated their first two runs in the opening frame when Raigan Kramer scored from third base after Kailey Wyckoff hit a dribbler down the third base line, then a two-out RBI single by freshman Ella McDowell scored Bri Ellis.

The Hogs added two more insurance runs in the fifth after Wyckoff reached first on a fielding error that allowed Ellis and Courtney Day to cross home plate. Second baseman Karlie Davison, who smashed a solo home run in Game One, had another productive day with her bat finishing 2-for-3, the only Razorback to record multiple hits on the evening.

Ellis, the Player of the Year for both the SEC and nationally per Softball America, notched her first hit of the NCAA Tournament on a two-out single down the left field line in the top of the fifth inning. Ellis also recorded the final out with an impressive catch on a hard-hit liner by Ole Miss pinch hitter Rachel Connors.

"I think with Bri she can just feel the weight of the world on her," Deifel said. "Today we saw her smile, take a breath and exhaled. She got one hit, but she was right on two other ones. She looks like she is loose, having fun and enjoying the moment."

Sunday's Game Three against the Rebels will be just the second time in program history that the Razorbacks play in a winner-take-all matchup with a trip to Oklahoma City on the line. The other was in 2022 when they beat Texas at home in Game One before dropping the final two contests of that Super Regional.

• Payton Burnham threw her second seven-inning complete-game shutout this season. She became just the third Arkansas freshman pitcher since 2010 to throw multiple seven-inning complete-game shutouts, joining Robyn Herron (2, 2023) and Mary Haff (8, 2018).

• The Razorbacks are 24-27 all-time in NCAA Tournament play, including a 17-15 mark under Courtney Deifel. She is the only coach in program history with a winning record in NCAA Tournament contests.

• Bri Ellis tied the single-season runs scored record with 67, joining KB Sides who accomplished the feat in 2022.

• Arkansas is now 175-47 when not committing an error under Courtney Deifel (2016-present).

• Courtney Day extended her career-best reach-based streak to 20 games with a first-inning walk.

• Karlie Davison registered her 13th multi-hit game this season and 22nd multi-hit game of her career.

• Raigan Kramer increased her reached-base to 16 games with a walk and a base hit.