Pac-12 Softball Tournament: Arizona dominates Washington to advance to semifinals

STANFORD, CALIF.— There were two keys to Arizona defeating Washington in their first game at the Pac-12 Softball Tournament. Both were on the offensive side of play. The Wildcats executed both perfectly in a dominant 11-3 run-rule victory over the Huskies.

When the Wildcats played the Huskies in Tucson, they allowed UW righty Ruby Meylan to determine the zone. They chased her pitches. They couldn’t do that at Stanford’s Boyd & Jill Smith Family Stadium if they hoped to be successful.

They didn’t chase her pitches, but they did chase Meylan from the game in the second inning on the way to a six-inning victory over the Huskies.

The other key to the game was the reason the ‘Cats got to Meylan. The middle of the order came through. All of Arizona’s hitters had been to the plate two batters into the second inning. UA was up 4-0 after two with hits and RBIs from Carlie Scupin, Allie Skaggs, and Olivia DiNardo.

“I think we were all just excited to come out,” Scupin said. “We remember our series against Washington, so I think we kind of played with a little bit of a chip on our shoulder. But I mean, honestly, not even just the middle of lineup. It was one through nine all night, so it was great.”

Freshman pitcher Sidne Peters was able to keep the Wildcats off the board in the third, but they eventually got to her, too.

“Peters came in and threw some dirty stuff, and they just stayed consistent and worked at it and took some stuff to get to better quality at-bats,” Arizona head coach Caitlin Lowe said.

In the sixth, it was time for Lindsay Lopez to try her hand against the Wildcats. Arizona put runs on the board every inning except the third and scored at least two runs in four of the six innings played.

It wasn’t all about the hitting, though. The Wildcat pitchers had a strong collective effort using the all-hands-on-board approach in the circle that Lowe mentioned before the team left Tucson.

Miranda Stoddard got the start. She was strong for the two innings she pitched. She gave up just two hits and one walk. The Huskies couldn’t push a run across against her.

Brooke Mannon surrendered two runs on two hits and a walk in one inning of work. She struck out two in the third inning but was unable to get an out in the fourth before giving up a two-run home run. It didn’t stop her from getting the win, though. Mannon improved to 6-3 on the year.

Aissa Silva relieved Mannon after the two runs scored in the bottom of the fourth. She immediately gave up a home run, pulling UW within two runs of Arizona.

That was the extent of the damage, though. Silva gave up one run on two hits and two walks to pick up the three-inning save.

It was a complete turnaround from the way the Wildcats looked when they faced UW earlier in the season. The Huskies run-ruled Arizona twice before losing the final game of the series 2-0. UA couldn’t muster a lot against Meylan either time they faced her, although they did get their win in a game she pitched.

“We prepared all week,” Scupin said. “We knew we were gonna get Ruby. So I think it’s that and being prepared and looking at our at-bats from last time in the series against them. But like flipside, just trusting our abilities and all of that. I think we’re a completely different team now than when we played them. So, we knew what we wanted to do today. We did that.”

What they did was impose their will at every turn and pick each other up when they needed to. When their pitchers gave up three runs in the bottom of the fourth, the offense went out and got two of them back in the top of the fifth.

Those two runs came on a home run by DiNardo, who went 3-for-4 and tied her career high with five RBI. Two of her hits went for extra bases.

It was the second straight year DiNardo hit one out of Stanford’s stadium. The native of San Mateo, just a few miles up the road from Palo Alto, seemed to be in her element.

“I do like coming home,” DiNardo said. “It’s always nice to be home with my family and see my dogs and stuff like that, but it’s different. I do like playing in Tucson in front of those fans.”

Scupin was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a double. Skaggs went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a double. That made the three, four, and five hitters 7-for-12 with three doubles, a home run, and eight RBI on the day.

“I think we all really trusted ourselves today and just kind of took pitch by pitch and not trying to force anything to happen,” DiNardo said. “It was like we’re good enough the way we are without having to change the game at all.”

The top and the bottom of the order continued to produce, as well. Seven of Arizona’s hitters got at least one hit. Even those who didn’t, like catcher Emily Schepp, made good contact. Schepp almost hit one out, but the 205-foot left-field fence was just a few inches too far and too high.

Was it the most complete effort of the season for the Wildcats?

“That’s exactly what I said first to them,” Lowe said. “I thought all the way around. The pitching was handing the ball to the next person and doing their job. I was thrilled with our pitching performance tonight as well as our defense. Just really excited about the way they came out and stayed consistent throughout every inning.”

Now they get a chance to get revenge against another team they felt they should have played better against. Arizona will face UCLA in the semifinals. The last time the two teams faced each other, the Wildcats were going into the bottom of the sixth with a 7-0 lead before the Bruins came back to win 11-7. It was the difference between winning their series 2-1 and losing it 1-2.

This time it’s for a spot in the finals of the last Pac-12 Softball Tournament.