(Tucson, AZ) Kim Doss
After winning a close game against the #24 South Carolina Upstate Spartans on Saturday, ninth ranked Arizona softball was looking to end the Wildcat Invitational on a high note when they faced the Spartans again on Sunday afternoon. The Wildcats put together a good all around effort to win 9-1 by the run rule in the fifth inning. They closed out their home tournament with a 6-0 record that put them at 21-2 for the season.
The Spartans lone run came in their first at-bat when shortstop Ansley Gilstrap hit a home run off Arizona freshman right-hander Hanah Bowen. Bowen gave up another single in the inning, but was able to strike out two and limit the damage to the solo home run.
As in their run rule win over South Dakota on Thursday evening, the Wildcat hitters responded with a sense of urgency that head coach Mike Candrea praised after the game. An RBI double by Reyna Carranco evened the game at 1-1, bringing home leadoff hitter Alyssa Palomino. Carranco came in to score on a two-run home run by Jessie Harper, chasing Spartans starter Caylie Van Auken from the game.
Reliever Christina Biggerstaff immediately induced the first out of the inning by getting Aleah Craighton to pop-up to shortstop, but she wasn’t able to keep the Wildcats from scoring again. Arizona went up 4-1 on Dejah Mulipola’s sixth home run of the season before Biggerstaff was able to end the inning.
Arizona pitching coach Taryne Mowatt mentioned the importance of the pitcher’s mindset in settling down after giving up a big hit. Despite her lack of college pitching experience, Bowen showed that mindset by putting up zeros for the rest of the game. From Bowen’s viewpoint, the aggressiveness of the Spartans’ hitters made her focus on hitting the corners. She faced only two hitters over the minimum in the final four innings. She ended her five-inning outing giving up one earned run on only four hits while striking out seven and walking one.
Arizona, on the other hand, took advantage of their opportunities at the plate with patience and by putting the ball in play. While the early scoring came via the long ball, the Wildcats did most of their damage with singles, doubles and walks. They also took advantage of defensive miscues by the Spartans to take the extra base when it was available. An RBI single by Malia Martinez added one run in the bottom of the third, while Carranco and Aleah Craighton each got an RBI in the fourth to put Arizona up 7-1.
With the Spartans facing the possibility of the run rule in the bottom of the fifth, head coach Chris Hawkins brought in a second reliever. Junior right-hander Kori Wancheck took over in the circle to face Martinez. Martinez got on base with a single up the middle, then was lifted for pinch runner Jaycee Lindley. Lindley was moved into scoring position when Hillary Edior drew her second walk of the day. With two on base, Ivy Davis came in to pinch hit for Carli Campbell. Davis ended the game with a double to the outfield, scoring both Lindley and Edior.
“I was just really excited to get in there,” Davis said when asked how to she felt coming in with the opportunity to get the walk-off hit.
After winding up the Wildcat Invitational, Arizona prepares to face the MInnesota Golden Gophers on Wednesday before they host their first PAC-12 series against Utah next weekend. After seeing the Arizona pitchers “make big pitches at big moments,” Mowatt says she likes where they’re at as a staff and thinks they will match up well with the difficult competition in conference play. Candrea said that he is most concerned about getting ace Taylor McQuillin back, after she missed today’s game with the flu that has kept several players out of tournament play this weekend.
