TUCSON, Ariz. – Four home runs led the way for No. 14 Arizona softball, which picked up its first double-digit-run victory over a ranked opponent since 2010, as the Cats earned an 11-1, five-inning victory over No. 21 Arizona State in game three of the series.
It was Arizona’s largest win vs. a ranked opponent since May 9, 2010 when the Cats defeated Oregon 11-0 in five innings. It also marked the first time that Arizona State (24-11, 5-3 Pac-12) had been run-ruled since May of last season.
The Cats (28-9, 3-3 Pac-12) used power hitting and clutch pitching to get by the Sun Devils. ASU went 3-for-17 with runners on base, including 0-for-5 with the bases loaded in the contest.
Meanwhile, Arizona registered nine hits against ASU’s pitching duo of Breanna Macha (11-6) and Dale Ryndak.
Six different Wildcats recorded extra-base hits in the game. Chelsea Goodacre, Mandie Perez, Hallie Wilson and Katiyana Mauga hit home runs, while Kellie Fox and Chelsea Suitos doubled in the contest. Mauga’s three-run walkoff bomb in the fifth ended the game due to the mercy rule.
Wilson extended her hitting streak to 11 games, the longest of any Wildcat this season. She is four off her career long of 15. She had two hits in the contest, joining Suitos and Goodacre with multiple hits in the tilt.
Goodacre drove in three runs in the game, extending her conference-leading RBI total to 54 on the year. Her second-inning solo homer was her 60th of her career, making her the sixth Wildcat to ever accomplish the feat.
Mauga was able to keep pace with Washington’s Courtney Gano, who homered Sunday as well, atop the Pac-12 home run charts. Mauga and Gano have 15 homers each.
Arizona State put pressure on Arizona pitchers all night long, leaving the bases loaded in the first, third and fifth innings. The Sun Devils stranded runners in scoring position in the other two frames as well. In total, ASU left 12 batters on in just five innings of offense.
Michelle Floyd (16-5) earned the victory for the Cats, tossing three innings of scoreless ball in the start. She allowed just three hits but walked four and hit a batter in the contest. Trish Parks entered in relief of Floyd and allowed one run on three hits in two innings of work. The freshman walked one and struck out two.
Goodacre led off the bottom of the second inning with an opposite-field home run to give Arizona the early advantage. Three batters later, Perez, after falling into an 0-2 hole, worked the count full on the ninth pitch of the at-bat. She sent the 10th off the scoreboard in right field, a two-run shot to put Arizona ahead 3-0.
The Cats took advantage of back-to-back ASU errors in the third inning, the second of which allowed a run to score and extend Arizona’s lead to 4-0. UA would leave the bases loaded in the third, three of six total for the contest.
Arizona would load the bases once again in the fourth inning on back-to-back one-out infield singles and a one-out walk. After Mauga struck out, Goodacre singled in a pair to give Arizona a 6-0 lead.
The Sun Devils cut into the UA lead in the fifth when an RBI Sashel Palacios single scored Amber Freeman, who led off the inning with a double. After a fielder’s choice, a single and an error loaded the bases with just one out. Parks struck out pinch-hitter Margaret Stahm before inducing a fielder’s choice off the bat of Sierra Rodriguez.
In the bottom of the fifth, Perez reached on an error with one down before the Cats mounted a two-out rally to end the game. Wilson hit a two-run bomb to chase Macha in favor of Ryndak. The first batter she faced, Suitos, came inches away from her first career home run when she doubled off the top of the wall in right-center. Fox followed with her third walk of the game before Mauga’s three-run homer ended it.
Arizona returns to action next weekend when it heads to the Pacific Northwest to take on Oregon State. The series will be played Thursday-Saturday in Corvallis.
For more information on Arizona softball, check out www.arizonawildcats.com and be sure to follow the team’s Twitter and Instagram accounts (@UA_Softball).
