TUCSON, Ariz. – No. 12 Arizona picked up a pair of victories on Saturday evening at Hillenbrand Stadium, shutting out No. 23 Minnesota before walking off in extra innings against Kent State.
Taylor McQuillin earned both victories, a shutout of the Golden Gophers and a one-inning relief stint vs. the Golden Flashes.
Tamara Statman had the walkoff fielder's choice vs. Kent State.
The Cats (14-5) conclude the Wildcat Invitational on Sunday vs. No. 18 James Madison at 1:30 p.m. MST. The complete Wildcat Invitational schedule can be found
HERE.
Game 1: #12 Arizona 2, #23 Minnesota 0
Taylor McQuillin struck out 10 Golden Gophers and threw her fourth shutout in her last five starts while
Jessie Harper hit another home run, her fourth in three games and 10th of the season, and Arizona picked up its third win over a ranked team this season, 2-0, over No. 23 Minnesota.
McQuillin allowed just two hits and did not walk a batter in the complete-game gem. She improved to 5-4 on the season with the win.
Arizona grabbed a 2-0 lead three batters into the game on Harper's two-run home run, and hung on from there in the pitcher's duel. Harper,
Tamara Statman,
Rylee Pierce and
Jenna Kean had the hits for the Cats.
The Cats got on the board early with another Harper Homer, her fourth in seven at-bats and 10th of the season. It was a two-run homer in the first to give the Cats the early lead.
Game 2: #12 Arizona 7, Kent State, 6 (8 innings)
No. 12 Arizona fought back from a 4-0 deficit before blowing a 6-4 lead of its own in the seventh inning, only to defeat Kent State in the eighth inning, 7-6 to close out the day.
Tamara Statman collected a pinch-hit, RBI fielder's choice to end the game in the bottom of the eighth, scoring
Hanah Bowen, who was placed at second base to start the eighth inning due to the international tie breaker used in nonconference tournament play.
Taylor McQuillin kept the Golden Flashes off the board in the top of the seventh, retiring the three batters she faced and stranding KSU's free runner at third base.
The ground ball to the right side off Statman's bat in the eighth ended a wild back-and-forth affair.
McQuillin earned the victory, her second of the day, with her lone inning of work. The senior improved to 6-4 on the season. She was the fourth pitcher the Wildcats used on the day.
Vanessa Foreman received her first career start in the circle for the Cats, and allowed four runs on two hits over 2.1 innings, putting the Wildcats in an early 4-0 hole.
Dejah Mulipola cut the lead in half with a two-run homer to left with two out in the third.
In the fourth, with two out and two strikes,
Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza tied the game with a two-run triple to right center. One batter later the Wildcats had the lead on a
Reyna Carranco RBI double.
Mulipola crushed her second home run of the game to lead off the bottom of the fifth, giving her seven for the season.
While the Cats battled back to tie the game and take the lead,
Marissa Schuld was cruising in the circle for the Cats. She had retired 10 of the 12 batters she had faced since entering the game in relief in the top of the third, and entered the seventh with a 6-4 lead.
A single and two errors loaded the bases for Kent State with nobody out to chase Schuld in favor of
Gina Snyder. Snyder hit the first batter she faced to bring in a run. She would allow a sacrifice fly to tie the game, but a strikeout and a groundout ended the top of the seventh with the score 6-6.
After UA failed to score in the bottom of the seventh, McQuillin entered and shut down the Golden Flashes in the top of the eighth, who had a runner at second to start the inning due to international tie breaker rules.
In the bottom of the eighth, Bowen pinch ran for
Malia Martinez at second and quickly moved to third on a wild pitch on the first pitch of the frame.
Izzy Pacho popped out before Statman sent a ground ball deep to the right side to score Bowen to win the game.
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