Devyn Netz, Sharlize Palacios help Wildcats top Oregon, take series

Arizona wasn’t going to let the chance to win a series slip through its fingers.

The Wildcats scored three first-inning runs and didn’t look back, cruising to a 12-4, run-rule-shortened win over Oregon on Saturday afternoon at Hillenbrand Stadium to win their first Pac-12 series of the season.

Arizona, which was run-ruled on Friday night, improves to 23-15 overall and 4-11 in conference play. The 17th-ranked Ducks fall to 25-13, 5-10.

“I think mostly it felt good after the response from yesterday. They could have come out a different way and they just, they wanted to win,” UA coach Caitlin Lowe said. “… I always felt like they wanted it so bad but they were able to come at it with the kind of a calm composure and I think that’s what matters. You can get yourself hyped up for those moments. But if you can’t calm yourself down to execute … that’s where maturity comes in.”

Devyn Netz started in the circle for the Wildcats. In what was one of her most impressive performances of the season, she pitched four innings, striking out five, walking one and giving up four runs on five hits.

“You have to have that swagger from the moment you wake up in the morning and no matter what you do, and you are mentally preparing,” Netz said. “That’s a big part of this team. I think we need to wake up and have that swagger and that kind of confidence and that strength to know we can do this.”

Netz also used that confidence to get out of a few jams along the way. Oregon stranded runners on first and third in the second, and runners on second and third in the third.

“I just love that she went right at hitters and gave our defense a chance,” Lowe said. “… She really tried to spin it you could just see that she wanted every single out.”

Sharlize Palacios went 3 for 3, driving in five runs. She said Netz had “ice in her veins today.”

“She was ready to go and I think she had something to prove not only to the coaches but herself,” Palacios said. “I think she wanted it for herself but more so the team just to show us that, ‘Hey, I’m gonna get us momentum going in.’ It was really nice to have a shutout inning and be able to have us bounce out first.”

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Palacios got it started, belting a two-run homer to left-center field in the first inning. The homer was her 11th of the season and fifth in the last seven games.

“I saw something up and this time I didn’t try to elevate myself. I just put my swing to it,” Palacios said.

Carlie Scupin accounted for the other run in the first, hitting a dinger to right-center field.

UA added a run in the third when Palacios came home on a sac fly from Blaise Biringer.

Oregon scored three runs in the top of the fourth to close to within a run.

The Wildcats responded with five runs on five hits in their half of the inning. Izzy Pacho ripped a two-run double, and Biringer followed with a double of her own to score Pacho.

The Ducks tacked on another run in the top of the fifth before Hanah Bowen came on in relief of Netz. She struck out two of the three batters she faced.

Arizona added three more in the fifth to end the game.

“I think it’s not how you start, it’s how you end,” Palacios said. “I think we’re moving a good trend going upward and I think we’re doing a really good job of just maintaining our emotions and trying to keep it positive.”