Arizona's bid to get another Top-10 win at the DeMarini Invitational came up short on Sunday against the defending national champions.
No. 16 Arizona (12-5) closed out the tournament, hosted by Stanford, with a 12-2, 5-inning loss to No. 3 Texas. It was the Wildcats’ second 12-2 loss to the Longhorns of the weekend.
Texas (14-1) jumped ahead 1-0 in the first inning off an RBI single from senior catcher Reese Atwood. Then UT exploded for 10 runs in the third to secure the win.
The Longhorns have won 12 in a row.
In the decisive third, the Longhorns started scoring when junior catcher/infielder Katie Stewart got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Then former Wildcat Kaiah Altmeyer hit an RBI single.
Texas then scored on a fielder’s choice, RBI singles from freshman infielder Jaycie Nichols, Atwood and Altmeyer again and doubles from senior outfielder Ashton Maloney and junior outfielder Kayden Henry.
In the fourth, Arizona responded with a two-run double by senior infielder Tayler Biehl, but Texas added another run in the bottom of the fourth to get to 12 runs again.
Arizona softball went 3-2 at Stanford's DeMarini Invitational, dropping a pair to No. 3 Texas.
Freshman pitcher Rylie Holder (3-1) got the start for Arizona and took the loss, going 2 innings and giving up 5 hits, 2 walks and 2 earned runs. Senior Jalen Adams relieved her but only lasted one-third of an inning, getting tagged for 7 earned runs in the third.
Sophomore Sarah Wright pitched the rest of the way, 1⅔ innings, giving up 2 earned runs on 2 walks and 4 hits.
On Saturday, it was a different story as the Wildcats beat the hosts, No. 10 Stanford, 4-1. Holder went six innings, allowing a run on 6 hits and Adams relived her in in the seventh with the tying run up to bat and got a strikeout, ground out and fly out to get her first save of her Arizona career.
After the Cardinal went ahead with a solo home run in the second, Arizona tied it up when junior utility Regan Shockey got a sacrifice ground out to score senior infielder Kiki Escobar.
Then in the sixth inning, senior utility Grace Jenkins hit a game-winning three-run homer.
Senior utility Grace Jenkins hit a game-winning 3-run home run vs. No. 10 Stanford on Saturday.
In the nightcap on Saturday, the Wildcats beat Santa Clara 11-1. Last season, the Broncos played in the Tucson Regional, losing to the UA 13-5 and GCU 9-4.
On Saturday, sophomore infielder Jenna Sniffen had a couple hits, one a double, that led to four RBIs. Sophomore infielder Sereniti Trice went 3 for 4 with three RBIs.
Junior catcher/utility Sydney Stewart opened up the scoring by drawing a bases-loaded walk in the first inning. After Sniffen and Trice drove in runs in the fourth to make it 5-1, the Wildcats dropped six runs in the seventh.
Biehl scored on a wild pitch, Sniffen hit her double, sophomore outfielder Addison Duke drove in a run with a single, and Trice got a couple more RBIs.
Adams went four innings, giving up a run on no walks and three hits to get the win. Wright (1-1) pitched three scoreless innings, giving up a pair of hits and a walk to get her second save.
On Friday, Arizona lost 12-2 to Texas, the defending national champions.
Although Texas junior Teagan Kavan held the Wildcats to three hits, UA freshman infielder Kez Lucas had two of them, going 2-3 with an RBI.
Adams, Holder and Berry pitched, with Adams (7-3) taking the loss after allowing four runs on six hits.
On Thursday, the Wildcats opened the DeMarini Invitational by beating Boise State 11-2 in a six-inning game that featured two weather delays.
Biehl, Shockey and Trice each had three hits. Biehl had four RBIs, and sophomore catcher/utility Emma Kavanagh hit a home run.
Holder pitched 5⅔ innings, didn’t give up a hit and struck out five to get the win. Sophomore pitcher Jenae Berry (1-0) started the game and lasted a third of an inning, giving up a couple earned runs as she walked four of the five Broncos she faced.
The Wildcats return to action on Thursday to host the Hillenbrand Invitational, their last tournament before Big 12 play starts. Eastern Illinois, Long Beach State, Minnesota and Howard are coming to town.
Extra bases
– Stanford had a rough tournament on the field, losing its first three games to Texas, Arizona and Boise State, and a rough one off the field. The Cardinal held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and their first tournament, the Stanford Invitational, at the new stadium.
However since they hadn’t gotten the necessary permits, their second tournament, the Cardinal Classic I, was moved to Santa Clara, West Valley College and San Jose State. The start to the DeMarini Invitational was moved off The Farm, as well, but they did get to play some games at Stanford Softball Stadium.
The UA’s games were at West Valley College, Stanford Softball Stadium and Santa Clara. The constantly shifting schedule led to postponements due to darkness and there were also weather delays.
Last season, while their $50 million softball stadium was being constructed, the Cardinal played at their football stadium.
– Howard senior pitcher Julia Holt returns to Tucson for the Hillenbrand invite. She went to Canyon del Oro, her brother, Justin, played defensive line for the UA football team before having to take a medical retirement in 2017, and her father, Julius, played football for the Wildcats.
Julius, who mentored youths in various roles, died in 2022.
– Altmeyer, a senior, played left field and batted seventh for Texas. In the first game against her old teammates, she went 1 for 2 with an RBI, a walk and a run.
In the second game against the Wildcats, she batted ninth, going 2 for 2 with a walk and knocking in three runs.
Altmeyer played at Arizona from 2023-25, earning the Wildcats’ first-ever Big 12 Player of the Week honor on Feb. 11 of her junior season.
– Four of Arizona’s four losses are of the Red River variety. UA dropped two to current No. 4 Oklahoma, at the Candrea Classic and then the two to Texas in the Bay Area.
