Arizona's bats make 'statement' as Wildcats top Oregon, 11-8

In the sixth inning of a tie game, Arizona’s Carlie Scupin delivered a go-ahead RBI double down the right field line. One pitch later, Izzy Pacho sent a no-doubt home run soaring over the left field fence to seal a dramatic 11-8 win over Oregon on Thursday night at Hillenbrand Stadium.

It was a back-and-forth night for the Wildcats, who both rallied back from a four-run first-inning deficit and coughed up a three-run lead. The Wildcats improved to 22-14 overall and 3-10 in Pac-12 play, while Oregon dropped to 24-12 and 4-9.

“I feel like that’s going to be our season,” said Pacho, a Tucson native and Ironwood Ridge High School grad. “We’re going to fight with every opponent that we have.”

Pacho led the team with three hits ; her sixth-inning smash was her first HR in Pac-12 play.

“They were getting me on that inside pitch all day, so I knew I was going to get another,” Pacho said. “That’s why I just turned and burned.”

Arizona put together quality at-bats in each inning, tagging four different Ducks pitchers for 11 runs — tied for the most Oregon has given up in a game this season. Much of the UA's damage was done in the fourth inning, when the Cats exploded for five runs.

Arizona trailed 5-2 when Pacho led off with a single and Blaise Biringer walked, bringing Paige Dimler to the plate.

Oregon went to the bullpen for Raegan Breedlove, and the left-handed-hitting Dimler took a 2-2 pitch the opposite way to left for a home run to tie the game.

The Cats tacked on two more runs in the inning via RBI singles from Jasmine Perezchica and Sharlize Palacios. Dimler recorded her fourth RBI of the night the following inning on a sacrifice fly to put UA up by three.

Arizona's third baseman Izzy Pacho (15) puts the tag on Oregon's Paige Sinicki (38) in the inning of their Pac 12 game at Hillenbrand Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., April 14, 2022. Sinicki was ruled eventually ruled out for leaving first early on a Kai Luschar batted ball.
Kelly Presnell, Arizona Daily Star

“That’s the definition of bearing down,” Arizona coach Caitlin Lowe said of the team’s resilience. “They were hungry at the plate.”

Hanah Bowen got the start in the circle for Arizona, and it did not go smoothly. She gave up a four-spot in the first inning, including two home runs. She settled down the next two innings, limiting the Ducks to one run but came out after getting the first out of the third inning in favor of Madi Elish.

The freshman pitcher calmly got the last two out of the third followed by sending Oregon down 1-2-3 in both the fourth and fifth innings. Elish ran into trouble in the fifth as a two-run double made it 8-7 to knock her out of the game in favor of Devyn Netz. Netz gave up a solo home run that tied the game 8-8 but got the final two outs of the sixth.

Bowen came back into the game to record the final three outs and give Arizona back-to-back home wins for the first time since March 12-13.

“It feels best I think to win the first game of a series,” Lowe said. “Made a statement with our bats and I think that’s huge.”

The Wildcats have two more games remaining against the Ducks this weekend. The two teams will face each other Friday at 5 p.m. and Saturday at noon. With a victory in either of the two games, UA can win a Pac-12 series for the first time this season.