The top two home run hitting teams in the country met for the first time this season, but only one played the long ball Friday.
No. 11-ranked Arizona coasted to an 8-0 walk-off win in five innings with three homers against rival Arizona State in the series opener at Hillenbrand Stadium.
“It was awesome,” UA catcher Dejah Mulipola said. “I don’t think we tried to go for the long ball, but to go for the long ball and get all the runs that we pretty much scored was awesome.”
The 17th-ranked Sun Devils led the nation in scoring entering the series opener, with 301 runs in 33 games (9.12 per game). Arizona State’s 64 home runs (1.94 per game) also led the country.
Arizona wasn’t far behind, with 57 homers in 31 games (1.84 per game). That was until the Wildcats sent three out of the park on Friday.
Mulipola wasn’t aware of Arizona State’s scoring prowess.
“That’s awesome, I guess, for us defensively, offensively, and just going into the weekend,” she said.
Arizona shortstop Jessie Harper takes the flip from second baseman Reyna Carranco in the fourth inning of UA’s win.
Malia Martinez started the scoring in the second inning with a two-run home run, bringing in Mulipola who had been hit by a pitch during her at-bat.
The Wildcats extended their lead to 7-0 in the third thanks to home runs by Mulipola and Tamara Statman. Mulipola’s homer over the wall in left-center scored Jenna Kean and Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza, who both reached base on walks.
Statman’s home run also took advantage of another free base after Martinez had reached during the previous at-bat.
Reyna Carranco and Jessie Harper sealed the deal in the fifth inning.
Carranco, who was 0 for 2 entering what would be her last at-bat, hit a triple down the left field line to extend her hitting streak to 14 games. Harper’s sacrifice fly to center field in the next at-bat scored Carranco and ended the game early.
Arizona’s Dejah Mulipola watches her three-run homer clear the fence in the bottom of the third inning.
UA ace Taylor McQuillin considers the in-state rivalry one of the most important series of the year.
“It’s one of the biggest rivalries in college softball, so it was pretty cool to go out and put on a show like our team did today as a whole,” McQuillin said. “Offensively, we only had four hits, but three of them were huge. And even Jessie’s walk-off — that’s big for us.”
McQuillin was near perfect in the circle for the Wildcats, striking out eight ASU batters. The senior didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning — she would give up a total of two, and walked one.
McQuillin said the entire team was firing on all cylinders to get the win.
“Dejah knew exactly what I wanted,” McQuillin said, “coach (Taryn Mowatt) knew exactly what was going on, and I just really trusted my defense, trusted the offense to let them get the job done.”
Inside pitch
- Hillenbrand Stadium introduced beer to their menu at Friday’s game — the first time UA has sold alcohol at the stadium. Coach Mike Candrea said he had no input into the menu change. “I guess it went well,” he said. “Unfortunately it was a quick game for them, so they couldn’t consume too much.”
