The No. 2 Arizona softball team rolled through the Arizona Battle of Champions last night, defeating Pima Community College and Phoenix College in exhibition contests at Hillenbrand Stadium.
All three teams competing in the Battle of Champions won national championships last year in their respective divisions.
UA pitcher Taryne Mowatt dominated Pima in the nightcap, pitching a perfect game and striking out 11 of the 15 batters she faced in an 11-0 Arizona win.
Center-fielder Caitlin Lowe saved the perfect game in the top of the fourth inning with a diving catch on a fly ball that was dying fast.
“”I wouldn’t have gotten (the perfect game) if I didn’t have Caitlin making a great play in centerfield,”” Mowatt said. “”I couldn’t have done it without the defense.””
In the bottom of the fourth Lowe did her part for the offense, driving in the first two runs of the game with a double. On the very next pitch second baseman Chelsie Mesa hit a home run over the right field wall to give the Wildcats a 4-0 lead.
Following a bases-loaded walk, designated player Sam Banister hit a grand slam to center field to give the Wildcats a 9-0 lead.
Right fielder Cyndi Duran, who played for Pima last season, hit her first career home run at Arizona in fourth inning to drive home the last two runs.
“”It was probably more amazing because it was against my old team, but I mean anything like that, it was my first one ever,”” Duran said. “”A feeling like that, I’ve never felt that before. It was one of the most exciting things I’ve ever done in my life.””
Mowatt pitched a flawless fifth inning to wrap up the perfect game and run-rule the Aztecs.
In their first game, the Wildcats defeated Phoenix College 9-1 in another five-inning contest.
Mesa, who attended Phoenix College before transferring to Arizona, hit a solo home run in the first inning as the Wildcats jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead.
UA head coach Mike Candrea took advantage of the pressure-free environment the exhibition contest offered and experimented with players at new positions. Third baseman Jenae Leles started at pitcher in place of freshman Sarah Akamine, who had some soreness in her arm, while Banister started in Leles’ place at third.
Leles allowed four hits and one unearned run in five innings of work and also drove in a run on an RBI groundout in the first inning.
Laine Roth, normally the designated player, started at first base for Banister and hit a grand slam in the fourth inning that broke the game open.
All three Wildcats on base for the Roth grand slam, Jill Malina, Danielle Rodriguez and Duran, were in the game as pinch-runners as Candrea used his substitutions judiciously in the exhibition contest.
Mesa hit her second home run of the game to cap Arizona’s scoring in a seven-run fourth inning.
She said she called her former coach, Phoenix College’s Heinz Mueller, before the game and give him a hard time about squaring off against him.
“”We were pretty close, you know. I had him as my coach for two years,”” Mesa said. “”It was really nice. I had fun playing (Phoenix). I didn’t know any of the girls on the team but it was cool. I was excited.””
