FAYETTEVILLE — Ole Miss brought a crushing end to the University of Arkansas softball team’s season Sunday at Bogle Park.

The Rebels took advantage of early mistakes by the Razorbacks and never trailed during a 7-4 victory in the winner-take-all Game 3 of the NCAA Fayetteville Super Regional. Ole Miss advanced to the Women’s College World Series for the first time.

Arkansas (44-14) fell one game shy of its first WCWS appearance for the second time in program history. The Razorbacks lost Games 2 and 3 at the 2022 NCAA Fayetteville Super Regional to eventual national runner-up Texas.

“I’m sure we’re supposed to learn a lesson of how everything happened this weekend, and the cards we were dealt,” Arkansas Coach Courtney Deifel said. “I’m not there yet. Because this group committed to doing it right. They committed to every part of it. I just wish for them we had it full go from the jump.”

Ole Miss (42-19) will face No. 12 national seed Texas Tech (50-12) on Thursday in the opening round at Devon Park in Oklahoma City. The winner will face either No. 16 Oregon or No. 9 UCLA in the double-elimination, four-team pod.

The other side of the bracket is comprised fully of SEC teams: No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 3 Florida, No. 6 Texas and No. 7 Tennessee.

Arkansas, the No. 4 overall seed, became the ninth national seed to be eliminated before the WCWS.

“This group will never happen again,” Deifel said. “I think all of us right now, we’re heartbroken.”

Arkansas stayed with the hot hand of freshman right-hander Payton Burnham, who pitched a shutout in a 4-0 victory Saturday.

She ran into immediate trouble in the first inning after a leadoff walk was followed by a two-run home run by Ole Miss right fielder Lair Beautae.

After a double by Aliyah Binford and infield single by Lexie Brady put runners at the corners, Ole Miss successfully completed a double steal. It appeared Arkansas would catch Binford in a pickle between third base and home, but she slid under a tag by catcher Kennedy Miller to score. The Razorbacks unsuccessfully challenged.

Brady then stole home while Miller was throwing back to Burnham in the circle after a pitch. Burnham had an errant throw back to home plate that Miller, who had her legs taken out by Brady, had no chance to grab.

Kailey Wyckoff came in to catch for the remainder inning and designated player Courtney Day took over right field duties. Miller returned to catcher in the second inning.

“I think we do best when we’re not the home team,” Binford said. “It gives us that little 1-2 punch in the beginning, and we let them know very quickly, like, we can play on this field with you guys. You are not the bigger dog. We’re very equal.”

Senior left-hander Brianna Lopez was given her third consecutive start for Ole Miss. She struggled to find the strike zone in the first inning for the second consecutive day.

Walks drawn by Raigan Kramer, Bri Ellis and Day set the table for a bases-loaded walk drawn by Ella McDowell that cut the Ole Miss lead to 4-1. The Razorbacks missed an opportunity to cut further into the lead as Atalyia Rijo flew out with the bases loaded.

Arkansas replaced Burnham with junior left-hander Robyn Herron to begin the second inning.

Back-to-back hits by Miller and Reagan Johnson prompted an Ole Miss pitching change and sparked a big bottom of the second.

Lopez was replaced by Binford, a two-way player, who issued a two-out walk to Ellis before a two-run single by Day cut the deficit to 4-3. Wyckoff knotted the game at 4-4 with an RBI single.

Rijo left the bases loaded for the second consecutive inning with a soft groundout to first base. The Razorbacks stranded seven runners and went 3 for 10 (.300) with runners on base.

Herron worked two scoreless innings before running into traffic in the fourth with a leadoff single off her leg by Mackenzie Pickens and walk drawn by Ashton Lansdell with no outs.

Jaden Pone sent an sacrifice fly to center field to give Ole Miss a 5-4 lead before Beautae flied out to left field to end the inning.

A single by Persy Llamas and walk by Brady set up an RBI single by Pickens with one out. The hit by Pickens chased Herron; Arkansas elected to go back to Burnham.

Herron (18-7) gave up 2 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks with 3 strikeouts in her 3 1/3-inning relief outing. The staff ace pitched just 5 1/3 innings during the super regional, as she exited Game 1 early due to illness.

“I mean, what are the chances?” Deifel said of Herron and Burnham being sick for Game 1. “What are the chances? And this team still fought, and they gave it their all.”

Burnham got the Razorbacks out of the fourth without any further damage.

Brady gave the Rebels insurance in the top of the seventh with a two-out, solo home run over the wall in left-center field. Brady’s team-leading 17th homer of the season set the final score.

Burnham gave up 5 runs on 4 hits and 1 walk with 4 strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings.

Ellis drew a one-out walk in the seventh, but the game ended with back-to-back strikeouts from Day and Wyckoff.

“I’m heartbroken for this group,” Deifel said. “The heart and the fight and the character that they showed throughout the year. This group was an absolute blast…. probably the most enjoyable year of coaching I’ve had.”

Binford (11-3) allowed 1 run on 2 hits and 2 walks with 4 strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.

“Just before every inning, I looked at my infield and I said, ‘If you guys trust me, we’ve got this,’ ” Binford said. “I mean, I trust them all the way. Sometimes you make errors, sometimes things don’t go the right way, but if we had freaked out, then what would that have done? I knew I had to get back on the mound and pitch, and I trusted my defense all the way.”