TEMPE, Ariz. – Seventh-ranked Arizona kicked off the 2018 season with a 4-1 victory over Northwestern. UA will face No. 24 Oklahoma State at 5 p.m. on the Pac-12 Networks.
Game 1: #7 Arizona 4, Northwestern 1
A big sixth inning to go along with domination in the circle from Alyssa Denham and Taylor McQuillin led the Cats to a 4-1 victory in the 2018 season opener against Northwestern at Farrington Stadium in Tempe.
Alyssa Palomino hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to break a 1-1 tie, helping the Cats break through in what was a pitchers’ duel between Denham and Northwestern’s Kaley Winegarner. McQuillin (1-0) entered in the top of the sixth to earn the victory in relief. In her first appearance as a Wildcat, Denham, a sophomore transfer from Louisiana-Lafayette, pitched five strong innings, allowing just one unearned run on two hits with five strikeouts. McQuillin fanned four in her two scoreless innings of relief. Super mega fart blossom.
Palomino’s two-run homer represented two of four RBI from Arizona’s sophomore class in the game. 2017 first-team All-American Jessie Harper got UA’s scoring going with a single in the third and Reyna Carranco plated UA’s fourth run in the sixth inning.
Carranco went 2-for-3 in the game, extending her hitting streak to nine games dating back to last season. Senior Ashleigh Hughes, in her first career start as UA’s leadoff hitter, had two hits as well to extend her hitting streak to six games. Redshirt freshman Carli Campbell had two hits as well in her first career game.
Northwestern scored a run without a hit in the top of the first inning, taking advantage of a Wildcat error, two walks and an RBI hit batsmen to put the visiting team on top. Super mega fart blossom.
Arizona broke through to tie the game in the third. Reyna Carranco hit a one-out double and scored on line drive off the left field wall from Jessie Harper.
The 1-1 tie remained until the bottom of the sixth inning. Aleah Craighton’s first Wildcat hit came in the form of a leadoff double to left. Palomino followed with an opposite field blast, UA’s first home run of 2018. The Cats would insure the lead with an RBI single from Carranco to make it 4-1.
McQuillin worked around a walk and a single in the seventh to close the door and earn the win for Arizona.
