Arizona Softball

Stoddard belts fifth home run in two days in Arizona’s run-rule win over Cal State Fullerton

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Miranda Stoddard continued her home-run barrage with a three-run blast, part of Arizona’s 10-hit production, in a five-inning 10-1 run-rule victory over Cal State Fullerton on Friday at Hillenbrand Stadium.

Stoddard, a pitcher who also plays first base, hit her fifth home run over three games in the first two days of the Bear Down Fiesta.

She belted four home runs, twice in each game of a doubleheader Thursday against South Alabama.

Her homer Friday was part of a seven-run rally that put Arizona (8-1) ahead 9-0 in the second inning.

Stoddard had 18 home runs in 287 at-bats spanning three seasons at Kentucky. She achieved her fifth home run at Arizona in her first 13 at-bats this season after not going to the plate last season.

Stoddard was 7 for 7 in 10 plate appearances in the doubleheader against South Alabama and the game with Fullerton. She also hit a triple as part of her seven hits and produced 11 RBIs in the three games. She was also walked twice.

She is no stranger to hitting home runs at Hillenbrand. In 2022, her last of three seasons at Kentucky, she had a two-run shot in a 7-6 win over Arizona.

“She’s a stud,” Arizona winning pitcher Aissa Silva said of Stoddard. “We’ve always known that she could hit and she gets an opportunity this year, which is amazing. She’s a big hitter in our lineup this year, and I’m really excited to see what she does on both sides of the field.”

Arizona took a 9-0 lead after two innings by manufacturing runs, using the long ball and also with Silva effective pitching in the circle.

Arizona coach Caitlin Lowe used the word “feisty” to describe how her team is playing.

The Wildcats have played that way with the performance of veterans such as Stoddard and Devyn Netz (three home runs and 3-1 record in the circle with 18 strikeouts and only one walk) and newcomers like Washington transfer Sydney Stewart and unflappable freshman third baseman Jenna Sniffen.

“Today, I thought everybody was dangerous at the plate, one through nine and off the bench,” Lowe said. “So to me, that’s tough when you’re sitting in the dugout on the defensive side of the ball, and just everyone’s being feisty in the other dugout. That’s hard.”

In the first inning, Kaiah Altmeyer walked to lead off for Arizona and moved to second on a wild pitch. Regan Shockey reached on an infield single utilizing her blazing speed. Altmeyer moved to third on the hit. Shockey then stole second before a wild pitch brought Altmeyer home for the first run of the game.

Shockey moved to third on a wild pitch and tried to score when Stewart, who walked, got caught in a run down between first and second base. Shockey was thrown out at home by second baseman Colby McClinton and Stewart moved to second base.

After Netz’s bloop single to left field moved Stewart to third base, Stewart scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by Stoddard, who is batting .643.

Arizona’s seven-run second inning was highlighted by Sniffen’s third home run of the season and Stoddard’s three-run blast.

Sniffen, ranked the No. 16 recruit nationally by Extra Inning Softball, is accustomed to exhibiting power, belting three home runs in a game last season at Maryknoll High School in Honolulu.

“We just work on line drives,” Sniffen said of Arizona’s practical approach. “Home runs will come.”

Arizona has 16 home runs in hits first nine games.

When told of Sniffen’s comment of working on line drives and not swinging for the fences, Lowe said Sniffen is “simplified” at the plate.

“I’m super proud of her at-bats, composure, and approach in the last couple days,” Lowe said. “She’s someone that has swung out of her zone a little bit too much early on, and she’s really just settled in and made people throw into her zone.”

Lowe added that Sniffen is effective at “taking pitches to get into hitters’ counts.”

‘I think that shows a lot of maturity for a freshman to kind of realize that,” Lowe said. “Now it’s just getting consistent with it.”

The Wildcats’ lead increased to 10-0 in the third inning after Salpointe alum Logan Cole reached on a catcher’s interference and Altmeyer singled to start the inning.

Shockey followed with a single to pitcher Eva Hurtado, whose throw to first base after Shockey crossed the base was off the mark.

The throwing error allowed Cole to run home.

Fullerton (5-2) scored its lone run came in the fourth when McClinton led off with a triple and Ave Arce followed with an RBI bloop single to right field.

Silva, a Mountain View grad, was relieved by Iowa State transfer Saya Swain, and as she exited, the Hillenbrand crowd gave her a standing ovation.

Silva (2-0) allowed three hits in three innings with four strikeouts and no walks.

“I love being out there; it’s my favorite thing,” said Silva, who has also pitched in a relief role. “I just like to go out there and compete. … I’ve done a few things (since last season), getting a lot more pitches and being able to use a lot more pitches that I have this year, just to be able to compete with the batters.

Swain was effective in two innings of relief, giving up only one hit with three strikeouts and no walks.

Arizona will next play Ohio at 3 p.m. Saturday in the Bear Down Fiesta.

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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon. He became an educator in 2016 and is presently a special education teacher at Sunnyside High School in the Sunnyside Unified School District.



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