Arizona Softball

Arizona sweeps Michigan State in season-opening doubleheader

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Devyn Netz had three home runs in the first game of a doubleheader on Thursday. (Stephanie van Latum/All Sports Tucson)

No. 17 Arizona put its explosive offense on display, beating Michigan State in different ways in a doubleheader to begin the Candrea Classic and the season on Thursday evening at Hillenbrand Stadium.

The Wildcats run-ruled the Spartans, 15-0, in five innings in game one and had to claw their way back late to a 10-9 win in the night cap.

Arizona head coach Caitlin Lowe praised Michigan State’s effort and Arizona’s ability to recover in game two.

“I have to give a massive shout out to Michigan State because I thought they had a whole lot of fight. Especially after game one, coming out and being aggressive and getting after it,” she said. “I think it just proves with anyone in the country the game is 0-0 and you’ve still got to play. I don’t think we took them lightly, but at the same time, we battled are tails off that whole game and I was proud of their fight.”

Devyn Netz had three home runs in game one and Sydney Stewart had two.

Lowe said having Netz back in the lineup is “huge.” She thinks her confidence at the plate sparked the Wildcats in game one, and helped pull the team through in game two.

“You can see her passion and energy just radiates to everyone on the team. I think hitters always feed off each other good or bad, and I think they caught fire in that first game,” she said. “The challenge is always, once you hit that hard moment of needing to make adjustments, where does your mind go? They really just dug in and got comfortable with the uncomfortable and figured out a way to win.”

She said the addition of Stewart, who transferred to Arizona from Washington in the offseason, is also rubbing off on the lineup.

“She has a great presence on the field. I love her energy on and off the field. I think she just exudes confidence and she spreads that to the entire team. the team feeds off her.You can see when she’s on fire, it catches fire throughout the lineup,” Lowe said.

While Arizona had no trouble with the Spartans in game one, game two got off to a disastrous start for the Wildcats.

After going down 6-1 heading into the bottom of the third inning, the Wildcats scored seven runs with two outs to take its first lead of the game.

Stewart got Arizona going with an RBI single to left field and Kaiah Altmeyer followed it up with an RBI of her own to left. Emma Kavanagh tripled off the top of the centerfield wall, scoring Altmeyer, before Jenna Sniffen hit a two-RBI homerun to center to tie the game.

At that point, Michigan State pulled Jacey Schuler from the circle, and Faith Guidry relieved her.

But Arizona wasn’t done at the plate. An RBI single by Logan Cole and an RBI double from Dakota Kennedy scored Cole to give Arizona an 8-6 lead heading into the fourth.

Netz, who was out all last season with a back injury, made her first appearance in the circle when she relieved Swain to begin the top of the sixth inning.

With two outs, she gave up two straight home runs — a two-run home run by Hannah Hawley to center and a solo home run to left center by Britain Beshears — and Michigan State regained the lead at 9-8.

Arizona took the lead back when Kavanagh singled to third base and advanced to second on a throwing error by Hawley on a throw to first that brought Altmeyer and Stewart home to put the Wildcats up 10-9.

Netz (1-0) returned to the circle in the seventh and closed the game out with a 1-2-3 inning to record a win.

Freshman pitcher Sarah Wright got off to a rough start for Arizona in game two, allowing two singles and hitting a batter in-between before Michigan State’s Kaelin Cash hit a two-RBI single to center to give the Spartans a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

Michigan State shortstop Hannah Greer dropped a routine pop fly in shallow left field with two outs and two runners on base in the bottom of the first, scoring Regan Shockey from third to cut the Spartans’ lead to 2-1.

Saya Swain relieved Wright in the top of the second with two runners on and two outs. The grad student from Iowa State hit the first batter she faced before Beshears hit a grand slam to extend Michigan State’s lead to 6-1.

Arizona started the season in commanding fashion, in game one of a doubleheader. Netz’ three home runs were half of Arizona’s six in the game.

“Honestly, I thought about having that confidence knowing that I have nothing to lose. Especially since last year. So, I kind of felt myself let loose and have fun and just be free,” Netz said of her mindset in game one. “I thought I could also trust in the rest of the offense as well.”

Stewart’s solo home run in the bottom of the second began a seven-run inning for Arizona. Tayler Biehl and Miranda Stoddard added RBI singles, Shockey drove in a run on a sacrifice fly and Netz hit a three-run home run to close out the scoring spree.

Arizona players cleared the bench to greet Sydney Stewart after a home run. (Stephanie van Latum/All Sports Tucson)

The Wildcats added five runs in the third beginning when Logan Cole stole home. Netz hit her second three-run home run of the game before Stewart immediately followed her up with her second solo home run of the evening to extend arizona’s lead to 12-0.

Freshman Anyssa Wild out of Salpointe hit a two-run home run in the fourth, and Netz followed it up with her third home run of the game to extend Arizona’s lead to 15-0.

Stoddard (1-0) had three strikeouts and allowed two hits in 3 2/3 innings.

“I was most excited in game one about everyone just executing their role, pinch hitters coming off the bench in good matchups and being able to execute… It shows how many different ways we can score runs, which is cool,” Lowe said.

Arizona plays Washington on Friday at 5 p.m. at Hillenbrand Stadium.

FOLLOW @KEVINMURFEE ON TWITTER!ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com writer Kevin Murphy was born and raised in Tucson, and has followed Arizona Wildcats athletics since childhood. Murphy is a journalist product manager with the Green Valley News & the Sahuarita Sun. He has a bachelor’s degree from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at ASU.

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