Courtesy of Arizona Communication Services/Photo – Brittany Mead
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – Taylor McQuillin threw a one-hit shutout, Aleah Craighton hit a two-run homer and the Wildcats defeated No. 4 Oklahoma 2-0 to close out the Wildcats’ 5-0 trip to the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, their first undefeated trip in Palm Springs since 2010.
In her third start and fifth appearance in three days, McQuillin was dominant. What else is new? McQuillin’s one-hit shutout was her fourth in-a-row dating back to last week. The junior struck out seven Sooners in the masterpiece. The shutout was the first against the two-time defending champion Sooners since Feb. 11, 2017.
Over the span of three days, McQuillin went 4-0 and earned the save in the only game she didn’t win. On the year, she’s 9-1 with a 1.06 ERA.
McQuillin outdueled Oklahoma’s Paige Parker, who had not allowed an earned run on the season entering today. Parker gave up two runs on five hits with four strikeouts. The senior dropped to 5-1 in 2018.
Craighton’s home run came with one out in the second inning. It scored Alyssa Palomino from first, who singled one batter prior. UA had pressure on Parker the rest of the game, putting runners in scoring position in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, but could not insure the 2-0 lead.
The two runs would be plenty for McQuillin. After the first two Sooners of the game reached, she was stellar. She struck out the final three batters in the first and then did not allow a Sooner runner to reach second base until a two-out walk put the tying runs on in the sixth.
Up next: Arizona heads to Texas to take on the Longhorns in a three-game series, Friday-Sunday in Austin.
