Arizona overcame a large blown lead for the second consecutive game to win its series against Arizona State.
The No. 11 Wildcats (23-8, 6-3 Big 12) rebounded from a historic 16-5, five-inning loss Friday to win Saturday and Sunday despite giving up eight- and four-run leads.
Arizona’s Addison Duke (66) near Arizona State second baseman Tiare Ho-Ching (18) after knocking home two runs with her double in the fourth inning of their Big 12 game in Tucson on March 20, 2026.
After ASU (23-9, 3-6) scored four runs to tie it up in the sixth on Sunday, senior utility Sydney Stewart hit a two-run homer to get the 6-4 win. ASU walked Stewart six times in the series.
“Honestly, what I told her is it takes a special person to get walked all weekend and then be ready for her moment and that's a big deal,” UA head coach Caitlin Lowe said. “She didn't see a lot of strikes all weekend and had a tough at bat there and just came out and absolutely hammered her plus pitch which I know felt really good once you kind of had the bat on your shoulder all weekend, so Tay (senior infielder Tayler Biehl) did a really good job of getting on base and Stew did a really good job executing.”
Stewart said the key was not making the moment too big.
“Obviously wasn't getting much to hit this weekend, but just to get to my plans, being patient and ultimately work with what they gave me, even though the pitch was elevated, like I knew I could get my hands to go,” Stewart said.
On Sunday, Arizona struck first when senior utility Grace Jenkins hit an RBI single in the first, and the Wildcats added a second and third in the third on a sac fly and an RBI single by freshman infielder Kez Lucas.
In the sixth, ASU got on the board with an RBI double by junior catcher Samantha Swan that hit off the top of the wall.
The Sun Devils added another run on an RBI single by former Wildcat and junior catcher Emily Schepp, and then tied it up when junior infielder Ryan Brown hit a two-run double that went off of junior centerfielder Regan Shockey’s glove on the warning track.
Arizona State runner Emily Schepp (17) splits Arizona catcher Sydney Stewart (21) and pitcher Sarah Wright (9) to score on a wild pitch in the fourth inning of their Big 12 game in Tucson on March 20, 2026.
On Saturday, Arizona evened up the series, holding off an 8-0 ASU run to win 9-8 via a walk-off from Shockey.
UA jumped ahead in the second when Lucas hit a double to drive in two runs. In the third, Arizona added two more on an error and a passed ball. Then Lucas drove in a run. Next, sophomore outfielder Addison Duke, who is from Yuma, hit a two-run double.
ASU got into the game in the fourth when with an RBI single a three-run home run by senior infielder Brooklyn Ulrich.
After a scoreless UA fourth, ASU added runs on a fielder’s choice and single. The Sun Devils opened the sixth inning with a solo homer by sophomore outfielder Ashleigh Mejia to tie up the game at 8-8.
Although she was 0 for 4 going into the at-bat, Shockey slapped a single with the bases loaded to get the win.
UA senior pitcher Jalen Adams started the game, going 3⅓ innings, giving up four earned runs. A day after starting and getting lit up, Holder (8-3) relieved her, going 3⅔ innings, giving up three earned runs but stopping the bleeding and getting the win.
After giving up the tying homer, Holder retired the next six Sun Devils to close out the game.
Lowe said the Wildcats’ poise over the weekend was excellent.
“Rylie was phenomenal (Saturday), I mean I watched her get better (Saturday), I watched her work through tough moments, breeze through pressure and we talked a lot about the tough stuff we're going to have to go right through and we're not going around it,” Lowe said. “So, I saw her in bases loaded situations, lots of runners on and absolutely executing her game plan; I think 1 through 20 we stepped up in different ways this weekend.”
In Game 1, ASU put up crooked numbers in every inning to win 16-5 and hand the Wildcats their third straight run-rule loss.
The Sun Devils opened the series with a solo home run by senior outfielder Kaylee Pond. Then Schepp hit a three-run homer, junior infielder Katie Chester hit a grand slam, Mejia hit a solo shot, Swan hit a solo home run, and Schepp hit a second dinger.
Arizona State’s Kaylee Pond (42) pounds her chest as she trots home by the Arizona dugout after ripping a solo homer on the first pitch of the game in Tucson, March 20, 2026. The Sun Devils did their damage with the long ball, mashing six homers in a 16-5 run-rule win over their arch-rival.
After falling behind 11-0, Arizona scored in the third and fourth on a fielder’s choice, an error and a Duke double.
Arizona continues its seven-game home stand when it hosts No. 22 GCU (31-1, 6-0 Mountain West) on Tuesday night for a solo game.
“It's always been a rivalry whenever we match up, even in the fall it was a really intense game, but they're a great team,” Stewart said. “They got great pitchers, great hitters so it's going to be a great matchup.”
According to Sunday’s edition of the RPI, GCU is No. 31, ASU 29th and UA No. 16. Arizona is 16-0 against Grand Canyon, but last year its regular-season 7-3 win over the Lopes took eight innings. The teams met in the Tucson Regional, a 4-1 UA win over then No. 24 GCU.
“They're fantastic and they've been good for a while and they're always a competitive game for us," Lowe said. "They pitch well, they execute offensively well. So it's going to be really important to take a day off, get rest on our bodies, but then be ready to go on Tuesday.”
Extra bases
– According to ASU, the 16 runs on Friday are the most the Sun Devils have scored against Arizona since a 16-1 win in 1973. UA says its program launched in 1974, and its records, which say that 16 is the record for ASU runs, go back to 1982.
– The former Wildcats turned Sun Devils had mixed results.
Schepp went 4 for 4 with four RBIs and two home runs on Friday, 0 for 3 on Saturday and 1 for 3 with an RBI on Sunday.
Former Mountain View pitcher Aissa Silva (8-2) suffered the loss on Saturday despite going 4 innings and only giving up one earned run, and then Sunday gave up an earned run, two walks and two hits over two-thirds of an inning.
ASU senior outfielder and Salpointe Catholic High School alumnae Yannixa Acuña was 0 for 2 on Friday, 1 for 4 with a double in Game 2 and 0 for 2 in the rubber match.
