Friday night was about waiting for the right opportunity to hit with the swirling wind.
Saturday night was just the opposite.
The University of Arizona softball team’s bats didn’t wait, scoring in the first inning and then breaking the game open in a five-run fourth behind a two-run home run by Dejah Mulipola to defeat Utah 9-4 at Rita Hillenbrand Stadium on Saturday.
Mulipola, who is batting .351, was 1 for 3, and that one was big — her seventh homer of the season to give the No. 9-ranked Wildcats (23-3, 2-0 Pac-12) an 8-4 lead.
“It felt really good off my bat. I thought it was a line drive off the wall, but then the wind helped,” said Mulipola. “I saw a lot of inside pitches and waited for it and let it loose.”
Down 4-3, and with one out in the bottom of the fourth UA’s Carli Campbell walked and Ashleigh Hughes bunted to put runners on first and second. Alyssa Palomino (1 for 3) slugged an RBI-double down the left field line and was replaced by pinch runner Jaycee Lindley.
Reyna Carranco (3 for 4, two runs) followed with a two-run single into center. Jessie Harper reached on an infield hit. With Mulipola at bat, a ball got away from the Utes’ catcher, Kelly Martinez, and Carranco and Harper tried to move up a base. Carranco was gunned down at third.
Palomino walked to start off the three-run first inning. Carranco singled up the middle to move Palomino over. Then Mulipola’s batted ball turned into a two-error play.
The ball went under the first baseman’s glove into right field, and Mulipola took second on a bad throw into the infield. As this was going on Palomino scored the first run of the inning.
With Carranco and Mulipola on second and third, Malia Martinez hit a single down the first-base line, driving in two runs. And just like that the Wildcats were leading 3-0.
The Wildcats doubled their hitting output with eight hits, compared to four Friday night.
“Coach (Mike Candrea) always says ‘start a fire,’ have that passion and keep our bats hot,” said Palomino, who is batting .486 in the leadoff spot. “We always finish. They fought back and we had to punch back even harder.”
The Utes came back in the third and put up a four spot. BreOnna Castaneda’s three-run homer over the left field wall brought in Ally Dickman — who hit a double in the gap in right-center — and pinch hitter Katie Faulk — who had an infield fly drop at Jessie Harper’s shoelaces. Chandler Walter, who reached on an error by Harper, accounted for the other run in the inning, coming home on Faulk’s hit, as Utah led 4-3.
UA’s Alyssa Denham picked up the win. In four innings, she gave up four hits and struck out one. She walked two as all four runs were unearned. Her ERA dropped to 1.60.
Taylor McQuillin picked up her second save of the season, striking out four in three innings.
Carranco scored another run in the sixth inning after reaching on an infield hit. Utah’s Hailey Hilburn, who was pitching in relief of Miranda Viramontes, walked the next three batters.
The two teams meet at Hillenbrand Stadium for the final game of the series Sunday at noon. The contest will air on Pac-12 Arizona.
