TUCSON, Ariz. – The No. 9 Wildcats (5-1) defeated UC Santa Barbara (2-5) and Long Beach State (2-4) on the first day of the Hillenbrand Invitational.
Game 1 – Arizona 11, UC Santa Barbara 1 (6 innings)
Arizona won the first game of the day, 11-1 in six innings. The Cats hit four home runs – including two by
Sharlize Palacios who drove in a career-high seven.
Izzy Pacho and
Carlie Scupin also homered in the win.
UA had 11 runs on 11 hits, with 10 RBI. Pacho went a career-best 3-for-3 with her homer and a double. Palacios and Janelle Meoño had multi-hit games as well.
The Cats scored four runs in the second inning on a grand slam from
Sharlize Palacios.
Carlie Scupin hit a solo home run and
Izzy Pacho hit her second double of the season to score
Blaise Biringer in the third. Pacho then hit a solo shot in the fourth inning. Palacios hit a walk-off home run in the sixth to end the game.
Devyn Netz (2-0) picked up the win, allowing only one run on three hits from the Gauchos.
Game 2 – Arizona 7, Long Beach State 2
The Wildcats took down Long Beach State 7-2 to close out the night. Scupin went 3-for-3 with two home runs and
Jasmine Perezchica went 3-for-4.
Arizona had four homers for the second straight game in the doubleheader, led by Scupin's two. Skaggs and Pacho had one apiece.
Scupin hit her first home run of the game - second of the day - in the second inning to give the Cats an early lead. Palacios hit her first double of the season to score Perezchica and
Allie Skaggs hit a home run to score Palacios in the third inning.
Scupin hit a two-run homer, her second home run of the game, followed by a solo shot from Pacho in the fifth to take a 7-2 lead. The Cats held off the Beach in the sixth and seventh innings to secure the win.
Hanah Bowen (3-1) earned the win for the Cats. She pitched six innings and allowed two runs on six hits.
Madi Elish relieved Bowen in the seventh, striking out two of the four batters she faced.
Up Next:
No. 9 Arizona takes on Loyola Marymount at 3 p.m. followed by No. 16 Kentucky at 5 p.m. MST on Saturday, February 19 on day two of the Hillenbrand Invitational.
