The Arizona softball team continues to impress as they improve to a 6-2 record after a strong performance at home in the Hillenbrand Invitational. They started off the weekend defeating University of California Santa Barbara 11-1 in six innings. 

Friday (2/18) vs UC Santa Barbara

During the bottom of the first inning, sophomore infielder Carlie Scupin reached on a fielding error by UC Santa Barbara shortstop Chloe Stewart to advance sophomore outfielder Jasmine Perezchica to score their first run of the game. In the bottom of the second, sophomore catcher Sharlize Palacios hit a home run to left field bringing in four runners including herself to give the Wildcats a 5-0 lead.

Scupin started off the bottom of the third with a solo home run to right field scoring for the Wildcats. Later in the inning, junior catcher and infielder Izzy Pacho doubled to right field to bring in sophomore infielder Blaise Biringer to score. During the top of the fourth inning, UC Santa Barbara scored their only run of the game off an unearned score from their senior first baseman Rayna Cohen. 

After Scupin got struck out swinging and Biringer fouled out to third, Pacho stepped up to the plate and nailed a solo homer with two outs during the bottom of the fifth inning, giving the Wildcats a comfortable 8-1 lead. Then the Wildcats finished out the game with a 3-run homer from Palacios to send UC Santa Barbara packing as the Wildcats took this game 11-1.

Friday (2/18) vs Long Beach State

In their first of two matchups against Long Beach State this weekend, Scupin started off the bottom of the second inning with a homer to right field to give the Wildcats an early 1-0 lead. Long Beach State wasn’t going to let that home run slide as their catcher Justine Briones nailed a 2-run homer of her own to bring in herself and their right fielder Naomi Hernandez to take the lead 2-1. 

During the bottom of the third, the Wildcats tied the game back up with a double from Palacios to bring in Perezchica to score. Immediately following that, sophomore utility Allie Skaggs homered to left field to bring in herself and Palacios to take the lead back 4-2. 

To finish out the game in the fifth inning, Scupin 2-run homered to center field to extend the lead to 6-2 in favor of the Wildcats. Right after that, Pacho solo homered to left field to give the Wildcats another run on the board to create a 5-point lead. The Wildcats ended up taking this game 7-2. 

Saturday (2/19) vs Loyola Marymount

The Wildcats started the game with a 2-run bomb to center field from Palacios to bring in herself and Janelle Meoño to give the Wildcats a 2-0 lead early. Later in the bottom of the third inning, Biringer singled up the middle to bring in freshman infielder Amber Toven to score for the Wildcats. 

Loyola Marymount University didn’t give up as their first baseman Alyssa Daniell homered to right field to put a run on the board. During the bottom of the sixth inning, Loyola Marymount continued to fight as right fielder Sydney Poole scored off a single down the middle by center fielder Morgan DeBord. That momentum shifted into another score by Loyola Marymount as the Wildcats made an error to force a tie at 3-3. 

During the bottom of the seventh inning, the game slowly started going back into the favor of the Wildcats as Perezchica advanced to second from first on a wild pitch. She then advanced to third on another wild pitch from Loyola Marymount. With no outs and a runner on third, Skaggs sacrifice flied out to the infield allowing Perezchica to score the game-winning run for the Wildcats to steal the game 4-3.  

Saturday (2/19) vs No. 16 Kentucky

This game ended up being a battle of the Wildcats as the No. 9 Arizona hosted No. 16 the University of Kentucky. During the top of the third, Kentucky’s left fielder Lauren Johnson singled to center field allowing catcher Kayla Kowalik to score the first run of the game. Arizona didn’t take that run lightly as Skaggs singled to left field causing Meoño and senior utility Hannah Martinez to score in the bottom of the third, giving Arizona a 2-1 lead. 

During the top of the fourth inning, Kentucky’s third baseman Miranda Stoddard two-run homered to left-center field to gain back the lead for Kentucky 3-2. Arizona responded in the bottom of the fourth inning with a single from Martinez to bring in Biringer and Toven to gain the lead back 4-3. 

The top of the 5th inning is where Kentucky started to pick it up as they scored four runs in the inning. First baseman Taylor Ebbs doubled to center field to bring in shortstop Erin Coffel and Johnson to score. Then one strikeout later, pinch hitter Kennedy Sullivan two-run homered to left to extend the lead to 7-4. 

Arizona kept fighting to take the lead back as Scupin doubled to center field to bring in Palacios for the score. Biringer then doubled to left field allowing sophomore utility Giulia Koutsoyanopu to score for Arizona, bringing the lead for Kentucky back to just a run. Arizona couldn’t manage to tie to take the lead for the rest of the game as Kentucky won the battle 7-6.

Sunday (2/20) vs Long Beach State

The Wildcats defeated Long Beach State 12-2 in five innings to finish out the Hillenbrand Invitational at 4-1 and improve their overall record to 7-2. Skaggs and Sophia Carroll highlighted the day with home runs for each. It was Skaggs’ fourth of the year and Carroll’s first. 

Arizona also scored 12 runs on seven hits. Skaggs also tied Palacios and Scupin for a team-high for home runs. All three have hit four apiece and have been staples of the Arizona offense so far this season. Arizona used an explosive fourth inning to seal the run-rule win. 

Up 6-2 heading into the fourth inning, the scoring started fast. The bases were loaded from the get thanks in part to Palacios getting walked. Meoño scored off a wild pitch and then Perezchica scored thanks to a groundout from Scupin. Perezchica and Toven were brought in thanks to Pacho as well, which made it 10-2 just like that. Carroll then ended Long Beach State’s day with her home run that brought in Koutsoyanopulos as well, and the game ended the next inning. 

Arizona currently ranks No. 9 in the country and will go to Cathedral City, Calif. next to play in the Mary Nutter Classic, where the biggest headliner remains top-ranked University of Oklahoma.

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