When Hanah Bowen is fist-pumping, it usually means good things are happening.
There were a lot of Bowen fist pumps on Saturday, as the Arizona Wildcats’ senior pitcher delivered her latest postseason gem, guiding Arizona to a 2-0 win over No. 15 seed Missouri with a four-hit, six strikeout showing in the NCAA Regionals.
The Wildcats advance to Sunday’s regional final needing just one win to move on to the Super Regionals for the eighth consecutive season. They will play Missouri again at 1 p.m. If the Tigers win, the teams will play a second game Sunday.
Throughout the year, Bowen has typically been given a day off on the second game of a weekend series or tournament after pitching the first, but Arizona coach Caitlin Lowe said her ace was itching to get back out for a second consecutive start.
“She wanted the ball today,” Lowe said. “And when ‘Bo’ wants the ball, you give her the ball.”
Arizona first baseman Carlie Scupin delivered the only scoring of the game, breaking a tie in the fifth following with a two-run homer off Mizzou’s Jordan Weber. It was her 18th of the season and her first career postseason home run.
“My first two at-bats, I was just trying to make adjustments,” Scupin said. “I knew she would give me a pitch and I did better with it.”
Hanah Bowen pitched a comaplete-game shutout in Saturday’s win over Mizzou. “She wanted the ball today,” coach Caitlin Lowe said. “And when ‘Bo’ wants the ball, you give her the ball.”
Bowen was especially at her best late in the sixth inning when she induced back-to-back flyouts to escape a jam after the Tigers put runners on second and third with one out. In the seventh, Bowen struck out the first two batters in the inning and got the final batter to ground out right back to her to end the game.
“I feel good right now,” Bowen said. “My body is there, mentally I’m ready to go and focused.”
The UA pitcher’s impressive performance continues a string of postseason dominance dating back to last season. Bowen has allowed three or fewer runs in four of her last five NCAA Tournament starts. In Friday’s win over Illinois, she struck out eight batters — her most against a Power Five school this season.
The Wildcats and Tigers were involved in a pitcher’s duel from the get-go. Bowen retired the first six batters she faced, while Weber stranded five UA base runners in the first three innings to keep the game scoreless.
“They have really big swings,” Bowen said of the Tigers’ approach at the plate. “So for me, (it was about) just moving the ball and using my offspeed.”
Controversy unfolded in the bottom of the second. Blaise Biringer appeared to reach base on a single, which would’ve set Arizona up with two runners on and no outs. However, Biringer was called out after the umpire ruled the UA hitter stepped out of the batter’s box while making contact with the pitch.
Lowe and third-base coach Lauren Lappin argued the call, but the call stood. Replay angles later showed Biringer’s front foot was still in the box and her back foot was in mid-air at the point of contact, which meant her hit should have been legal.
Lappin was still be upset two batters later, and the third-base umpire called time in the middle of Jasmine Perezchica’s at-bat to meet with the home plate umpire. Lappin was ejected from the game.
The ejection forced Lowe to serve as the third-base coach for the remainder of the game. Despite clear frustration from the Arizona dugout, Lowe said her team did not change its approach at the plate.
“The team stayed composed through every single thing and handled it so well,” she said.
The teams endured an hour-long lightning delay. Play was stopped midway through the third inning. Scupin said the Wildcats had been checking for possible delays leading up to the game and didn’t allow it to mess with their rhythm.
“We were in the locker room just staying loose but also staying focused,” Scupin said.
The Wildcats can now focus their attention on the regional final in the double-elimination tournament. Arizona has to win just once on Sunday to advance; the Wildcats’ opponent would have to beat them twice in a row.
Inside pitch
- Arizona’s seven hits came from six different players. Freshman Paige Dimler went 2 for 3, and was the only Wildcat to log more than one hit.
- Lowe declined to name a starter for Sunday’s regional final, but did not rule out starting Bowen again.
- All three games Saturday ended up with a 2-0 final score. Missouri State beat Illinois to eliminate the Fighting Illini, and then Missouri blanked Missouri State in the final game of the day.
