(Tucson, AZ) After dispatching Drake 3-0 on Thursday night, the Cats looked for a repeat on Friday in the second day of th Wildcat Invitational this weekend.
The Bulldogs drew first blood in the top of the first on a RBI single. Drake needed to put pressure on the Wildcats die to not scoring any runs in the first game of the tournament.
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Alyssa Duhnam was in the circle for Arizona gave up three hit to open the game but got out of the jam with only one run given up.
In the home half of the third inning, lead off batter Jenna Keen got on the clean single to left field but Alyssa Palomino-Cardozo struck out swinging for the first out. Reyna Carranco took a 2-2 pitch to the right center field gap driving in Kean to tie up the game. Jesse Harper jacked the first pitch off Nicole Newman well past the left field wall for two RBI’s to put the Cats up 3-1. It was Harper’s seventh homer of the season. Malia Martinez followed with a single to right field after Dejah Mulipola was thrown out at first off a swinging bunt. Tamara Statman closed out the inning with a liner to the second baseman.
The Bulldogs went down quietly and in order in the fourth inning and had only one hit past the first inning.
The Cats added a run in the bottom of the fourth inning when Palomino-Cardozo drove in Rylee Pierce with a double to the gap to put Zona up 4-1.
In the 5th, Harper struck again with her second solo blast and PAC-12 leading eighth home run to extend the lead to 5-1.
Drake got back in the scoring column with a two run homer by Libby Ryan, her first of the year. It was the fourth home run given up by Dunham. She walked the next batter which brought out the hook from Head Coach Mike Candrea.
Insert Ace Taylor McQuillin who inhereted runner a runner at first and quickly gave up a double. With runners now at second and third, McQuillin struck out the next three batters to close down the comeback attempt and the Drake half of the sixth inning.
The Wildcats got a run back when Pierce sent one over the wall in center field. Left fielder Carli Campbell to center and Keen followed with a text book bunt and put runner on first and second still with no one put. A passed ball moved both Campbell and Kean up a notch. Palomino-Cardoza followed with a sharp grounder up the middle for two RBI and got back the three runs Drake scored in the top half of the inning. Carranco sacrificed the runner to second with a bunt and the first out.
Not wanting to give up a third home run to Harper, Newman pitched around her and ultimately walked her to put runner back on first and second. After Mulipola struck out swinging Malia Martinez singled up the middle driving in Palomino for the fourth run of the inning. Stat struck out to end a very productive inning for the Cats who led 9-4 with Drake’s last chance in the top of the seventh.
Ryan who had Drake’s home run struck out to end the game and an Arizona win 9-4
In relief, McQuillan had six strikeouts and dominated Drake to seal the win and give the Cats an 11-5 recod heading into second game of the twi-night double header against Kent State Golden Flashes.
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