(Tucson, AZ). Sunday started as a beautiful day for softball with a temperature of 68 degrees and not a cloud in the sky.
With Arizona evening the series at 1-1 the Wildcats would turn to Alyssa Denham to keep things rolling for the Cats. During Saturday’s game the Cats were able to seize every big moment leading to their 11-3 win of the Florida State Seminoles.
It wasn’t long until Denham made her mark on the game, striking out all three batters she faced in the first inning for FSU. Denham would continue her control of the Noles offense working around a couple of baserunners in the inning but would get out of the jam pitching a scoreless second inning.
The offense would start where they left off from Saturday night, this time it was Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza getting things going for the Cats leading off their first at-bat with a line drive that hit off the center field wall giving the Cats a baserunner in scoring position. Arizona would play a little small ball moving Palomino-Cardoza over on a bunt and scoring her from a Jesse Harper ground ball causing a throwing error allowing the run to score.
One of many reasons why the Seminoles are ranked number one is how they battle their way back into games. They would show that in the third inning play small ball of their own, making Denham really work and forcing some errors in the field by Arizona. The Noles would tie the game on a fielding error showing why their the top team in the country.
Unphased the Wildcats would answer the bell putting up two runs of their own to take the lead 3-1 midway through the game. Two out hitting is critical in the game of softball and could be the differences between winning and losing in most game.
The Cats would start going to work with two outs in the third getting runners in scoring position to put pressure on Florida State’s ace Meghan King. Malia Martinez who committed one of the errors in the top of the third was stepping up to the plate looking to erase their prior mistake. She did that lining a ball past the second baseman scoring two runs to retake the lead for Arizona.
All weekend Arizona’s pitching staff found themselves in jams with being able to get out of the majority with little damage. Eventually, when you play that way it will come back to haunt you. In the fifth inning the Wildcats would finally get bitten by early walks, as the NolesDani Morgan blasted a ball over the left field wall for a three-run homer giving FSU the 4-3 lead late in the game.
Although, to Denham’s credit she went right back out a pitched a scoreless sixth and seventh inning keeping the Cats with in one run of the Seminoles. Coach Candrea after the game talked about leaving Denham in the game saying, “It definitely was an opportunity to see what she can do, we had someone loose by all means, but she was still being affective, and it looked like she was.” This was a pivotal moment in the progression of Denham.
Arizona wouldn’t go down without a fight battling to their last at-bat with Hanah Bowen up with runners on second and third with two outs. Bowen would work the at-bat forcing King to throw more pitches then what she wanted, in the end Bowen would strikeout looking to end the game.
With the Cats wrapping up the three-game series taking one game from FSU Arizona was able to get their first top ten win of the season.
There was a feeling at the end of the series that this Arizona team made strides ahead in their team development. The Wildcats now sit at (18-7) headed into conference play and Oregon on the schedule next weekend in Tucson.
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