On a busy day in Tucson, the Arizona softball team played a doubleheader in the Bear Down Fiesta and pulled off a sweep. The Wildcats beat Coastal Carolina 9-1 in the opener and then Utah Valley 15-0 in the second, both via the run rule.
“We were playing too tight from the beginning of the day Thursday,” said head coach Caitlin Lowe on her team’s ability to bounce back. “We weren’t just letting ourselves go and play free, and today it felt like they kind of released the monkey off their back just a little
bit and went for it.”
The Wildcats were looking for revenge in its first game of Saturday’s double dose of softball. The Chanticleers beat Arizona 6-2 in Friday’s matchup.
Coastal Carolina got the bases loaded to start the game after a walk, hit batter, and a single. However, a pop up ended any chances of scoring for the Chanticleers.
Arizona wasted no time getting to work. The first three batters were walked and a series of wild pitches allowed runners to advance including Regan Shockey who scored when the bases were loaded.
Grace Jenkins helped to build a large lead for the Wildcats with a grand slam to right field, which brought in Sereniti Trice, Tayler Biehl, and Sydney Stewart. After three straight ground outs, Arizona led 5-0 going into the second inning.
The Chanticleers did not produce any scoring in the top of the second, but UA got to work once again putting runs on the scoreboard.
Kiki Escobar, Shockey, and Trice all singled to load the bases again. Then, Escobar scored after a Biehl single, and Stewart followed with a three run home run to put the lead at 9 for Arizona.
Three straight fly outs made it a quick top of the third for Coastal Carolina, and Arizona was also unable to score in the third. Coastal Carolina was able to get the bases loaded once again, but ended up being unable to convert on the opportunity.
The Wildcats did not add to their lead, but set themselves up to be three outs away going into the fifth inning. Coastal Carolina found the scoreboard with a solo home run from Delaney Keith.
Arizona secured the win on a Sarah Wright strikeout to close it out, and quickly turned its attention to Utah Valley for the second game of Saturday’s double header.
Freshman pitcher Rylie Holder made her debut at the mound and started her season with a strikeout against the Wolverines. A ground out and line out ended the inning for Utah Valley as it was unable to find the scoreboard.
“It was awesome just to finally play like a real game with the girls behind me is amazing,” said Holder on getting back out on the field.
It was the Wildcats who found the scoreboard first. Both Shockey and Trice singled to start, and Biehl grounded out to advance both runners. Stewart also followed with a ground out but it allowed Shockey to score, putting Arizona up 1-0 at the end of the first inning.
Holder got her second strikeout to start the second inning. The Wildcats kept Utah Valley off the scoreboard, and did not take long to put a run on in the bottom of the second.
Kaz Lucas started scoring with a solo home run, it was her first collegiate hit and safe to say it was one she will remember.
“It felt good,” said Lucas. “I think just the support from the team was a big help tonight. We all came up, showed up, and we’re going to continue to do that.”
Escobar singled and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Addison Duke was then able to get to first on a Wolverine error, and a bad throw allowed Escobar to score.
Duke stole second and then advanced to third when Shockey hit a single. Trice then hit a single but got to third on a Utah Valley error that brought in both Duke and Shockey to extend Arizona’s lead to 6-0.
Lucas continued her career day with her second hit and second home run of the season and extended the lead to seven.
“She went for it, and then after the first one, it’s like getting the first one and then her takes were better after that, everything was more aggressive, and she just clocked in right to the game,” said Lowe about Lucas.
The Wildcats could not add to their lead after that, but were still in complete control of the game.
A double play from the Wildcats and then a ground out sent the game to the bottom of the fourth with Arizona leading 7-0. Shockey started the bottom of the fourth with a double and advanced to third after Trice grounded out.
Biehl would walk and then steal second, and then was followed by a near inside the park home run by Stewart that brought in Shockey and Biehl. Jenkins singled to bring in Stewart and the Arizona lead was put to double digits.
Emma Kavanagh added to the Wildcats’ dominant lead with a three run home run that brought in Camila Zepeda and Shyanne Duke who were both pinch running. Anyssa Wild continued the scoring with a two run home run that brought Arizona’s lead to 15.
Arizona went to the fifth inning just three outs away from a Saturday sweep and a 15-0 lead. A double play and a ground out finished the deal for the Wildcats.
The Saturday sweep sends them into a weekend finale matchup against Creighton tomorrow at 11:30 a.m.
“The goal is to get better every day, and today, we got better,” said Lowe. “Yesterday, we didn’t get any better. So that’s the goal at the end of the day, just to be a better team.”
