(CORVALLIS, OR) Arizona softball junior Jessie Harper hit two home runs, her Pac-12-best 14th and 15th of the season, as the 11th-ranked Wildcats mercy-ruled Oregon State, 9-1, in five innings on Friday evening at the Oregon State Softball Complex.
All nine of Arizona’s runs and all eight of its hits came after a 2:27 minute rain delay, which was initiated with nobody on and two out in the top of the second inning.
Arizona plated four runs in the third, one run in the fourth and four runs in the fifth to put away the Beavers. Oregon State scored one unearned run in the fourth inning.
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Taylor McQuillin earned the win to improve to 10-5 on the season. The senior allowed the single unearned run on just three hits with six strikeouts and no walks in the rain-interrupted start.
Harper brought in four runs with her two home runs to lead the Wildcat offense. Reyna Carranco, Malia Martinez, Rylee Pierce and Hannah Martinez also brought in runs for the Wildcats. Both Carranco and Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza extended their season-long hitting streaks to 11 games in the contest.
Harper’s two home runs were UA’s 52 and 53rd of the season and increased UA’s NCAA lead in home runs/game (1.83). Arizona’s 53 home runs are its most through 29 games since 2009 (61), while Harper’s 15 are the most through 29 games since at least 2003.
With the victory, UA improved to 22-7 (4-0 Pac-12) with three run-rule victories over its perfect 4-0 start to conference play. Not even two weeks into league play, Arizona’s three mercy wins already eclipse last year’s Pac-12 total of two. Oregon State fell to 17-8 (1-3 Pac-12) with the loss.
KEY INNINGS
Top 3: After stranding runners in scoring position in each of the first two innings, the Cats finally cashed in in the third. Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza extended her hitting streak to 11 games with a single to lead off the inning. After a fielder’s choice, Jessie Harper crushed her Pac-12-best 14th home run of the season, a two-run shot to give the Cats the lead. The next three Wildcats reached to load the bases for Rylee Pierce, who grounded into an RBI fielder’s choice to put the Cats up 3-0. Hannah Martinez followed with a single to give the Wildcats a 4-0 lead. (4-0, UA)
Top 4: The Cats loaded the bases once again in the fourth with just one out. Malia Martinez sent a fly ball deep to left field that was caught on the run by OSU left fielder Jessica Garcia, but plated another run to give the Cats a five-run lead. (5-0, UA)
Top 5: UA plated four more runs in the top of the fifth inning, using a Reyna Carranco RBI single and Harper’s second two-run homer of the day, to take an eight-run lead. (9-1, UA).
UP NEXT
The Wildcats and Beavers will meet in game 2 of the series on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. on the Pac-12 Networks.
Courtesy of Arizona Communication Services
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