Arizona will face host Arkansas in the next round of the Fayetteville (Ark.) Regional after routing Villanova 14-3 in a mercy-rule five-inning victory Friday.

Arizona (35-16-1) will play Arkansas (37-16) at noon Saturday on ESPN2. Arkansas beat Southeast Missouri 3-2 Friday in the other opening-round game Friday. The winner between Arizona and Arkansas advances to the championship round Sunday.
 
Dakota Kennedy and Tucson High graduate Carlie Scupin each hit home runs and four Wildcats drove in two runs each. Scupin went 3 for 3 and Kennedy scored three runs to help Arizona beat Villanova.
 
Arizona scored eight runs in the first inning to take a demanding lead over Villanova.

Scupin scored Kennedy from second base with a single to left field. The second run scored after Blaise Biringer (Cienega) drew a bases-loaded walk.

Emily Schepp hit a sacrifice fly to bring in the third run of the inning. Tayler Biehl hit a two-run double and Kaiah Altmeyer drove in a pair with a single to right field. Kennedy rounded out the scoring with a two-run home run – her 11th of the season.
 
Scupin extended Arizona’s lead to nine runs with a leadoff home run in the second inning.
 
In the fourth, Villanova scored three runs on a bases-loaded walk, a bases-loaded groundout, and a sacrifice fly.
 
Arizona plated five in the bottom of the fourth to take a 14-3 lead.

Allie Skaggs (Ironwood Ridge) opened the scoring with a two-RBI double and Olivia DiNardo plated the third run of the inning with an RBI single. Biringer scored Skaggs from third with a single and an RBI groundout from Schepp scored the final run of the inning.
 
Miranda Stoddard pitched the first three innings, allowing just one hit and striking out two to hold Villanova scoreless and pick up the win to improve to 6-8.

Brooke Mannon entered the circle to relieve Stoddard in the fourth and gave up three runs in four batters faced. Aissa Silva pitched the final two innings and kept Villanova scoreless on one hit.
 

Attorney John Eastman pleaded not guilty on Friday to conspiracy, fraud, and forgery charges over his role in the effort to overturn Donald Trump’s loss in Arizona to Joe Biden in the 2020 election. Eastman, who devised a strategy to try to persuade Congress not to certify the election, is the first person charged in Arizona’s fake elector case to be arraigned. Outside the courthouse, the AP reports, Eastman said the charges against him should have never been filed. “I had zero communications with the electors in Arizona (and) zero involvement in any of the election litigation in Arizona or legislative hearings,” Eastman said. “And I am confident that with the laws faithfully applied, I will be fully be exonerated at the end of this process.”

Arraignments are scheduled Tuesday for 12 other people charged in the case, including nine of the 11 Republicans who submitted a document to Congress falsely declaring Trump had won Arizona. The Arizona indictment said Eastman encouraged the GOP electors to cast their votes in December 2020, unsuccessfully pressured state lawmakers to change the election’s outcome in Arizona, and told then-Vice President Mike Pence that he could reject Democratic electors in the counting of electoral votes in Congress on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump himself was not charged in the Arizona case but was referred to as an unindicted co-conspirator.

Charges have not yet been made public against Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor and Trump-aligned attorney, but he was readily identifiable based on descriptions of the defendants in the indictment. No arraignment date has been scheduled for Giuliani. Arizona authorities say they have been unable to serve Giuliani with notice of the charges. Former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows is scheduled to be arraigned on June 7. Arizona is the fourth state where allies of the former president have been charged with using false or unproven claims about voter fraud related to the election. Biden won Arizona by more than 10,000 votes, per the AP.

(More Election 2020 stories.)

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A new CDC report shows national drowning rates are on the rise for the first time in decades.

According to the report, over 4,500 drowning deaths occurred each year from 2020-2022, and almost 40 million U.S. adults can’t swim.

According to the CDC, drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages one to four. It’s the second leading cause of accidental death for children between five and 14. Data shows that nine out of 10 drowning deaths happen when a caregiver is supervising but not paying attention.

Ahead of summer vacation plans, the United States Swim School Association (USSSA) wants families to know how to keep their loved ones safe if their plans include a pool, beach or lake.

USSSA recommends having enough lifejackets for family and guests, ensuring lifejackets are U.S. Coast Guard approved, avoiding arm floaties, keeping toys away from the pool and having a designated ‘pool watcher’ to watch kids swimming, especially at parties.

Aside from the physical additions you can add to your pool, lake or beach activities, Executive Director Liza Zarda says the biggest line of defense from drowning is swim lessons.

“It’s so tragic because when incidents happen. I hear from families, ‘I didn’t know, I didn’t know it can happen to me,’ and a child can slip under in a matter of seconds,” Zarda said. “Swim lessons reduce the risk of drowning by 88%, and many of them do have grant and scholarship programs.”

If you’re looking for swim lessons near you, Zarda says to check out your city’s parks and recreation programs for classes.

You can also find certified swim schools near you at this link.

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