No. 4 Arizona Wildcats softball team loses first game of year, falling to No. 2 Oklahoma

Arizona freshman left fielder Bella Dayton, the hero in Friday night’s walk-off win over Northern Iowa, tracked a fly ball soaring high into the dark Tucson sky Saturday.

It was the 10th inning and No. 2 Oklahoma (7-1) was about to take its first lead since the fifth. That much was assured, but the likely sacrifice fly would have only plated one.

Instead, the ball caromed off Dayton’s glove and into center field, delivering the final blow of a chaotic, thrilling and bizarre 6-4 OU win at Hillenbrand Stadium.

“That’s the type of game we have to learn how to play in,” Arizona coach Mike Candrea said. “We’ve got some growing pains that we went through tonight with some young kids, and if you’re playing in a big game like that, in that situation, you just can’t have those mistakes.”

After leading 4-2 at one point, it took a near-miracle for No. 4 Arizona (8-1) just to get it to extra innings.

Pitcher Mariah Lopez, who transferred from OU to Arizona this offseason, was thrown into a desperate situation. Starter Alyssa Denham handed her the ball with runners on second and third, no outs, clinging to a one-run lead in the seventh inning. Lopez forced Taylon Snow to roll over a grounder but second baseman Reyna Carranco just couldn’t get it home fast enough to beat Kinsey Koeltzow racing from third.

“I thought Mariah came in and did exceptional,” Candrea said. “She proved to me tonight that she has another gear that she can go up to.”

Then, Arizona caught a break. Jocelyn Alo, OU’s leader in slugging percentage, popped up a bunt, and the Wildcats caught the runner off first for the second out. Lopez closed the inning with a pop-up behind home plate, taking advantage of the major miscue as Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso put her hands on top of her head in disbelief.

However, in the bottom of the eighth, Arizona returned the favor, squandering a bases-loaded situation with no outs.

With the international tiebreaker rule in effect, freshman Janelle Meono was put on second base. OU intentionally walked Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza as Meono represented the only run that mattered. Carranco beat out a bunt single and Arizona had a golden opportunity to put the game away.

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Only, the heart of Arizona’s lineup couldn’t get it done. Jessie Harper, who hit a home run in the fourth inning to score Arizona’s first run, dribbled a grounder to second that led to Meono getting thrown at home. Malia Martinez then lined into a double play at first base.

“We’ve got to learn how to finish,” Candrea said. “We had the bases loaded and no one out. Usually I’m thinking this game is over.”

It was a game of inches all night. Martinez came just a few away from keeping the game scoreless in the fourth.

After Denham got the second out, Martinez dove for a foul ball a few feet from the Arizona dugout. She couldn’t quite reach, and a few moments later, the same batter, Grace Lyons, drove an RBI double to right field, giving OU a 1-0 lead.

However, Meono, in center field, hustled a relay to Carranco, who gunned down Grace Green at the plate, provided some silver lining to the moment. One inning later, Carranco gave Arizona its first lead. After Palomino-Cardoza lifted a two-out RBI single over a leaping Snow, Carranco ripped a line drive off Snow’s glove, making it 4-2 in the fifth.

OU celebrated in the circle, an incredible emotional turnaround from a 5-4  walk-off loss to Long Beach State in the prior game.

The 49ers entered the weekend with a 2-3 record but gave Arizona all it could handle in a 2-1 Wildcat win on Friday. Long Beach State gets another crack at the Wildcats at 12:30 p.m. Sunday.

Earlier Saturday, UA moved to 8-0 with a 3-1 win over Bryant.