PALM SPRINGS, Calif. -- No. 14 Arizona split its first two games of its Saturday tripleheader, defeating UC Santa Barbara, 9-1 in five innings, before falling, 2-1, to fourth-ranked Oklahoma. Arizona (9-5) wrapped up the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic with a 1-0 exhibition shutout of Team Japan, handing the Japanese National Team its first loss during its American collegiate tour that made stops in Florida prior to its trip to the Mary Nutter.
 
Game 1: #14 Arizona 9, UC Santa Barbara 1 (5 innings)
 
Arizona jumped all over the Gauchos on Saturday morning, plating seven runs on six hits in the bottom of the first and cruising from there to a 9-1, run-rule victory over UC Santa Barbara.
 
Freshman pitcher Marissa Schuld picked up her first career victory in her first career start, allowing one run on five hits with one strikeout and one walk over four innings. Fellow freshman Vanessa Foreman pitched a perfect fifth in her second career appearance.
 
Tamara Statman knocked her second home run of the season, a two-run blast in the second inning, one of four extra-base hits for the Cats in the game. Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza, Dejah Mulipola and Malia Martinez all had doubles for the Cats.
 
Hannah Martinez went 2-for-2 with a couple of RBI, her first career hits and runs batted in in her second career start.
 
Game 2: #4 Oklahoma 2, #14 Arizona 1
 
Fourth-ranked Oklahoma narrowly defeated No. 14 Arizona in a pitchers' duel for the ages between OU's Giselle Juarez and UA's Taylor McQuillin.
 
Both pitchers were dominant through five innings. They combined to allow just three baserunners in that span, two Oklahoma hits and one Arizona walk.
 
But in the sixth, after McQuillin had retired 11 straight batters, Lynnsie Elam led off the inning with a walk for the Sooners. Following a sacrifice bunt, Sydney Romero hit a two-run homer to put the Sooners up 2-0.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, the Wildcats went to the plate in search of two runs to extend the game, and their first hit against Juarez. With one out, Jessie Harper hit a sun-aided double to right field to break up the no-no. One batter later, Dejah Mulipola cut the lead in half with a single up the middle, but she was thrown out in a run-down trying to get back to first base. Arizona would get the tying run on base once again, though, when Malia Martinez singled to right with two out. But Juarez recorded a strikeout to end the game.
 
Game 3: Arizona 1, Team Japan 0 (exhibition)
 
Gina Snyder made the most out of her (unofficial) first appearance of 2019, shutting down one of the world's top lineups in a shutout of the Japanese National Team on Saturday.
 
Snyder went the distance and allowed no runs on four hits. She struck out five and walked one in the excellent outing.
 
The game was tied, 0-0 after 5.5 innings before Dejah Mulipola broke the scoreless tie with a home run to left field, a solo shot with two out in the bottom of the sixth.
 
In the top of the seventh, the top of the Japan order threatened to tie the game, but Snyder closed the door. A leadoff bunt single followed by a sacrifice bunt put the tying run in scoring position with one out for the 3-4 hitters. Snyder induced a popout and a groundout to end the game.
 
According to the team's official Twitter account, this was the first win by a U.S. collegiate team over Team Japan during their American tour this year as the team continues to train for the 2020 Olympics.
 
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