By Marc Raimondi

Talk about a vicious cycle.

University of Arkansas sophomore Danielle Gibson hit for the home-run cycle Saturday in helping the Razorbacks win 15-3 in five innings against SIU-Edwardsville. 

That’s right. Gibson hit four home runs in just four innings — a solo shot, a two-run bomb, a three-run homer, and a grand slam. She’s the first-ever NCAA Division I softball player to pull off such a feat. 

? @RazorbackSB's Danielle Gibson hit the HOME RUN CYCLE on Saturday. ?

(No one in MLB history has ever done that.) pic.twitter.com/iMrdTQm2NI

— espnW (@espnW) February 24, 2019

Gibson hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning, helping Arkansas take the lead after falling behind 2-0. In the second inning, Gibson popped a three-run home run. Gibson blasted a grand slam, blowing the game open, in the third.

With a two-run homer, a three-run blast and a grand slam in her back pocket, all she needed in the fourth inning to complete the historic cycle was a solo shot. And she nailed it on a 3-1 count. Unbelievable.

"When I got to three home runs, I was like, 'This is crazy. I've hit my max,' " Gibson told Whole Hog Sports. "But I just kind of stayed within myself and hit another.”

What’s crazy is that the game stopped after 4-1/2 innings due to the overwhelming Arkansas lead. Gibson might have had a chance for a fifth homer had that not been the case.

"I don't know if I can ever top that game," Gibson said. "Well see.”

Why was SIU-Edwardsville even giving her good pitches to hit? Well, it turns out they actually weren’t. Gibson said she was blasting pitches out of the strike zone into the seats.

"I watched the tape, and three of the pitches I hit home runs were actually balls," she said. "I just decided to swing. Two were up at my eyes and one was low and outside. … I usually try to hit strikes, but it just happened."

Gibson, a California native who transferred from Arizona State to Arkansas, is the first SEC player to ever even hit four home runs in a single game, let alone for the cycle. She’s one of six NCAA Division I softball players to hit four home runs in one game.

"People ask me, 'How did you do it?' " Gibson said. "I just hit the ball hard and it went where it went. But it was pretty unreal.”

No kidding.

Gibson only had one home run on the young season coming into the game. The 6-foot infielder is a legitimate power hitter, though. Gibson had 12 home runs at Arizona State last season. So, while wildly impressive, this kind of power outburst is not entirely unexpected, per her coach. 

"That's just Gibby being Gibby," Arkansas coach Courtney Deifel said. "I expect her to have really good at-bats, and when she's seeing the ball well, she has the ability to put it out.

“You watch her on a daily basis, and she can put on an offensive show. She just has incredible power and hand-eye coordination. She just really knows who she is as a hitter."