Softball America: 2024 Fayetteville Regional HQ
Welcome to Fayetteille. Is this the year the Razorbacks make it to Oklahoma City?
Fayetteville Regional Schedule
Broadcast team: Noah Reed, Softball America’s Raine Wilson
*All times Eastern
- Friday, May 17
- Arizona 14, Villanova 3 (F/5)
- This was all Wildcats from start to finish. In a blink of an eye, it was 8-0 Arizona in the first after Dakota Kennedy hit a two-run homer in her second at-bat of the inning. Six different Wildcats had two RBIs in the win.
- No. 12 seed Arkansas 3, Southeast Missouri State 2
- Rylin Hedgecock hasn’t had her best season after an All-American performance last year. However, the postseason is a new start and she delivered the needed hit. Arkansas struggled to find grass for most of the night against SEMO’s Paytience Holman. Down two runs, Hedgecock hit a double down the right-field line. Reagan Johnson drove in the first run and she scored the tying run on a Nia Carter hit. Kennedy Miller worked a bases-loaded walk in the fifth for the go-ahead run. Robyn Herron provided 5.2 scoreless innings of relief to allow the offense to comeback. The Razorbacks and Wildcats face off for the third time this season.
- Arizona 14, Villanova 3 (F/5)
- Saturday, May 18
- Arizona 2, Arkansas 1
- The Wildcats won the battle with Robyn Herron three times when it came to full counts in the first. Herron walked the bases loaded and Arizona took advantage. Olivia DiNardo and Blasie Biringer drove in Arizona’s runs. That’s all the combination of Aissa Silva and Brooke Mannon needed. Mannon picked up Silva who was in a jam in the fourth. Mannon allowed one hit – a Rylin Hedgecock homer in the seventh – while Silva earned the save by closing things out.
- Villanova 4, SEMO 1 (SEMO eliminated)
- Villanova extended its season with a stellar outing by the combination of Kelsey White and Caroline Pellicano. White threw five innings before giving way to Pellicano, who tossed two scoreless innings and earned her 10th save. Reigning Big East Player of the Year Tess Cites drove in three for the Wildcats.
- Villanova 7, Arkansas 2 (Arkansas eliminated)
- It never came together for Arkansas this week. Villanova kept finding hits against Morgan Leinstock. Even after seeing Arkansas smash a pair of solo home runs to tie the game, the Wildcats punched back. A Tess Cites RBI double knocked Leinstock out of the game and Villanova scored two unearned runs in the fifth. The Wildcats will take on Arizona in the regional final, while Arkansas has now been eliminated in Fayetteville four straight seasons.
- Arizona 2, Arkansas 1
- Sunday, May 19
- Arizona 9, Villanova 4 (Arizona advances to Super Regionals)
- Arizona had the same script against Villanova as Saturday, score a lot of runs, see Villanova fight back, and score a lot of runs again. Dakota Kennedy’s great season continued as she hit a pair of home runs and drove in three runs. Allie Skaggs homered for the Wildcats. Freshman Emily Schepp went 3-for-3 with a home run. Arizona found a way again in Fayetteville.
- Arizona 9, Villanova 4 (Arizona advances to Super Regionals)
Fayetteville Regional Stats
| Team (Record) | Scoring (Rank) | ERA (Rank) | FLD % (Rank) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas (36-16) | 5.10 (65th) | 2.12 (17th) | 0.978 (9th) |
| Arizona (34-16-1) | 6.31 (13th) | 3.74 (154th) | 0.982 (2nd) |
| Villanova (31-22) | 5.26 (56th) | 3.48 (126th) | 0.963 (147th) |
| SEMO (28-24) | 4.52 (121st) | 3.34 (114th) | 0.956 (224th) |
Fayetteville Regional Stars
No. 12 Arkansas (SEC At-Large Bid)
- 1B Bri Ellis
- 3B Hannah Gammill
- CF Reagan Johnson
- RHP Morgan Leinstock
2-seed Arizona (Pac-12 At-Large Bid)
- CF Regan Shockey
- LF Dakota Kennedy
- 1B Carlie Scupin
- 2B Allie Skaggs
3-seed Villanova (Big East Regular Season and Tournament Champs)
- 2B Lilly St. Jean
- SS Ava Franz
- C Ally Jones
- RHP Caroline Pellicano
4-seed SEMO (OVC Tournaments Champs)
- 2B Abigail Rickermann
- CF Paige Halliwill
- 1B Aubrie Shore
- RHP Paytience Holman
