In a home series without one of their leaders, Carlie Scupin, who is out at least six weeks with a broken forearm, No. 17 Arizona dropped two of three after falling to Utah 13-11 on Sunday.
“Friday’s loss hurt because I felt like we weren’t ready,” UA coach Caitlin Lowe said. “And I thought today’s loss hurt because they left everything on the field and still came up short, and sometimes that hurts more.”
Utah’s Ellessa Bonstrom, who attended Canyon del Oro High School, hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning to provide the winning runs.
After losing the first game 8-3, Arizona was determined to tie the series. The Wildcats rallied multiple times Saturday for a 10-9, walk-off victory.
In Game 3, Arizona (20-9, 3-3 Pac-12) looked as if it had control — and might even win by run rule. But an explosive Utes offense was able to rally back and take the game to the full seven. The Wildcats were forced to change pitchers six times, with junior Devyn Netz appearing in relief twice.
“We are blessed to have a lot of people that can do a lot of different things,” Lowe said. “Being able to move them is a luxury that we do have. Thank goodness, because we are a little bit short on the bench. We made it work today. We had enough pieces. We just didn’t execute when we needed to.”
Arizona starting pitcher Ali Blanchard walked two batters in the first inning after getting the first out, allowing the Utes to get on the board first via an RBI double. A successful challenge by Lowe on a play at third base ended the inning.
Dakota Kennedy gave the Wildcats a 4-1 lead with a grand slam in the bottom of the first. It was the freshman’s third home run of the year and her second one of the series.
In the second inning, Netz relieved Blanchard after she allowed another walk and kept the score at 4-1. In the bottom of the second, the Wildcats scored three more runs to extend their lead to 7-1.
Utah (21-5, 5-1) made it 7-5 with a four-run third inning behind three hits, a walk and a hit batter.
In the bottom of the fourth, Allie Skaggs hit a double to center to bring home two and up the Wildcats’ lead to 9-5. Netz then came up to bat and didn’t waste any time as she hit her ninth home run of the season to make it 11-5.
In the fifth inning, Utah closed the gap to 11-6, and freshman pitcher Aissa Silva relieved Netz. A two-RBI double by Abby Dayton to center made it 11-8. Utah would score two more to make it a one-run game.
Utah tied it in the sixth inning. Reliever Brianna Hardy got out of a bases-loaded jam to keep the score at 11-11.
Extra bases
Arizona’s next series is on the road against Washington Friday through Sunday. The Wildcats host a non-conference tournament the following weekend before visiting Stanford April 6-8.
Arizona leads the Pac-12 in multiple categories, including runs, hits, walks, batting average and on-base percentage, and that was evident throughout the series. Kennedy and Netz both hit two home runs, and Skaggs hit one.
Arizona Softball coach Caitlin Lowe discusses how competitive her team is, in addition to providing insight into the play of her team's freshman — for hitters, that includes their composure at the plate; for pitchers, the desire to have the ball in their hands. Lowe spoke to local media Mar. 14, 2023 at Mike Candrea Field at Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium. Video by Devin Homer/Special to the Arizona Daily Star
