Arizona softball got its first conference win after opening 0-8 in its conference schedule with a win in the final game of the three-game series against the University of Washington over the weekend. 

Game 1 (April 1)

In the first game of the series at Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium, Arizona lost a high-scoring game against the Huskies 12-7. Arizona’s offense was on fire, scoring 7 runs on 11 hits with a total of seven RBIs. 

Carlie Scupin and Paige Dimler were the offensive MVPs of the game, both hitting home runs. Scupin had two RBIs and Dimler had three RBIs. Allie Skaggs got in on the scoring as well, hitting an RBI single to get the Wildcats on the board first in the third inning. Washington immediately tied it with a home run of their own in the fourth inning. 

The teams matched each other through the fifth inning when they each scored 4 runs each as well. Washington cemented a win in the sixth inning when they scored 7 runs to take a definitive lead and retired Arizona’s final six batters as well.

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Game 2 (April 2)

In the second game, the Wildcats lost a heartbreaker 7-5. The offense was inconsistent, but Dimler did start the scoring off with a solo home run to be up 1-0 in the second inning. Washington scored on a home run to tie it and then Skaggs retook the lead with another home run. 

The Wildcats scored 3 more runs in the fourth inning to go up 5-2. Madi Elish started the game for the Wildcats as pitcher and then was replaced by Hanah Bowen. 

Baylee Klingler, the Pac-12’s home run leader, iced the game for Washington when she hit a grand slam, and the Huskies took the lead for good at 7-5. Bowen allowed three hits and a walk in three innings.

Game 3 (April 3)

In the third game, the Wildcats won their first game in the conference play-off with a walk-off home run from Sharlize Palacios, 10-9. Arizona’s offense was humming all game, most notably scoring 5 runs in the first inning. 

Skaggs struck first with a solo home run. Sophia Carroll hit a two-RBI single, and Jasmine Perezchica hit an RBI single as well and the Wildcats were up 5-1 after one inning. Washington answered in the second inning with a home run and an RBI single. 

Dimler then extended Arizona’s lead with an RBI single. The Huskies and Wildcats traded runs in the fifth inning as well with the Huskies getting 2 runs and Scupin getting a 2-run home run. Washington scored 4 runs in the sixth inning to take the lead and held Arizona scoreless for the rest of the inning. 

Bowen retired three straight Washington batters, setting the stage for Palacios to hit a 2-run walk-off home run. A thrilling way for the Wildcats to finally get a conference win.

The Wildcats look to keep the momentum going with its upcoming road trip against Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon which will be the team’s first conference series against a team that’s not ranked in the top-25. The series starts on April 8 at 6 p.m. 

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