Miranda Stoddard and Devyn Netz weren’t ready for their college careers to come to an end.
Arizona’s veteran two-way players combined for seven strong innings in the circle, and each hit a home run as the UA defeated Grand Canyon 4-1 in an elimination game Saturday night in the NCAA Tournament’s Tucson Regional at Hillenbrand Stadium.
The Wildcats advanced to the regional final against Ole Miss, which defeated Arizona 10-8 earlier Saturday. The Cats must beat the Rebels twice Sunday to advance to the Super Regional round. The first game is slated for 4:30 p.m.
Stoddard allowed one run on seven hits in six-plus innings. She exited in the seventh with two runners on base. Netz then struck out three Lopes in a row to end the game and earn the save.
“Super proud of our fight and our grittiness,” UA coach Caitlin Lowe said. “Miranda set a huge tone for us right off the bat. ... Then Dev with a big adjustment in that home run at-bat. And then just super proud of her coming in and closing the deal. Ready to get after it tomorrow.”
Arizona's Miranda Stoddard delivers a pitch against GCU. Stoddard allowed one run in six-plus innings as the Wildcats defeated the Lopes 4-1 in an elimination game in the NCAA Tournament's Tucson Regional on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at Hillenbrand Stadium.
Stoddard helped her own cause in more ways than one.
She gave Arizona a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth with a solo home run to right-center. It was her second homer of the regional and her 15th of the season.
GCU threatened in the bottom half, putting runners at second and third with one out. Stoddard then speared a line drive off the bat of Emily Gonzalez. A groundout to third ended the inning.
Stoddard described that reaction play as part luck, part self-preservation.
“But it's great when you can make a big play like that,” said Stoddard, who improved to 14-0. “Another momentum shifter.”
Netz provided a bit of breathing room for her teammate with a two-run homer to left in the top of the fifth. Netz, who has a team-high 19 home runs, had popped up on pitches above the belt in her previous two at-bats. This one was at the belt, and Netz deposited it into the bleachers.
“I'm going to tip my cap to (teammate) Regan Shockey, she was my hitting coach that game,” Netz said. “She just said, ‘Why don't get your foot down a little bit earlier?’ And that's what I did.
Arizona's Devyn Netz celebrates after securing the final out in the Wildcats' 4-1 victory over GCU in an elimination game in the NCAA Tournament's Tucson Regional on May 17, 2025, at Hillenbrand Stadium.
“I saw something in — they were beating me in a little bit — but honestly, thanks, Regan. Thanks for the help.”
Netz’s hit was a rarity Saturday in that it came with a runner in scoring position. Arizona had been 2 for 17 with RISP across the two games before Netz’s long ball.
Tayler Biehl notched another clutch hit in the sixth, chopping an RBI single over third base to make it 4-0. The Wildcats left the bases loaded, though, leaving the door open for a possible GCU comeback.
The Lopes scored once in the sixth and had the tying run at the plate in the seventh. Netz fanned pinch hitters Alina Satcher and Lovey Kepa’a. That brought leadoff batter Savannah Kirk to the plate.
Kirk entered the game with a .508 batting average. After three straight foul balls, Kirk swung through a high, hard pitch. Netz skipped out of the circle and hugged catcher Sydney Stewart.
Netz had been in a similar situation earlier in the season at GCU. That time, she allowed a tying two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh. She said that memory “kind of lives in the back of your mind.”
“So as a pitcher, you want to make sure that you're spinning the ball well, you're moving it through the zone,” Netz said. “(And) in that moment, just to pick up Miranda and make sure she gets that win.”
Arizona played a mostly clean defensive game after committing two costly errors in the loss to Ole Miss. Lowe called that “our version of softball.”
The Wildcats will need to play sound defensively to beat the Rebels once, let alone twice. Arizona also needs to improve its hitting with runners in scoring position after going 4 for 22 Saturday.
“I think we just need to be dangerous,” Lowe said. “We were a lot early on, and we were hitting right into people.
“But here's the thing: There's no surprises tomorrow. All the cards have been shown. So now it's a matter of who executes.
“We are ready. We know what they have. They know what we have. We're going to be the ones that get after it.”
