Arkansas softball advances to SEC Tournament championship game for first time since 1999

GAINESVILLE, Florida – For the first time since 1999, Arkansas softball is going to the SEC Tournament title game.

The Razorbacks began the tournament as the No. 1 seed for first the time in program history following their regular-season championship. After a 4-1 win over Florida (43-16) in Friday's semifinal, Arkansas (43-9) will have the chance to win the tournament for the first time in program history.

The Razorbacks will face No. 7 Missouri in the title game Saturday (4 p.m. CT, ESPN2).

"It takes what it takes," Arkansas infielder Danielle Gibson said. "That's kind of our saying in this program saying is, whatever it takes to get it done, we're gonna do it. So that was kind of the definition of today."

Arkansas played in the delayed nightcap for the second night in a row, with Tennessee's quarterfinal win on Thursday going 13 innings and Friday's first semifinal interrupted by a 2.5-hour weather delay. But the Razorbacks were unfazed and capitalized on Florida mishaps.

"They were just ready to compete today, I don't think there's going to be any situation that's going to create any kind of excuse for this team," Arkansas coach Courtney Deifel said. "They want to compete and they want to win the game they're in, doesn't matter the circumstance."

The Razorbacks didn't get a hit until the fourth inning, but the floodgates opened that inning. Arkansas loaded the bases with no outs following the first hit after Hannah Gammill was walked and Linnie Malkin hit a bloop single.

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Florida sent Rylee Trlicek into the circle with a 1-0 lead. The junior left-hander got the force-out at home plate, but the bases remained loaded with one out. Trlicek collected the next hit, but missed the throw to home plate and Arkansas ran in its first two runs. Then Marlene Friedman hit a ball bouncing by Trlicek to bring in another run and give Arkansas a 3-1 lead.

SEC Player of the Year KB Sides finished off the scoring when she hit a bouncing grounder to Trlicek to bring home the Razorbacks' fourth run.

Gibson, who had Arkansas' first hit of the game, felt like she battled her first at-bat and knew that something as small as a ball sneaking through the infield could get them going.

"We just needed that one little hit – and obviously, I wanted to be that one little hit," Gibson said. "I wasn't going in for a home run or anything, but just to put a bat on the ball and make the defense work."

Arkansas has crushed 102 home runs this season – a program record – but Friday's win proved the Razorbacks don't need homers to win a game.

"I just love how we can win ballgames without hitting home runs," Gibson said. "I think that's the bottom line is, we can play softball – at any level, in any fashion. ... But being able to kind of put things together without the long ball is huge for us and we're going to need it going forward."

SEC Pitcher of the Year Chenise Delce got the start for the Razorbacks and showed her poise in the circle. Any time Florida got runners on base or a hint of momentum, Delce shut it down.

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After Florida opened the game with a double and a single, Delce got out of the inning in the next three batters – though the Gators would score once on a sacrifice fly. In the second, Avery Golz was on third off a wild pitch after hitting a double. But Delce struck Sam Roe out looking to keep the score 1-0.

Delce said she felt like she was missing her spots in the first inning.

"I thought she stayed the course really well," Deifel said. "I thought she was incredibly poised and then she just continued to get stronger from there. But I disagree with her, I actually thought she was pretty good first inning, too."

In the fourth, Delce had runners on first and second – and then struck Cali Decker out swinging to end the inning.

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She followed Arkansas' run-filled fourth inning by retiring nine batters straight. Delce struck out seven and only allowed five hits in her 16th win of the season.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas softball beat Florida, advance to SEC Tournament championship