The Arizona Wildcats had a few surprises in their starting lineup for Game 1 of their series against Arizona State. They get nothing in return.
Arizona lost to its in-state rival by a score of 16-5. The game ends after five rounds.
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The loss was Arizona State’s third straight run-rule loss after losing two games to Texas Tech, both times under the run-ball rule. Prior to that, the team had won nine consecutive games by the run rule, culminating in a 9-0 victory in five innings. nijari kannadi and Red Raiders.
Freshman right-hander Riley Holder Starts Friday night. and anissa wild Out for foreseeable future with fracture, junior Taylor Jennings Start with the specified player, although Emma Kavanagh He was replaced into the starting lineup late in the game. freshman infielder Keith Lucas He returned to first base after allowing just one plate appearance in last week’s series at Texas Tech.
“Anissa broke her hand, so that kind of messed up the DP situation a little bit,” Arizona head coach Caitlin Lowe explain. “We think Tele is going to be a good matchup. Kez, we want to get back there. We’re getting guys at first base now to compete with their best matchups. Honestly, I thought Kez did a really good job today and it was good to see that. Yeah, just playing different stuff.”
Lowe even took over first base coaching duties normally handled by the pitching coach Christian Conrad.
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Arizona pitchers put up incorrect numbers in every inning, including six homers. The bracket used by Lowe, Jena Berryand Sarah Wright During that time, none of them worked. The trio allowed 15 hits, two walks, and three hits. Jaren AdamsThe team with the highest ERA in this game did not appear.
Lowe said watching ASU tape led them to believe Holder is the best answer in Friday’s three-game series. She mentioned that Holder didn’t perform, but “she’ll be better tomorrow.”
“We really like Riley against this team,” Lowe said. “I still really like Riley — if she can throw her stuff to this team.”
Things got off to a bad start right away. kelly pond Hit the first ball straight to center field. She went 2-for-2 with two walks in the game. In fact, six ASU hitters had at least two hits, and the former Wildcats hitter Emily Shep 4-for-4 with two home runs.
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Arizona, on the other hand, didn’t get a hit until the third inning. The Wildcats finished with four hits and three walks, but had 10 strikeouts.
Strikeouts hurt the most when they come after a walk. Arizona State University pitcher Kenzie Brown He averaged 2.6 hits per game and had an ERA of 3.10. Arizona drew more walks than average, but they couldn’t convert them into runs reliably enough. The Wildcats scored just three of their five points.
Sidney Stewart The second batter walked to lead off the inning, but the next three batters all struck out.
The Wildcats had better luck in the third quarter. Lucas led off with a walk. Addison Duke Encountered an error which also resulted in pinch wheel Kiki Escobar Reached third with no outs. Reagan Shockey One of her two strikeouts led to the first out. Serenity Tris One run was scored on a fielder’s choice, but that’s all Arizona got.
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As happened time and time again, one step forward for the Wildcat offense meant two steps back for the defense back on the field. Arizona gave up two points in the first half of the fourth quarter and put itself in a bigger hole than before.
Arizona softball’s next target
WHO: Arizona State Sun Devils (22-7, 2-4) @ No. 13 Arizona Wildcats (21-7, 4-2)
when: Saturday, March 21 @ 6pm (MST); Sunday, March 22 @ 12pm (MST)
Where: Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium is located in Tucson, Arizona.
Streaming media: ESPN+ (Saturday, Sunday)
radio: 1400 am (KTUC)
Statistics: Arizona live statistics (Saturday, Sunday)
The Wildcats trailed 13-1 late in the fourth quarter. Stewart started with a single and then Grace Jenkins When Brown pitched, she gave Arizona two runners on base. A strikeout kept the two in position, but Sniffen loaded the bases with a single and one out.
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ASU’s second turnover of the game allowed Lucas to touch the ball and score twice. Arizona had two scorers but still only had one out. Duke’s double added two more runs, cutting ASU’s lead to eight.
“It’s just about getting the right pitch and taking a good swing, keeping it simple and not making the moment too big,” Duke said. “And do the best you can for the team.”
If Arizona can hold on to an eight-point lead in the top of the fifth inning and tie it up in the bottom half of the inning, the game will continue. The pitching staff, however, must step up and end ASU’s never-ending parade of baserunners.
That didn’t happen. Arizona gave up three home runs in the top of the fifth inning, including Shep’s second homer.
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The score was now 16-5 and the Wildcats had to score four runs for the second straight inning to extend the game. While they’ve done it multiple times this year, including against some of the best teams, they haven’t been able to replicate the feat.
Stewart again reached base to lead off the inning. She moved to second on a throwing error and to third on a wild pitch, but her teammates couldn’t bring her in. Two strikeouts ended the game, with the Arizona State catcher still on third base.
Stewart and Duke had the most success on offense. Stewart went 1-for-2 and walked. She also scored one point. Duke went 2-on-1 with 2 RBIs. She had Arizona’s only extra-base hit of the game.
On Tuesday, Lowe said Wilder’s injury was related to Carly Skupin 2023. She acknowledged that the same injury heals in different ways for different people, but said Skupin’s absence was a general guideline for how long Wilder would be out.
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Skupin was injured on March 15, 2023 and returned on April 28. Wilder’s injury occurred on March 14. In the event of a similar absence, she will likely return for the season’s final regular-season series May 1-3 in Utah.
