Arizona starting pitcher Taryne Mowatt strikes again.
After throwing a no-hitter last week against Texas Tech, Mowatt once again flirted with the feat when she kept No. 2 Texas A&M hitless until the seventh inning, while adding 13 strikeouts in Friday night’s 5-0 victory for Arizona (10-2) at Hillenbrand Stadium.
The Wildcats’ last loss came at the hands of the Aggies (12-1) Feb. 11 in the Kajikawa Classicin Tempe when Mowatt came on in relief in the sixth inning to try to preserve a late Arizona lead but ended up falling victim to a two-run walk-off home run from Megan Gibson in the bottom of the seventh.
Mowatt (6-2), who has not given up a home run since, said she was happy she was able to avenge Arizona’s earlier loss to the Aggies.
“”It feels really good because ever since then they have been ranked higher than us,”” Mowatt said. “”My pitches were working and mainly I was hitting my spots. I felt like a completely different pitcher than I was that Sunday.””
Texas A&M’s Jami Lobpries led off the top of the seventh inning with a single, ending Mowatt’s quest for another no-hitter, but Arizona head coach Mike Candrea said he was pleased with his team’s performance.
“”It was a good ball game. I’ll take it. Taryne (Mowatt) did an outstanding job,”” Candrea said. “”That’s the kind of game you need to win, and that’s the kind of game you need to play against good teams.
After Texas A&M starter Amanda Scarborough (6-1) started off the game striking out the side in the first two innings, the Wildcats got their offense going in the bottom of the third.
Following a leadoff walk to start the inning drawn by first baseman Sam Banister, right fielder Adrienne Acton reached on a fielder’s choice. Senior center fielder Caitlin Lowe walked and then left fielder K’Lee Arredondo reached on an infield single that loaded the bases with only one out.
Third baseman Janae Leles knocked in the first run of the game on a single up the middle that scored Acton. After shortstop Kristie Fox fouled out, second baseman Chelsie Mesa added a two-RBI single that gave the Wildcats a 3-0 advantage heading into the fourth.
Lowe later scored in the fifth inning after Fox’s single, and catcher Callista Balko added icing on the cake with a solo home run to left field in the sixth inning.
“”We had a rough time the first time around the batting order,”” Fox said. “”I think we all really learned from our first at-bats and came around the second time a lot better.””
