The Arizona Wildcats needed their defense to come up big. They needed the bats to come alive. They needed their pitching to be solid enough to let those other aspects win the game against Marshall to advance to the winners’ bracket. All three did what was needed in a 7-5 victory in Arizona’s opening game at the Durham Regional.
“It really feels good to get the first one,” said Arizona head coach Caitlin Lowe.
Grace Jenkins was the heroine for the second time this postseason. The senior utility player
accounted for Arizona’s only run at the Big 12 Softball Tournament last weekend. She accounted for six of the seven runs against the Thundering Herd to open the NCAA postseason.
“I think Grace did a great job being ready for that first at-bat,” Lowe said.
Jenkins went 2 for 3 at the plate. Both hits were 3-run bombs. The other RBI was the doing of senior shortstop Tayler Biehl, who knocked in Regan Shockey just before Jenkins hit her second home run of the day.
Both teams hit the ball out early and often. Jenkins’ first homer of the day came in the bottom of the first to put Arizona up 3-0. The second one was in the fifth. It was nothing new for the senior transfer.
“I can lean on my past experience even though I’m wearing a new uniform,” Jenkins said.
Marshall’s Sydni Burko also had a 2-for-3 day with two home runs. She sent the ball out of the park in the third and the seventh. Herd teammates Bella Gerlach and Chandler Hoskins each threw in round-trippers for good measure. Gerlach got the first one to get a run back in the top of the second. Hoskins’ two-run shot came in the sixth when Arizona was threatening to run-rule the Herd.
The difference between Jenkins’ home runs and most of those hit by the Herd was how many got on base in front of the big flies. Jenkins had two Wildcats on both times. Three of Marshall’s four home runs were solo shots.
Arizona got most of its offensive production from hitters in the 2-5 holes. Addison Duke showed some signs that she’s starting to see the ball better, though. For the second straight outing, she drew a late-game walk that put the Wildcats in a threatening position. The leadoff walk was the prelude to a four-run inning that decided the game.
In addition to Jenkins, Biehl and Sereniti Trice had the biggest offensive impacts. Biehl was 2-for-3 with an RBI. She scored two runs. Trice went 3-for-3 with two runs scored.
Trice was also the big difference in Arizona’s defensive effort. She and fellow Big 12 All-Defensive honoree Shockey teamed up for a crucial out to lead off the fourth.
Marshall had cut Arizona’s lead to 3-2 with solo home runs in the second and third innings. Gerlach led off the fourth. She tried to stretch a long single to center into a double, but she hasn’t yet heard that one simply doesn’t run on Regan Shockey.
Shockey threw a strike back into Trice at second. Arizona’s second baseman applied the perfect tag. Gerlach was initially called safe, but Trice immediately put her hands to her ears to tell the coaches to challenge. They trusted her.
Trice was right. Her tag got Gerlach just before the runner straightened her wrist to touch the base. It was an easy miss when the play was live, but the review showed the brief moment when Trice beat Gerlach.
Arizona’s pitching did enough that the great efforts of Jenkins and Trice paid off. Senior Jalen Adams got the start. She gave up four earned runs on six hits and two walks over 5.1 innings. Three of the six hits left the yard, demonstrating that the home runs by Arizona and its opponents aren’t really tied to the desert environment as much as people might think.
“I think you just have to look at the structure of our regional,” Lowe said. “I think we have really good offensive teams.
After the third home run. Adams was replaced by freshman Rylie Holder. Holder gave up a single but got the final two outs of the sixth inning with a lineout and a strikeout.
Holder returned in the top of the seventh. Arizona led 7-4 and just needed three outs to advance.
Marshall made it interesting. Burko’s solo home run to lead off the seventh ended Holder’s day.
In such situations, Arizona often has the starter re-enter the game. Instead, the coaches went with sophomore Jenae Berry.
“She’s a great matchup for their lineup, in general,” Lowe said.
Berry didn’t appear to think about the moment. The young righthander didn’t make it too big. She earned her second save of the season by using a strikeout, a flyout, and a popup to sit down the three batters she faced.
“I thought Jenae was nails at the end of the game,” Lowe said.
Adams earned the win to improve her record to 21-9.
Arizona now moves on to play Duke in the first game on Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 10 a.m. MST. It will stream on ESPN+ and the radio call will be on 1400 AM (KTUC).
Duke took care of Howard in Game 1 of the regional. The Blue Devils used 10 hits and six walks to run-rule the Bison 10-1 in five innings. Six of their 10 hits were home runs.
If the Wildcats beat Duke, they will not play again until Sunday. If they lose, they will return later in the day to play the winner of the Marshall-Howard game for the right to advance to Sunday’s regional final. In that case, they would need to win two games on Sunday.
