TUCSON, Ariz. – Arizona head softball coach
Mike Candrea earned career win No. 1,600 on Friday, a 9-1, five-inning defeat of Stanford to clinch the series vs. the Cardinal.
Candrea joined Michigan's Carol Hutchins, who won No. 1,600 last weekend, as the only two in NCAA softball history to reach the milestone and became the fastest coach in NCAA history – any sport, any division – to reach 1,600 career wins.
The Cats run-ruled the Cardinal on Friday night, using a five-run fifth to walk off with their 19th straight win that cemented Arizona's place as the second-best Pac-12 start in UA history at 14-0, staring up at only the 1994 team's 23-0 start to Pac-10 play. Nine of UA's 14 conference victories have ended via the mercy rule; Arizona has outscored its Pac-12 opposition 130-12 over the 14 wins.
Dejah Mulipola went 3-for-3 with two home runs and five RBI, giving her four home runs over UA's last three games and 20 for the season, one behind
Jessie Harper for the Pac-12 lead. Arizona is now one of only two teams in the country with two players with 20-plus home runs (Mississippi State). Mulipola's night marked her sixth multi-homer game of the season and tied her season-high with five RBI.
Mulipola's three hits were three of UA's nine on the night;
Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza and
Hillary Edior had a couple of hits apiece while
Reyna Carranco went 1-for-2 and
Rylee Pierce 1-for-1.
Mulipola's two homers gave Arizona a 4-0 lead entering the fifth inning before the Cardinal cut into the lead with a solo homer to trim UA's lead to three.
Arizona responded with five runs to end the game.
Alyssa Denham (11-2) earned the victory for the Wildcats, pitching four innings and allowing one run on three hits with four strikeouts and one walk.
Hanah Bowen, who entered in the top of the fifth protecting a three-run lead with the potential tying run on deck, retired the only three batters she faced, the final three outs of the top of the fifth inning and earned her third save of the season.
Arizona improved to 37-7, 14-0 Pac-12 with the win, which secured Arizona's eighth straight Pac-12 series win (dating back to last season). The loss marked Stanford's first Pac-12 series loss of 2019; the Cardinal fell to 30-9, 7-4 Pac-12. Arizona will go for its fifth straight conference sweep on Saturday at noon.
CANDREA'S 1600th
Candrea became the second coach in NCAA softball history to reach the milestone after Michigan's Carol Hutchins won her 1,600th last week. Hutchins, whose win total counts her season at Division II Ferris State, has a two-win advantage over Candrea after tonight. She owns a 1,602-515-5 (.756) over 36 seasons of coaching while Candrea is 1,600-411-2 (.795) in his 32nd year as the UA head coach.
The 1,600th win occurred in his 2,013th career game, making him the fastest coach in NCAA history – any sport, any division – to reach 1,600 career wins. He is the fifth coach in NCAA history to reach 1,600 career NCAA Division I victories.
KEY INNINGS
Bottom 2: Dejah Mulipola opened the scoring with a solo home run over the batter's eye in centerfield to lead off the bottom of the second inning. (1-0, UA)
Bottom 3: Mulipola did it again in the third, blasting a two-out three-run home run to left to score
Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza and
Reyna Carranco, who had recorded hits earlier in the inning. (4-0, UA)
Top 5: Stanford scored its first run of the series on a solo homer to lead off the top of the fifth. A single followed the homer to chase
Alyssa Denham in favor of
Hanah Bowen, who retired the only three Cardinal batters she faced, stranding a runner in scoring position and keeping Arizona on top by three. (4-1, UA)
Bottom 5: Arizona walked off with five runs before Stanford could record an out in the bottom of the fifth. An
Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza single followed by walks to
Reyna Carranco and
Jessie Harper loaded the bases with nobody out for the Wildcats.
Dejah Mulipola singled in one run before
Malia Martinez walked in another.
Hillary Edior doubled in two runs to put the Cats up 8-1.
Rylee Pierce followed with a single to end the game.
UP NEXT
Arizona and Stanford wrap up the series on Saturday at 12 p.m. MST.
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