Softball Topped On Opening Day By No. 8 Arkansas & Memphis

Feb 10 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Box Score - Arkanas Box Score - Memphis

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico -- The Rutgers softball team opened up the 2022 season with a pair of contests at the Puerto Vallarta Challenge on Thursday.

The Scarlet Knights faced the first of two top 10 and NCAA Super Regional squads to open dropping a 4-0 contest to No. 8 Arkansas. In game two, Rutgers was able to jump out to a 3-0 lead against Memphis, but the Tigers pounced back to hand the Scarlet Knights a 6-3 loss.

No. 8 Arkansas 4, Rutgers 0

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

Sophomore Kyleigh Sand and graduate student Gabrielle Callaway went both 1-for-3 in the first game of the 2022 season.
Ashley Hitchcock earned the start tossing 3.2 innings. The junior Scarlet Knight allowed two earned runs while striking out a pair of Razorbacks along the way.

THE RUNDOWN

The eighth-ranked Razorbacks took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Danielle Gibson used a two-out double to center to score to send in leadoff KB Sides to take the lead.
Arkansas added three runs in the third. With the bases loaded, Linnie Malkin drove in a run with a hit to left and the Razorbacks were able to add another two off the glove in the outfield.
Newcomer Georgia Ingle entered the circle in the fourth and was able to help Rutgers out of a jam. Entering with the bases loaded and two outs, Arkansas lined out to second to end the inning.
Only two Razorbacks would reach the bases off an error and walk in the final two innings.

KNIGHT NOTES

The Scarlet Knights and Razorbacks were the first official collegiate softball game underway when first pitch was tossed at 11:03 a.m. (ET).
Kyleigh Sand and Maddie Lawson both registered their first starts for the Scarlet Knights, while Georgia Ingle pitched the final 2.1 innings in her RU debut.

Memphis 6, Rutgers 3

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

Gabrielle Callaway had a hand in giving Rutgers the early 3-0 lead finishing the game with 2 RBIs and a run scored.
Kyleigh Sand went 3-for-3 in game two scoring RU's first run of the year.
Additionally, Leilani Chavez was 2-for-4.
Jaden Vickers started inside the circle going 4.0 innings with six strikeouts.

THE RUNDOWN

Gabrielle Callaway put Rutgers out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the fifth. The Scarlet Knight graduate student drove in two runs with a single to right and would go on to add a run sneaking into the plate when two batters later Maddie Lawson caught the Tiger offense off-guard in stealing second base.
Six hits led to six runs for Memphis in the bottom of the inning to claim the lead. Camryn Weininger used a two-run home run to put the Tigers onto the scoreboard and Kendall Lee drove the ball thru the left side for two RBIs and a 4-3 advantage. Gracie Morto gave the Tigers a cushion with a two-out single to right for another pair of runs.
Rutgers looked to punch back in the top of the sixth by loading the bases off singles by Megan Herka and Kyleigh Sand and a walk from Payton Lincavage. With Callaway at the plate as the go-ahead run, Memphis was able to keep all the runners on with a fly out to left.

UP NEXT

Rutgers meets Lamar for the first of two meetings with the Cardinals at the Puerto Vallarta Challenge on Friday, Feb. 11 at 7:00 p.m. (ET).

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