Even though the Arizona softball team ended its shutout victory streak, the Wildcats still came away with two wins on Saturday with scores of 8-0 against South Mountain College and 13-2 against Central Arizona College.
“The effort that this team has put out every day has been good,” head coach Mike Candrea said. “We get to play a lot of people which is what the fall season is all about. I am also very pleased with our pitching.”
The three Arizona pitchers freshman Nancy Bowling, and juniors Estela Piñon and Shelby Babcock only allowed three hits all night. Bowling led the trio with 11 strikeouts in 4 innings.
In the first game of the evening against the South Mountain College Cougars, it took the Wildcats until the third inning to get on the scoreboard.
Senior third baseman Bridgette Del Ponte lit the fire under Arizona as she hit a sacrifice fly for a run.
With bases loaded the pressure was all on South Mountain College’s pitcher Cassandra Martinez to bring the heat. After walking sophomore shortstop Shelby Pendley, the Cougars were down by two runs.
Junior catcher Kelsey Rodriguez was the next Arizona player to bring in another runner, but the all-star of the game was freshman second baseman Mandie Perez.
Perez’s line drive cleared the bases for the Wildcats, increasing Arizona’s lead to 6-0 still at the bottom of the third.
Freshman Lauren Young would be the final batter of the inning for Arizona because South Mountain College caught her hit. However, Perez snuck in to steal another run for the Wildcats as they led the Cougars 7-0.
After South Mountain College suffered through two additional scoreless innings, Del Ponte sealed the deal for Arizona by hitting the ball out of the park giving the Wildcats its fourth consecutive shutout victory with a score of 8-0.
In their second game of the night, Arizona wasted no time getting on the board against Central Arizona College.
After consecutive base hits by sophomore outfielder Hallie Wilson and Del Ponte, sophomore catcher Chelsea Goodacre hit a home run giving the Wildcats a 3-0 lead at the bottom of the first inning.
Arizona would not get another run until the bottom of the third inning.
Two deep hits by Rodriguez and Young brought in a total of three runs as Arizona extended its lead 6-0.
By the bottom of the fourth inning, Pendley’s hit and an error by the Vaqueros’ outfield gave the Wildcats two additional runs tying the score from the first game of the night 8-0.
The Wildcats threw away their fifth consecutive shutout in the fifth inning.
A combination of Central Arizona’s strong hit to the outfield and a case of the drops by Arizona defense put the Vaqueros on the scoreboard 2-8.
The Wildcats would break the number of runs scored in a game so far this fall season in the bottom of the fifth inning when Wilson came up to bat.
Her hit gave Arizona a lead 9-2, but the night was not over.
Goodacre hit a grand slam in the fifth inning and gave the Wildcats their most runs scored in a game in the fall season.
“I thought tonight was a good example of our team,” Candrea said. “We gave up a couple runs, but good teams come back and score and we did. So, there are a lot of good things happening right now, but of course there it is still a work in progress.”
