Arizona softball went 2-3 over the weekend at the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif., with all three losses coming against highly ranked opponents.
Florida, Auburn and Baylor combined to outscore the No. 13 Wildcats 39-3. Arizona, however, did pick up a pair of wins over Long Beach State and Fresno State and left the tournament with a 21-6 record.
Arizona opened up the tournament Friday afternoon by falling to No. 1 Florida 10-0 in a six-inning run-ruled game.
The defending national champion Gators scored five runs over five innings against Arizona pitcher Michelle Floyd, who picked up her third loss of the year.
Florida broke the game open, with the lead 5-0 going into the sixth inning on a grand slam off Nancy Bowling. The Wildcats’ bats could get nothing going, as the lineup recorded just three hits.
Arizona suffered its worst loss in program history Friday night, a 20-2, five-inning defeat to No. 14 Auburn.
The Tigers jumped on Arizona pitcher Trish Parks from the start, who allowed seven runs — six earned — in one inning of work. Floyd came in for relief, but she also suffered a pounding on the mound, allowing six runs over two innings.
Auburn scored seven more runs off of Siera Phillips. The Tigers’ 20 runs were the most Arizona has allowed in school history.
Parks provided Arizona’s only offensive production of the night with a two-run homer in the second inning. The Wildcats produced four total hits as a team.
Arizona turned things around Saturday night with a 2-1 victory over Long Beach State behind a complete game from Floyd. The sophomore struck out five, walked one and allowed four hits over seven innings.
The Wildcats picked up both of their runs in the top of the first inning. Chelsea Suitos scored on Kellie Fox’s double to center field. Fox later scored on a Long Beach State error.
Once again, Arizona’s bats were mostly silenced as the UA notched just five hits.
In the bottom of the sixth, it looked like the lack of offensive production might come back to haunt the Wildcats, as Long Beach State put a pair of runners on base with no outs. However, Floyd was able to limit the damage to just one run. The seventh and final inning went by uneventful.
Arizona picked up its third loss of the weekend early Sunday afternoon, falling 9-1 to No. 9 Baylor.
The Wildcats gained an early, second-inning lead on a wild pitch that scored Parks. After holding Baylor scoreless through three, the lead disappeared in the fourth inning as the Bears put up a five spot on Floyd.
Bowling allowed four more runs in two innings of relief. Phillips closed the loss with a scoreless seventh inning. Arizona’s offense was held to six hits in another muted performance.
Arizona defeated Fresno State 7-1 in the final game of the weekend.
The Wildcats’ lineup finally broke out with nine hits, including a three-run, second-inning homer from Lauren Young. Right fielder Katiyana Mauga went 2-3 with an RBI, while freshman Ashleigh Hughes added two more RBIs.
On the mound, Floyd allowed one earned run over seven innings in her second complete game of the tournament.
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