TUCSON, Ariz. – No. 12 Arizona put the finishing touches on a three-game sweep of Oregon on Sunday afternoon at Hillenbrand Stadium, defeating the Ducks in game 3, 8-3. The Wildcats outscored Oregon 24-3 over the three-game sweep.
Reyna Carranco continued her offensive tear, extending her hitting streak to 10 games with three more hits on Sunday. She finished a triple shy of the cycle, including her second grand slam of the year. Carrano's home run, the fourth of the season for the junior, was Arizona's second of the day and ninth of the weekend vs. Oregon.
Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza also homered in the game, her third of the weekend and 10th of the season, making Arizona the only school in the country with three players with at least 10 home runs. Palomino-Cardoza's third-inning homer also extended her season-long hitting streak to 10 games.
After cruising to a pair of 8-0, run-rule victories in the first two games of the series, UA had to respond to adversity and overcome its first deficit of the weekend on Sunday. After the Cats jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, Oregon plated a pair of unearned runs in the top of the third to take a 2-1 lead. The Wildcats tied the game and then re-took the lead in bottom half of the inning and never looked back. Five runs of insurance in the bottom of the fifth put the game away.
Taylor McQuillin (9-5) earned the victory in relief for Arizona. The senior pitched the final 4.1 innings and allowed one run on six hits with four strikeouts and no walks. She replaced starter
Alyssa Denham, who retired the first eight batters of the game before running into trouble and ultimately allowing two unearned runs in the third inning. Denham had four strikeouts and two walks over 2.2 innings.
Arizona (21-7, 3-0 Pac-12) picked up its first sweep over Oregon (11-13, 0-3 Pac-12) since the 2007 season and became the first team in the Pac-10/12 to sweep Oregon since Cal did so April 15-17, 2011. The Cats have now began each of the last three Pac-12 seasons 3-0.
KEY INNINGS
Bottom 1: Dejah Mulipola doubled home
Reyna Carranco to give the Wildcats the early lead. (1-0, UA)
Top 3: With the bases empty and two out, Oregon mounted a two-out rally that plated two unearned runs. A walk and two singles loaded the bases before a Wildcat error plated two runs to give the Ducks the lead. (2-1, UO)
Bottom 3: The lead did not last long as
Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza led off the bottom of the inning with her third home run of the weekend to tie the game. Carranco doubled and then
Malia Martinez doubled her home to put the Cats back on top. (3-2, UA)
Bottom 5: Two singles and a walk loaded the bases with nobody out for the Wildcats.
Jenna Kean brought in a run with a groundout before the Ducks walked Palomino-Cardoza to re-load the bases for Carranco. The junior smacked her second grand slam of the season to put the Cats on top by six runs. (8-2, UA)
UP NEXT
Arizona heads on the road for the first time this conference season next weekend; the Wildcats head to Corvallis, Oregon to take on Oregon State, next Friday-Sunday.
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