The No. 8 Arizona softball team is finally starting to exemplify what “”Arizona Softball”” is all about.
After a less-than-stellar start to the season in which it dropped games it probably shouldn’t have – including losses to Nevada and then-unranked San Diego State – the Wildcats (11-4) are starting to take the form of the last two season’s national championship teams.
In Arizona’s first weekend home it hosted the Hillenbrand Invitational and won all five of its games in round-robin play, capping off the weekend sweep with a 9-1 run-rule victory over New Mexico State yesterday.
The Wildcats winning streak has now reached nine games.
“”This was a good weekend right here,”” said Arizona interim head coach Larry Ray. “”We played some very good teams, we swung the bat, and we played really good defense, and that is Arizona softball.
“”I was very pleased with the way they approached each game and I think this team is back on track.””
Freshman pitcher Lindsey Sisk (6-1) won her sixth consecutive game when she topped the Aggies. She started off the game with four perfect innings and gave the Wildcats more than enough pitching to race away with the win.
Sisk, who lost her first career start to then-No. 3 Texas A&M, has looked nearly untouchable since, posting a sub-1.00 ERA this season.
“”(Lindsey) is doing really well this year. She is a gamer,”” said pitching coach Gale Bundrick. “”She does a great job moving the ball around and we are working with her to get her some new pitches.””
For Sisk, she is just happy to contribute to the team in a positive way.
“”We are playing really well right now,”” Sisk said. “”All my pitches have basically been working for me. … I felt really comfortable and ready to go out there and get the win.””
Arizona beat Iowa State 7-1 and run-ruled South Florida 12-0 in five innings Friday, then went on to blowout Illinois-Chicago 18-3 in five innings and beat No. 24 Virginia Tech 4-3 in a 12-inning game Saturday.
Perhaps Arizona’s most impressive victory of the weekend came in the extra-innings affair against the Hokies.
Ace Taryne Mowatt won a pitchers duel over Virginia Tech’s Angela Tincher, as she threw all 12 innings, while posting 20 strikeouts and allowed only two earned runs.
Tincher drew the loss after freshman outfielder Brittany Lastrapes hit a walk-off RBI single up the middle in the bottom of the 12th inning after striking out four times in her previous five at-bats.
Tincher matched Mowatt pitch for pitch, as she struck out 21 over her 11 2/3 innings.
“”It was a great weekend and I thought we did a lot of good things,”” Mowatt said. “”We are getting into a rhythm. We have a little win streak going on, and things are starting to look up for us.””
