For the 24th time in program history, the Arizona Wildcats are headed to the Womenβs College World Series.
Senior Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza hit a go-ahead home run in the fifth inning and freshman Carlie Scupin ripped a two-run single in the sixth, and the 11th-seeded Wildcats swept No. 6 Arkansas out of the Fayetteville Super Regionals with a 4-1 win on Saturday evening. The victory in the best-of-three series came after the Wildcats blasted the Razorbacks 10-4 on Friday night.
The Wildcats will open the WCWS on Thursday with a game against No. 3 Alabama.
We will see you in Oklahoma City! pic.twitter.com/8NKFbWbhtW
— Arizona Softball (@ArizonaSoftball) May 29, 2021
Palomino-Cardoza's home run, which landed in the berm just inside the left-field foul pole, gave the Wildcats, the designated home team, a 2-1 lead in the fifth. Arkansas took a one-run lead in the top half, when Braxton Burnside hit an RBI double to center field with one out. Arizona pitcher Alyssa Denham settled down after that, striking out Hannah Gammill and walking Danielle Gibson before getting Linnie Malkin to fly out to left field.
Denham went the distance, allowing one run on four hits while walking three and striking out four. It marked the second solid showing in as many games for Arizona's pitchers: Hanah Bowen earned the win in Friday night's victory.
The Wildcats tacked on two more runs in their final at-bat. With two out, Dejah Mulipola and Sharlize Palacios reached on back-to-back errors by Burnside, and Palomino-Cardoza walked. Scupin, a freshman from Tucson High, then hit a single inside the first-base bag, scoring two runs.
