Team Mexicoβs Sashel Palacios, left, hugs Arizona catcher Sharlize Palacios before Saturday nightβs Bear Down Fiesta exhibition at Hillenbrand Stadium. The sisters had never played each other before.
Arizonaβs Sharlize Palacios had never been able to play with her sister, Sashel, whose final season at Arizona State was 2017.
The sisters often tease their parents about the age gap.
βIβm like, βYou guys didnβt plan it right; weβre not close enough to play with each other,ββ Sharlize Palacios said.
That changed Saturday, when Sharlizeβs No. 8 Wildcats hosted Sashel and the Mexican National Team in an exhibition as part of the Bear Down Fiesta at Hillenbrand Stadium.
βIβve been dreaming of this moment,β Sharlize Palacios said. βWeβve never played against each other. If you count backyard baseball, we have and I killed her. Donβt let her tell you anything different. But no, in a real game, I havenβt.β
The two were born to be catchers, just like their father, Kiko, who was drafted in the 54th round of 1993 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers. With those family ties, Sharlize never had much of a choice but to be behind the plate β just like Sashel and her younger brother, Sabian, a catcher in the high school class of 2024.
βI just kind of got thrown in there,β Sharlize said. βI have the best mentors to help me be the best catcher. Hopefully, one day, when I get to (Sashelβs) age, Iβll be better than her.β
Set to take over as the teamβs top catcher when senior Dejah Mulipola departs, Sharlize Palacios has been making an impact with her bat.
As the starting designated player, she has registered a hit in 21 of her 29 games while batting .358. After hitting just one home run in 34 at bats in last yearβs shortened season, she entered Saturday with eight homers β including two in Fridayβs 11-5 win over New Mexico State.
Coach Mike Candrea called her βextremely powerful.β
βI see that all the time, so Iβm not surprised,β he said. βWhen she squares the ball up, she can hit it out of any park.β
Arizona beat New Mexico State again Saturday afternoon, winning 8-0 in five innings. Malia Martinez hit a walk-off two-run homer to invoke the mercy rule. It was the second home run of the game for Martinez, who has seven hits in her last 17 at-bats with 13 RBIs after breaking out of a midseason slump.
Palacios picked up where she left off, ripping an RBI double in her first at-bat Saturday, and pitcher Mariah Lopez allowed just four hits and two walks with six strikeouts over five shutout innings.
The eveningβs exhibition did not count statistically, but it mattered.
Especially to the Palacios family.
βItβs so nice to see her here in college in a program where I know sheβs fitting in,β Sashel Palacios said.
βItβs been a long road for her getting here. Iβve been able to watch her play, but to get to play against her, itβs super special and something Iβve been looking forward to for a long time.β
Photos: Arizona Wildcats fall to Team Mexico in softball exhibition