Sophomore first baseman Carlie Scupin nearly made the same mistake as the batter before her.
But unlike Allie Skaggs’ lazy popup off a jammed inside pitch, this one found turf rather than a glove in foul territory. From there, it seemed inevitable Scupin would make the most of her second life in her first at-bat. Two pitches later, she drilled her 11th home run of the season, sending the No. 16-ranked Arizona softball team to a 12-2 run-rule victory over Marist in five innings Sunday at Hillenbrand Stadium.
For fans that have seen eight straight years of Katiyana Mauga and Jessie Harper, both tied for third on the all-time NCAA career home runs list, that sort of inevitability is not foreign.
Yet, Mauga’s senior year, she had only eight home runs by this point, and Harper had just one season where she had double-digit homers going into Pac-12 play, when she had 13 in 2019. And at that time, Harper’s batting average was “only” .366.
Scupin is currently batting .500 and has also ripped nine doubles. Harper had a career-high 14 doubles in 2018, and Mauga posted her best, 13, as a freshman.
“Every ball is looking like a beachball to her,” said Harper, now a graduate manager. “That’s where we want her to stay, having confidence in herself and her teammates … She’s so strong that it’s effortless. That would be the word: effortless.”
On Sunday, Arizona’s offensive success wasn’t confined to Scupin.
Hannah Martinez, Izzy Pacho and Sharlize Palacios also blasted home runs, and Jasmine Perezchica continued her tear in the leadoff spot, going 2 for 2 with a walk. The entire offense has found its groove, as the Wildcats have averaged nine runs over their last nine games, all against unranked opponents.
That’s important because the schedule now ramps up dramatically. In the coming weeks Arizona faces its primary competitors for the Pac-12 title, No. 5 UCLA and No. 7 Washington, bookending its series with No. 23 Arizona State.
In the circle Sunday, Hanah Bowen posted a second straight quality start Sunday, allowing just one hit and one walk with two strikeouts over three scoreless innings, but Madi Elish struggled in relief.
The freshman allowed two earned runs on three hits in two innings, her first appearance since allowing two earned runs in an 11-10 win over Texas State last weekend. Devyn Netz and Jessie Fontes combined for a three-hit shutout against Marist on Saturday night.
“You can kind of see that certain people get hot at the right time, and it’s just going to kind of be that way,” coach Caitlin Lowe said. “When someone gets hot, they’re going to get the ball and I’ve been most impressed that more people want the ball all the time. That’s what you want to see out of your pitching staff.”
Lowe isn’t sure whether the team will have last year’s Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Janelle Meoño for next week’s three-game series against the Bruins (22-3) in Los Angeles. The sophomore has been in a boot for the last two weeks but there is optimism she could return sooner rather than later.
“I hope it’s going to happen every single day, but really, one thing I’ve learned in this job is that you roll with what you have that day,” Lowe said. “I’m just happy our girls are showing up every day to practice and when it’s their turn, they’re ready.”
