Can Arizona win a pitchers’ duel against a top pitcher? That was the question on Thursday evening when the No. 12 Wildcats squared off against No. 14 Texas Tech and NiJaree Canady. The answer was a definitive, “Yes!”

“We needed to make a statement to ourselves a little bit, that we can play well in all facets,” said Arizona head coach Caitlin Lowe. “We can pitch well, we can play good defense, and we can get the timely hit when it matters. We got the timely hit when it mattered.”

Arizona defeated TTU by the score of 2-1 at Hillenbrand Stadium. Redshirt senior Devyn Netz got the win for the Wildcats and improved her record to 17-4. Canaday moved to 17-5 on the season with the loss.

All the scoring came in the first inning. Netz was right in the middle of that, too.

Miranda Stoddard got the start in the circle for Arizona. She had a bumpy first inning, giving up back-to-back singles to lead off. A fielder’s choice put runners on the corners with one out, and Lady Raider Alexa Langeliers drove in the runner from third.

On the positive side, the Wildcats got an out at second base in exchange for the run. That put Stoddard in a position to close the inning without allowing more damage. She accomplished that task and kept the Raiders’ lead at 1-0.

“Miranda was in an opening role so that Devyn could close, and that was the plan going in,” Lowe said. “And sometimes the plans work out; sometimes they don’t and we need to go to someone else. And at the same time, I think people would have been ready for a spot here or there, but we wanted the ball in Devyn’s hands at the end, and we were looking for Miranda to set the tone. And I think we were able to achieve both. Obviously, we want a cleaner first inning, but at the same time, we recovered really well and responded to them scoring.”

Arizona’s response came in the bottom of the inning. Canady retired the first two batters, but Kaiah Altmeyer started the two-out rally with a single. Netz drove in the Wildcats’ two runs with her 15th homer of the season.

“It was a rise ball, up and in, I think,” Netz said. “But honestly, I just felt like if I was just short to it and…just put the ball in play. Just make their defense work. That’s all I thought. And it kind of caught wind. It got a little lofty, and I think it really hit literally at the 200-foot mark. So honestly, she’s a great pitcher, and we have to tip our caps to her. She pitched a great game. We played a great game, as well.”

Altmeyer had a good day at the plate. She had one of Arizona’s four hits and was robbed of another one by a great play in centerfield.

“Nobody was trying to be too big,” Altmeyer said. “Just anything over the plate, get your best swing on it. Like Dev said, she’s a great pitcher, so we just weren’t thinking too much. Keeping it really simple. Short to the ball.”

It was the first time Netz had faced Canady. The players missed each other with injuries during their final two seasons in the Pac-12. Altmeyer was a little more prepared for what she would face.

“I think I got like two at-bats off her last year,” Altmeyer said. “She sat me down.”

Stoddard locked things down in the top of the second by sitting down the Raiders in order. She faced eight batters in two innings, then gave way to Netz in the top of the third. Stoddard allowed one earned run on three hits. She threw 24 pitches, including 15 strikes.

Netz controlled the next five innings. She also surrendered three hits but didn’t allow any runs. Two of the hits were singles. Twenty of her 67 pitches were balls.

Netz struck out five. Canady was the victim of two of those strikeouts. Neither Arizona pitcher allowed a walk.

Canady pitched a complete game for TTU, throwing 107 total pitches. She threw 63 strikes and 44 balls. She gave up two earned runs on five hits, two walks, a hit batter, and a wild pitch in six innings of work.

“I was very proud of the team all around tonight,” Lowe said. “I thought we even had opportunities to score more runs, and they made some really good plays.”

Arizona’s opportunities to tack on more runs started in the second inning. Designated player Emily Schepp led off the bottom of the second by getting hit by a pitch. Two straight popups left her still standing there with two outs.

Tayler Biehl’s double to right field wasn’t quite enough to get Schepp in from first. A great relay and a block of the plate by TTU catcher Victoria Valdez had the ball waiting for Schepp when she got home.

Regan Shockey’s one-out double and a two-out walk by Netz gave Arizona the chance to score in the third. Canady induced a ground ball to end the inning.

The Wildcats had another prime opportunity in the fifth when Dakota Kennedy hit a one-out triple. They failed to convert once again with the final out coming on Altmeyer’s fly that ended in the highlight-reel diving catch by centerfielder Mihyia Davis.

One inning later, Netz drew the leadoff walk, and pinch runner Zaedi Tagalog advanced to second on Canady’s wild pitch. The TTU pitcher got two of her seven strikeouts and a foulout to keep Tagalog on second base.

Texas Tech’s best opportunity to tie or take the lead came in the top of the fifth. Canady struck out to start the inning, but Netz allowed two singles to put the go-ahead run on first. A fielder’s choice and the second strikeout of the inning ended the danger. Arizona’s senior leader dismissed the final six TTU batters in order to preserve the win.

“Really can’t say enough about our pitching shutting down a good team, because that’s a very good team,” Lowe said. “And I thought Devyn looked her best at the end of the game, which feels great, too.”

Arizona will try to secure the series win on Friday at 5 p.m. MST.

Lead photo courtesy of Arizona Athletics