Arizona
Sydney Stewart gets her pitch to lift Arizona softball to rivalry series win over ASU
Winning two out of three conference series to start the Big 12 season is a big deal. Winning a rivalry series as one of them is even bigger. The No. 13 Arizona Wildcats (23-8, 6-3) did that on a brutally hot Sunday afternoon as they took down the No. 20 Arizona State Sun Devils* (23-9, 3-6) by the score of 6-4 to win the series 2-1.
“The goal is win the series every weekend,” said Arizona senior Jalen Adams. “Obviously want to sweep whatever, but winning that series is really big, and we want to do that every weekend.”
Catcher Sydney Stewart came up big in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run home run. It was one of very few strikes Stewart saw in the weekend’s three games. She was walked six times to go along with her four hits. This one was a no-doubter to the south end of Candrea’s Corner, and it wasn’t even a hitter’s pitch.
“Even though the pitch was elevated, I knew I could get my hands to it,” Stewart said.
Arizona head coach Caitlin Lowe was just impressed that it came at the end of a weekend when ASU tried to avoid Stewart.
“It takes a special person to get walked all weekend and then be ready for her moment,” Lowe said.
Unlike Friday night, there were no real surprises in the Wildcats’ starting lineup for the rubber game, but that didn’t mean there weren’t surprises during the game. Once again, they didn’t work out quite as planned.
Adams started for the second straight game. Emma Kavanagh was the starting designated player. Everything else was the same as on Friday.
Adams threw 7.0 innings, but there was a surprise in the sixth inning. Adams left the game for two at-bats. At that point, Adams had given up just three hits and was throwing a shutout. She had also hit two batters and walked one, allowing six baserunners in 5.1 innings.
Still, Adams wasn’t surprised when she was lifted. It was something pitching coach Christian Conrad had discussed with her ahead of time.
“That was just part of Christians plan,” Adams said. “We talk about all the possibilities before games. And I fully trust in his plan, trust in all the other pitchers on the staff. So we were just going with the game plan.”
Adams gave way to freshman Rylie Holder with two on and one out in the top of the sixth. Both inherited runners scored without another out being recorded.
The runs were charged to Adams, who was immediately brought back in with a worse situation than she the one she left. Now, she had runners on the corners with one out and her team’s lead had been cut in half.
It might not have worked out, but Lowe said the plan was built with an eye to weather conditions. She noted that ASU also removed and re-inserted its starter during the game.
“It’s 100 degrees outside, and we wanted to get Jalen a little relief too, just like they did Kenzie Brown,” Lowe said. “But, at the same time, we knew Rylie could roll a double play and she’s gonna come into those games all the time, and I trust her to come into those games all the time. So it was the right decision. We didn’t execute.”
Lowe’s confidence in Holder and the rest of the team comes down to their perseverance.
“Rylie was phenomenal yesterday,” Lowe said. “I mean, I watched her get better yesterday. I watched her work through tough moments, breathe through pressure, and we talked a lot about the tough stuff. We’re going to have to go right through. We’re not going around it. So I saw her in bases loaded situations, lots of runners on, and absolutely executing our game plan.”
Because she left during the inning, Adams wasn’t given any warm-up pitches when she returned to the circle in the top of the sixth. The first batter she faced had a controversial at-bat.
Pinch hitter Ryan Brown came in for ASU. She got into a 1-2 count then hit a ball far to centerfield over the outstretched glove of Regan Shockey. During the live play, it looked like it bounced off the top of the wall and back onto the field. That was how it was ruled by the officials, as well, making it a 2-RBI double that tied the game 4-4 with one out.
The question was whether the ball hit the batter’s eye behind the centerfield wall. ASU’s coaches and ESPN+ color commentator (and former Wildcat pitcher) Kenzie Fowler Quinn thought it did, but Sun Devil head coach Megan Bartlett didn’t challenge the call for an extended time period. The rule book gives her 30 seconds to challenge. Well after that time, she asked the home plate umpire for a challenge but was told it was too late. The call stood.
ASU staff members were under the impression that the call should be automatically reviewed by the officiating crew beginning in the sixth inning, but the NCAA’s explanation of the challenge rule doesn’t indicate that. When the review rule was passed in 2021, it allowed (but did not require) the crew chief to initiate a review beginning in the sixth inning. A head coach could challenge at any point in the game.
The video review rules were changed in 2024. One of the changes allowed any official to initiate a review at any point in the game. Once again, there’s no indication that the officials are required to do so; they are allowed to do so when it is not “properly covered.” The coach can use a challenge at any point in the game but must do it within the 30-second time limit after the play in question.
In the end, Stewart’s 2-run home run in the bottom of the inning made the lost run a moot point. The 2-run shot would have given Arizona a 1-run advantage even if the ASU call had been overturned in the top of the inning.
ASU tried to get something going again in the top of the seventh. Kaylee Pond had a leadoff double and got to third with one out on a flyout. The next two batters went down easily with popups. Game and series over.
Arizona’s head coach was impressed by her team’s ability to find different ways to win when the usual way wasn’t working. Sereniti Trice came into the weekend hitting .523 even after facing the phenomenal pitching staff at Texas Tech. She was 1 for 11 in three games against ASU. Shockey was great on Sunday, but she was 2 for 8 in Friday and Saturday’s games.
“Jenna Sniffen swung the bat,” Lowe said. “I thought Kez [Lucas] had a great weekend. Grace [Jenkins] had a great weekend, In a weekend, honestly, where you don’t see Biddy and Regan get on as much, we stepped up, and that hasn’t happened quite yet. So that feels really good that it doesn’t matter if it’s my turn or somebody else’s.”
Adams ended with the win to improve to 13-4 on the season. She gave up two earned runs on five hits, two walks, and two hit batters. She struck out two. She dropped her ERA back down to 3.22 after seeing it climb over the previous two days.
Holder gave up two earned runs on two hits without recording an out.
Six of Arizona’s nine starting hitters got at least one hit. Seven reached base at least once. The four through seven hitters all had at least one RBI with Stewart’s three leading the way.
Both leadoff hitter Shockey and cleanup hitter Stewart reached base safely every time they stepped into the batter’s box. Shockey was 3 for 3 with a walk. Stewart was 2 for 2 with two walks.
Meika Lauppe took the loss for the Sun Devils despite giving up just one of the six Arizona runs. She threw 1.1 inning and surrendered the one earned run on two hits and one walk.
Kenzie Brown started the game and re-entered later. She gave up four runs (two earned) on seven hits and three walks in 4.0 IP. She struck out four.
Former Wildcat Aissa Silva also made an appearance for the Sun Devils. She allowed one earned run on two hits and two walks in 0.2 IP.
Arizona will have its fourth straight game against an in-state opponent when GCU comes to town on Tuesday. The Lopes were the last unbeaten team in Division I this season. They finally lost a game to No. 23 Oklahoma State on Tuesday, Mar. 17. They are now 33-1 overall and 6-0 in the Mountain West.
“They’re fantastic, and they’ve been good for a while, and they’re always a competitive game for us,” Lowe said. “They pitch well, they execute offensively well. So it’s going to be really important to take a day off, get rest on our bodies, but then be ready.”
*This website uses the NFCA poll as the official softball poll. Arizona State was ranked in two polls this week, including the NFCA. It was not ranked by USA Softball.
The injury bug struck again and Nelson is out. Who would you like to see be first in line to replace him?
James Attwood: Brandon Pfaadt. Pfaadt’s future is as a starter, whether that is as a #3 or as a #5, he’s still a starter for now. Pfaadt has also had some modest success at the MLB level, where the other candidates have not yet had the chance. Given that the team’s injury issues have gone critical, Pfaadt goes from mop-up duty in blowouts to mop-up duty in the rotation. They need a pitcher who can go 5-7 innings and they need him now.
samath: I think we’ll have seen Nelson’s spot in the rotation come up by the time this publishes, so it’s kind of a moot point.
Makakilo: In the minors, Brandon Pfaadt had time to stretch out and make minor tweaks to his pitching. It will be exciting to see his progress, even if his first starts are short.
DBacksEurope: “Like” is a push. Despite the ERA he has, I’m pretty high on Ryne Nelson. He has been a good rotation arm the past few years and between all those multimillion dollar arms we’ve seen the past seasons, probably one of the most reliable though not spectacular. I think it is a hard loss. He might get back at the end of the season, but with Nelson gone, an important member of the team is gone and it might costs us wins. Who do I want to see? Right now Yilber Diaz is the one. The most logical option is Pfaadt though I think Pfaadt is a sunk cost. Let’s see what the young arms have to offer.
Ben: I would like to see Corbin Burnes replace him, but that’s obviously not happening. I would have guessed that Brandon Pfaadt would be in line to replace him, but he’s only up to around 50 pitches in his last start. The same goes for Mitch Bratt, the highest pitching prospect who could reasonably step up, but is also coming back from injury.
Soroka left Friday night’s game early (ultimate result unknown at time of question writing). If he misses time, who should be the second in line to take over a rotation spot?
James Attwood: Soroka is headed to the IL. It’s just a matter of how long he will be there. If it is going to be for more than two or three starts, then it will be time to promote Mitch Bratt or Kohl Drake. Drake has been getting shelled in Reno, but that is not necessarily indicative of his talent. At the same time, if he has low confidence from getting shelled, he may need some more work.
samath: Wasn’t the point of sending Pfaadt down to Reno to get him stretched out so he could start again? If that’s really not possible, bullpen games until he’s ready?
Makakilo: If he misses time, I hope that Diamondbacks have been developing an out-of-sight but very talented pitcher in the minors that they can call up.
DBacksEurope: I think Soroka will be fine, that is what he said and what I want to believe. If we lose him too, well, the Diamondbacks are doomed.
Ben: In the alternate world where Burnes is still available, I’d pick him. Instead, it looks like it will be Jose Cabrera, who has made just three starts with Reno, who will at least initially take Soroka’s start. Maybe the team’s plan is to use Yilber Diaz in some kind of piggyback situation with someone else?
Is there a point where you would believe that the Diamondbacks need to reevaluate how they train their players due to ongoing injury, or does it all just come down to bad luck?
James Attwood: I think there is probably an argument to be made that the team needs to make some adjustments when it comes to rehabilitating players. This is far from a new phenomenon for Arizona. With the excessive pressure on the front office to win this year, and the lacks of organizational depth across the board, it may be that some timetables have been pushed forward a bit more than they should have been. Some of that is on players trying to get back or push through. Some of that is on the team for allowing them to.
samath: Eh, pitchers get injured all the time, MLB-wide.
Makakilo: First, an unsurprising fact. Then let’s consider three top-level views on team injuries.
UNSURPRISING FACT: The Dodgers lead the Majors in days lost to the injured list. “The Dodgers, who have had the oldest average age of MLB hitters in that span [2024 to 2026], and the game’s biggest payroll, unsurprisingly led the league in days missed on the big-league IL.” Per the following linked article.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7330754/2026/06/04/baseball-injuries-organizations-mets-yankees-orioles/
VIEW ONE. Injuries are correlated to team age. Two 2026 facts from SpoTrac back that up that view. FACT 1. The Diamondbacks’ team age of 29.3 years ranked as 9th oldest (SpoTrac) FACT 2. The Diamondbacks’ cumulative injury cash payroll of $25.8 Million ranked as the 10th highest in the Majors (SpoTrac). VIEW TWO. Consistency over time enhances the effectiveness of procedures to minimize injuries. Backing that up are the following facts.
FACT 1. From 2024 to 2026, the Cardinals had the least days lost to the injured list per this article.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7330754/2026/06/04/baseball-injuries-organizations-mets-yankees-orioles/
FACT 2. Roster Resource shows that 8 of the 9 players in the Cardinals batting lineup were drafted by the Cardinals. My conclusion is that whatever they are doing to prevent injuries has been consistently done over many years.
VIEW THREE. My view is that in 2025, the Diamondbacks had an injury problem. It may be obvious, but I strongly suspect the same will be said about 2026. Supporting that view: In 2025, the Diamondbacks lost 11.9 WAR, which was the 6th highest in the Majors, per this link to a FanGraphs article. https://blogs.fangraphs.com/which-teams-have-suffered-the-most-from-injuries/
DBacksEurope: It is probably a case of bad luck but the problem is that there is no strong starting pitching in the pipeline unless we acquire it from elsewhere. That is the problem the Diamondbacks need to address.
Ben: If Mike Hazen and the entire coaching staff is fired at the end of the season – a definite possibility if the team misses the playoffs again – then I’m sure everything about the staff will be reevaluated. But outside of that extreme situation, I think it has more to do with bad luck than anything else. I understand that these are athletes at the height of their capabilities, but Jordan Lawlar’s run down first base that eventually resulted in an IL-worthy hamstring pull looked about as routine as one could be. He even jogged off the field with no support. Afterwards, Torey remarked that Lawlar’s body might have some uniqueness to its soft tissue. I don’t quite know how the training and conditioning staff could have done anything differently that would have prevented an injury on that play.
The Owners took another big swing and announced their desire to change the MLB Amateur Draft (LINK). Thoughts?
James Attwood: I can think of few suggestions coming from the owners or the Commissioner’s Office that would be worse for the game than this proposal. It’s almost like the owners are actively trying to tear everything down.
samath: The owners are very straightforwardly trying to exploit the mess at the top of MLBPA to their own advantage, aiming to take a greater slice of the economic pie themselves. They’re ramping up their ask in these lesser-publicized areas like the draft in the hopes that MLBPA doesn’t have its act together in time, can’t contest all of these fronts, and is forced to give in somewhere. Whatever wisdom there is in things like an international draft, it’s swamped by a clear attempt to stop paying as much to the players, particularly young superstars.
Makakilo: My concern is that athletes without academic talent or inclination, will be forced to struggle in college, where they have no chance of success.
DBacksEurope: Unless you blow up the arbitration process, every proposal is bollocks. Players need to earn money when they are at their best I.e. the early years. We don’t want to see players into well of their 40s just because they got their fat contract when they were already over their top. Players and clubs should make sure that players get paid when they deliver value for money. So, that proposal isn’t addressing the real issue.
Ben: It’s a bit of a mixed bag leaning towards a bad deal in my opinion. On the positive side, the owners’ proposal to institute an international draft is badly needed. There’s not only blatant corruption throughout the current system, but there’s also significant abuse of children that has caused irreparable harm to innumerable families and communities.
But that’s pretty much the only positive I see in it. Every other part of the proposal seems geared towards reducing labor costs and minimizing the opportunities for players to earn a megadeal. I think I’ve pretty definitively demonstrated that I land on the side of labor for most of these discussions and this proposal does little to change my stance.
For Dana Kennedy, the state director at the Arizona branch of the American Association of Retired Persons, aging is not only a political issue, but a personal one. A social worker by profession, Kennedy brings her own experience of caring for aging family members and clients to her work advocating for Arizona seniors at the state Capitol and beyond.
Kennedy sat down with the Arizona Capitol Times to discuss the biggest issues impacting aging Arizonans and her personal connections to her advocacy work.
The questions and answers have been edited lightly for style and clarity.
Can you tell me a bit about your career trajectory?
I became a social worker in Orange County, California, during the Orange County bankruptcy. I did home health and hospice, so I basically connected family members to the services to help keep them in their own home. With the county going bankrupt, people were going to have to pay for (services), so I made the tough decisions (about whether) they were able to stay safe in their own home or not. That’s when I realized our long-term care system was broken. With a bachelor’s degree in social work, you really need to get your master’s, but I wanted to focus on macro policy and help solve our long-term care policy problem. So I ended up going to Boston University, and I got my master’s in social work. In both undergrad and grad school, I got certificates in gerontology, the study of aging. I’ve always been an aging nerd. I became an AARP member when I was 20. After graduate school, I went to (Washington) D.C., and that’s a very broken system as well. I wanted to work on long-term care policy, and people are like, that’s not a sexy issue, that’s never going to happen. Fast forward to being the state director at AARP, it’s my dream job.
What do the day-to-day responsibilities look like in your role?
It changes all the time. Within one week I have been at the Capitol doing a press conference regarding a bill that we were trying to get unstuck, then the following weekend I was in Long Beach representing AARP at the National Conference for Mayors. Then the following week I was down at the Corporation Commission because we’re intervening in the rate case. So I can go anywhere from working with mayors to working with state legislators to working on utility issues. At the same time, I’m also a caregiver. I just lost my dad, but I was flying back and forth to California to help my dad transition to hospice and then pass away, and I’m bringing my mom out next week for a clinical trial at Banner Alzheimer’s Institute. So I work on all these really important issues, but at the same time I’m helping myself as well as our staff navigate aging issues, because we’re all going through it. And if we’re not going through it, we will one day. So it’s really a fascinating job, and it’s everything that I ever wanted to do.
What initially drew you to issues affecting seniors?
I’m the first person in my family to go to college … and I worked my way through college. I was a paid caregiver, and I took care of a person who became disabled giving birth to her first child. She was in a wheelchair, and then her mom had a stroke, so I took care of both of them. It was such a hands-on experience. At the same time, my great-grandfather came to live with me and my mom when I was in high school. I watched the role reversal of what my family went through, (where the children) act like the parent, even though they’re not the parent. It didn’t really work out with my great-grandfather living with my grandparents, so he came to live with my mom and myself. So I always had this desire to work with aging, and I really wanted to work with families to help them deal with the transition of dealing with aging parents, that role reversal.
Can you talk a bit about how your personal experiences with aging family members inform the work you do?
It’s so important. (My great-grandfather) lived to be 99 years old, and he was completely cognitively intact until his last day. But I helped my family navigate him being able to make his own decisions. I know what’s best for my family. It doesn’t mean that my family is going to take my advice. That’s where it gets really hard with parents and the aging population because they still have autonomy until they’re not able to make decisions. When you go from mild cognitive impairment to all the sudden moderate cognitive impairment to severe cognitive impairment, then it’s that slippery slope of wondering, how do I take their keys away? They need somebody to come into the home to help with transferring, but they don’t want anybody to come into the home. And they get to make that decision until they’re not able to. I think (my experience) allows me to understand that everybody gets to make their own decisions, but at the end of the day, we need to make sure that they have the tools to be able to make that decision.
What is the most pressing issue impacting Arizona’s aging population?
It’s a national issue, and it’s Social Security. The Social Security solvency issue is front and center. We’ve all heard that Social Security is always going to be there. But Congress has kicked the ball down the road all these years, and all of a sudden we’re at a critical point. What’s going to happen if Congress doesn’t act? There’s going to be an automatic cut to Social Security. We have a population issue. People pay into Social Security, it’s a pay as you go system, and people aren’t having as many babies and we’re also not allowing immigrants into this country right now. So we need people to continue to pay into Social Security.
What has been your biggest accomplishment in this role?
There’s a few things that I’m really proud of. During COVID, we were the very first state in the nation to get visitation policies for people in long-term care facilities, and I’m really proud of that. We worked with Governor (Doug) Ducey on that. Families were locked out and residents were locked in and it was really hard. I’m also really proud that you know we got the (Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program), which lowers the cost of prescription drugs for everybody. We also supported Proposition 104. That was a city tax issue, and it was when I first started at AARP, but that provided $31.5 billion in transportation infrastructure over 30 years. People don’t realize that transportation is such an important issue as you age. Most likely you’re going to lose your keys one day. What happens when you lose your keys and you can no longer drive? You become socially isolated. Social isolation is like smoking a pack of cigarettes every single day, it’s really damaging.
What has been the most challenging part of this role?
I don’t understand why I have such a hard time getting some bills passed. (This session) we wanted to allow cameras in a long-term care facility and (that bill) died. Three years in a row it died. That for me is a really hard pill to swallow. I’ve done three full distance Iron Men, so I don’t give up. I’m persistent. I have a very, very strong mental game and giving up is just not in my DNA. If there’s a will, there’s a way, and I’m going to find it. As long as I have to read another report of somebody being abused and neglected in a long-term care facility, I will continue to advocate to be able to provide tools to stop that abuse and neglect.
Odds of winning the Powerball and Mega Millions are NOT in your favor
Odds of hitting the jackpot in Mega Millions or Powerball are around 1-in-292 million. Here are things that you’re more likely to land than big bucks.
The Arizona Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Saturday, June 20, 2026 results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers
16-20-44-48-50, Powerball: 15, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning The Pick numbers
08-14-30-36-38-39
Check The Pick payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 Evening numbers
Evening: 8-9-7
Winning Fantasy 5 numbers
02-17-23-38-39
Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Triple Twist numbers
14-20-21-27-28-30
Check Triple Twist payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news and results
What time is the Powerball drawing?
Powerball drawings are at 7:59 p.m. Arizona time on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
How much is a Powerball lottery ticket today?
In Arizona, Powerball tickets cost $2 per game, according to the Arizona Lottery.
How to play the Powerball
To play, select five numbers from 1 to 69 for the white balls, then select one number from 1 to 26 for the red Powerball.
You can choose your lucky numbers on a play slip or let the lottery terminal randomly pick your numbers.
To win, match one of the 9 Ways to Win:
- 5 white balls + 1 red Powerball = Grand prize.
- 5 white balls = $1 million.
- 4 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $50,000.
- 4 white balls = $100.
- 3 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $100.
- 3 white balls = $7.
- 2 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $7.
- 1 white ball + 1 red Powerball = $4.
- 1 red Powerball = $4.
There’s a chance to have your winnings increased two, three, four, five and 10 times through the Power Play for an additional $1 per play. Players can multiply non-jackpot wins up to 10 times when the jackpot is $150 million or less.
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Arizona Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $100 and may redeem winnings up to $599. For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Arizona Lottery offices. By mail, send a winner claim form, winning lottery ticket and a copy of a government-issued ID to P.O. Box 2913, Phoenix, AZ 85062.
To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a winner claim form and deliver the form, along with the ticket and government-issued ID to any of these locations:
Phoenix Arizona Lottery Office: 4740 E. University Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85034, 480-921-4400. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
Tucson Arizona Lottery Office: 2955 E. Grant Road, Tucson, AZ 85716, 520-628-5107. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
Phoenix Sky Harbor Lottery Office: Terminal 4 Baggage Claim, 3400 E. Sky Harbor Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85034, 480-921-4424. Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes up to $49,999.
Kingman Arizona Lottery Office: Inside Walmart, 3396 Stockton Hill Road, Kingman, AZ 86409, 928-753-8808. Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes up to $49,999.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://www.arizonalottery.com/.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Arizona Republic editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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