A week ago, there were questions about the Arizona Wildcatsβ postseason rΓ©sumΓ© and whether or not they were deserving of a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
After a perfect weekend, including two shutouts of No. 15-seeded Missouri, those questions have been erased and the Wildcats are dancing their way into the NCAA Super Regionals.
Arizona beat host Missouri 1-0 in Sundayβs regional final in Columbia behind a fifth-inning home run from Sharlize Palacios and a shutout from pitcher Devyn Netz.
βWeβve been trying to put those full-package games together,β UA coach Caitlin Lowe said. βVery proud of our fight all weekend.β
Arizona will next travel to Starkville to face Mississippi State next weekend with a trip to the Womenβs College World Series on the line. The Bulldogs stunned No. 2 seed overall Florida State β twice β on Sunday to set up a battle of unseeded teams.
Arizona starting pitcher Devyn Netz dominated Sunday, allowing just two hits in the 1-0 win over the Tigers.
The Wildcats (36-20) handled Mizzou 2-0 on Saturday and needed just one win Sunday to clinch their eighth consecutive trip to the Super Regionals. The Tigers had been shut out just three times this year prior to facing the Wildcats.
Arizona narrowly snuck into the NCAA Tournament after finishing tied for last in the Pac-12. The team lost its first eight conference games and four of the final six before getting into the postseason as the No. 3 seed in the Columbia Regional.
Now the Wildcats are one of the last 16 teams standing.
βWeβve been tested like weβve never been tested before this year,β Lowe said. βAnd they let it make them stronger. I think it really showed today.β
Netz, making her first career postseason appearance in the circle, provided a nearly-flawless outing giving up two hits and striking out three. She had allowed 14 runs in her last 15 innings pitched in the regular season but found a groove against the Tigers; only one Mizzou batter reached base in the final three innings.
Sharlize Palacios (center) is greeted by teammates after her home run provided the gameβs only score Sunday.
βItβs something you dream about as a kid,β Netz said.
Much like Saturdayβs game, pitching and defense were important factors in the Regional Final. Arizona had two web-gem plays with second baseman Allie Skaggs making a diving catch on an infield popup for the first out of the game and later Izzy Pacho reaching over the third base dugout fence to snag a foul ball for an out in the fifth.
βItβs a game-changer,β Netz said of the teamβs defensive plays. βIt builds momentum.β
The game remained a stalemate on the scoreboard for the first four innings. The Wildcats got two runners on base in the second and third innings, though Tigers pitcher Jordan Weber stranded the pair both times.
When Palacios stepped in the batterβs box to lead off the fifth, she heard her dad shouting encouragement from the stands and it immediately calmed her down.
UA players celebrate with their fans in the stands following the win over Missouri on Sunday in Columbia.
βI actually heard him and just took a deep breath,β Palacios said. βAnd then I just saw a changeup down and I went for it.β
That one pitch was all the Wildcats needed to turn doubters into believers.
The Cats have now made the Super Regionals in 16 of the 17 years since its inception in 2005. Arizona has also advanced all the way to the WCWS in each of the last two years of the NCAA Tournament (2019, 2021).
βI think weβve just been trying to prove to ourselves this whole time that we are the team that we believe we are,β Lowe said. βIt doesnβt really matter what other people think.β
Inside pitch
The Wildcats had four hits in the regional final: two by Skaggs, one by Palacios and another from Paige Dimler.
Arizona is now 6-3 in games decided by one run this year.
After pitching complete games in the first two matchups of the Regional, Hanah Bowen was still available to pitch Sunday and wouldβve started the elimination game if Mizzou won the first game.
Missouri finishes the year 38-22. The Tigers scored only five runs in four regional games.
It was a banner weekend for the Pac-12. UA, Oregon State and Stanford all knocked off SEC teams that were seeded nationally Sunday. The Beavers and Cardinal will now meet in the Super Regionals. No. 5-seeded UCLA and No. 8-seeded ASU also advanced, while No. 13 Washington (against Texas) was still in action at the Starβs press time Sunday night.
