Editor’s note: This story appears in Sunday’s special section honoring retiring UA softball coach Mike Candrea.
COLUMBUS, Ga. — Jenny Dalton’s eyes watered up, just like they did years ago when she found out she would play for Arizona.
And there they were again yesterday at the end of her career, those tears of happiness.
“Starting off our season, I was one of those people who didn’t know how far we could go,” she confessed, choked with emotion. “But that’s one of the things that pulled us through: everybody thinking we couldn’t do it. I can’t think of a time when I’ve been more happy, yet more relieved that we were able to prove everybody wrong.”
Dalton and the rest of the Arizona softball team found out yesterday how far they could go: all the way.
The Wildcats used a homer by Dalton to build a big lead and then needed some positively perfect pitches from Carrie Dolan to survive a riveting College World Series final against Washington, winning 6-4 at Golden Park.
National champions. Again.
“I don’t know why I’m so emotional right now,” said UA coach Mike Candrea, a little choked up as well, something that didn’t happen when his teams won titles in 1991, ’93 and ’94.
“I’d say this is the best team I’ve ever been associated with. In January we saw how far we had to go to get here. And, I mean, every kid exceeded my expectations.
“This is probably the best feeling I’ve ever had as a coach.”
Nothing came easy, not the preseason, not the season, not the postseason. Not the final game or the final innings, or even the final out.
Dalton gave the Wildcats much-needed momentum in the top of the first inning, snapping her bat at a low outside changeup, using her strong wrists to line the pitch just over the left field fence for a 3-0 lead.
Arizona chased starter Heather Meyer in the second inning, and built its advantage to 6-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth.
That’s when things got interesting. Very interesting.
Jennifer Cline led off with a double, and the rally was on. Three hits and two errors later, the Huskies only trailed 6-4 and had runners on second and third with one out.
If Dolan, the losing pitcher in last year’s championship game with UCLA, was rattled, it didn’t show. She retired the final two batters on a rare strikeout and a popup.
“I definitely forgot about last year. We don’t bring that up,” Dolan said. “I just went out there and did my best. That fourth inning was kind of shaky. I mean, they have great hitters on their team. They are a powerhouse.
“I just kept going. I didn’t lose it. I stayed where I was and concentrated on the next batter.
Ultimately, nothing else mattered but Dolan. It was her game. Win or lose.
And, for a long while, it could have gone either way.
Washington loaded the bases in the sixth with no outs, presenting a clear threat with its next three players, whose batting averages were .378, .408 and .397.
“I think Carrie was really confident. She had to be confident,” said senior third baseman Krista Gomez. “I kept telling here, ‘You’re better than they are.’”
Tami Storseth hit a hot shot that Gomez tipped — “I told myself yesterday that I was throwing my body in front of everything,” she said — and she threw to home for the forceout.
Dolan worked the next batter, Sara Pickering, to perfection. Dolan threw two strikes inside, and after a ball was fouled off to the left, struck her out swinging on a pitch way outside.
The next batter, Cline, flied out to shallow center. Inning over.
“I usually don’t strike out anyone,” Dolan said. “I’m surprised I struck out one.”
In the seventh, Becky Newbry singled with one out, but it was not enough. Dolan got a lineout and, to end it, a bouncer back at her. Her throw to first was offline, forcing Lisa Pitt to come off the bag to make the catch, then touch the base with her foot.
Nothing was easy.
“It’s so funny,” Dolan said.
“All season, my pitching coach, Stacy Hill, said the last out would be hit back to me. We’re a huge superstition team. When I got it, I threw it so fast because I got all excited.”
The celebration began. Gloves were thrown in the air. Hugs all around. Dolan was wrestled to the ground in joy, buried under a pile of teammates near first base.
“I had to get them off me,” Dolan said. “I couldn’t breathe.”
To say that nobody thought the Wildcats would win the title is an exaggeration — they were ranked No. 1 or No. 2 all year — but clearly the UA wasn’t as strong as its teams of the last two years in all areas.
The story is now familiar to UA fans: Before the season, Arizona lost All-American outfielder Leah O’Brien (Olympics) and All-American catcher Leah Braatz (pregnancy). Then All-Pac-10 pitcher Nancy Evans succumbed to a foot injury and had to redshirt.
The Wildcats slumped in April but finished with 17 consecutive victories. They did more with less, making the title more special in many ways for seniors Gomez and Dalton, who already have two rings.
“The first one was probably the same level of emotion, but it was a different kind of emotion. I was young. I didn’t understand,” Dalton said, her voice cracking, the tears coming out again.
“Being a senior, you really see how much goes into it. It’s tough to put into words the ups and downs of this team and the satisfaction of coming away with our finger in the air. “
That’s how it ended, Arizona gathered on the field for team pictures, smiles on their faces and their fingers in the air.
No. 1.
