Arizona fans stomped on Hillenbrand Stadium’s metal bleachers, demanding more from their Wildcats.
Their biggest superstar delivered, once again.
Fresh off a two-homer performance Friday, Jessie Harper blasted a two-run shot that served as a catalyst for Saturday’s 9-5 victory over Oregon State. The win was crucial, as it counted toward the Pac-12 standings. The second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, a 10-2 Arizona win, was designated as a nonconference game and did not.
The day got off to a tough start. The No. 9 Wildcats (17-5, 2-2) entered the fifth inning of the first game staring at a seemingly insurmountable five-run deficit.
The Beavers (13-10, 2-3) had chased starter Mariah Lopez from the game with three homers, and Arizona had stranded five runners. The frustration reached a boiling point when coach Mike Candrea yanked Carly Scupin from the lineup after a second strikeout, and then kicked himself for holding up a runner at second on a single that skipped past the OSU right fielder.
Everything changed just one inning later.
A trio of singles led to a sacrifice fly from Dejah Mulipola, scoring Arizona’s first run. A passed ball brought home another, and Harper crushed her 83rd career homer to give Arizona all the momentum.
Palacios picked up where Harper left off, rocketing a 2-1 pitch over the right-field fence to tie the game.
OSU’s five-run lead, Arizona’s largest deficit this year, was gone in the blink of an eye.
“I thought it was one of the better comebacks I’ve seen in a long time,” Candrea said. “That was huge for us. We talk about defining moments in every season, and to me, that was one of them right there.”
The power surge continued in the sixth inning, as Mulipola lined a grand slam to the left-field bleachers, making the inevitable official. Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza ended the second game with a grand slam of her own, as the Wildcats blasted five homers to end the game in five innings. That included another for Harper, who is only 11 home runs shy of the NCAA all-time record, held by Oklahoma’s Lauren Chamberlain.
The pair of victories extended Arizona’s home winning streak to 17 games, and its winning streak over OSU to 14.
Having dropped two games to No. 6 Washington last week, Arizona can’t afford many other missteps if it wants to contend for its first Pac-12 title since 2017.
Even with the win, there were reasons to be concerned.
On paper, Arizona’s pitching duo, fifth-year seniors Alyssa Denham and Mariah Lopez, should be among the best in college softball. But they’ve struggled with consistency, as one is always hot while the other is cold.
Denham had one of her best outings Friday, shaking off a stretch of four-straight losses with a complete-game shutout. But Saturday, Lopez struggled after pitching a three-hit shutout against No. 12 Florida State on March 12. She finished with five earned runs on five hits and one walk in just over two innings pitched.
Keeping the ball in the yard has been a problem.
Lopez has allowed eight homers in 36.1 innings this year. Over her previous four years, Lopez allowed just 20 in 366 innings pitched.
“If she just kind of didn’t think, and just threw her pitches and realized she was a good pitcher, she would get it,” Palomino-Cardoza said. “It’s just building that confidence up in that we know she can do it. We’re behind her 100 percent no matter what.”
The Wildcats and Beavers will conclude their four-game series Sunday at noon.
