The Hillenbrand Invitational started Thursday evening, with Arizona hosting Eastern Illinois and winning 8-0 in five innings.
Arizona (13-5) came into Thursday after a tough game against Texas losing 12-2 in five innings at Palo Alto, Calif. Eastern Illinois (4-12) came in riding a six game losing streak.
Freshman pitcher Rylie Holder didn’t give up any hits through four innings but fell short of a no-hitter in the fifth giving up two before Arizona won the game.
Offensively, the trio of Addison Duke, Regan Shockey, and Sereniti Trice stood out with Trice going 3 for 3 and the other two each getting a hit and combining for three walks.
“It’s just awesome knowing to know they have my back,” Holder said reflecting on the defense’s efforts. “I know I can just trust my stuff, spin it how I want.”
Arizona coach Caitlin Lowe talked about Arizona being more aggressive at the plate than what it showed against Texas.
“Last weekend I would have said we were passive with our pitches coming through the zone and we didn’t attack them aggressively when they did come,” Lowe said. “Today when we did get our pitched we were all over them.”
Holder came out focused allowing only one person on base but getting out of the inning without giving up a score.
Arizona took advantage putting up two runs thanks to Sydney Stewart hitting a ball that bounced off the wall and brought in Shockey and Trice from second and third to give Arizona a 2-0 lead.
Holder continued to make it tough on the Panthers going 1-2-3 while closing out the top of the second inning.
The Wildcats kept up the pressure, scoring three runs in the second innning, set up by back-to-back walks from Duke and Shockey again before Trice smacked a ball through the left center gap, bringing both runners in. Trice also scored on a wild pitch, coming home from second.
“I saw the ball down and I saw that it got kind of stuck under the mat so I was going four,” Trice said.
Holder remained locked in only giving up solid contact once more but had her no hitter, at that point, saved by a phenomenal diving catch by Shockey.
The Arizona bats woke up once again in the in the bottom of the fourth scoring three times.
Duke was able to get on base after a hard-hit ball took a bounce of the second baseman. Shockey followed that up with a bunt and showed off the wheels beating the throw to first before Trice hit another infield hit bouncing one off the first basemen.
Stewart kept the line moving hitting a single that got Shockey home before Grace Jenkins hit another single scoring Trice before the Panthers could close out the side.
Holder went into a the top of the fifth inning three outs away from a no-hitter, but it was broken up by Abbi Hatton singling just past the outstretched glove of Trice.
Mo Hance gave Eastern Illinois another hit before the Wildcats were able to close out the side and end the game by eight-run rule.
Arizona will play Long Beach State on Friday at 5 p.m. before playing Minnesota at 7 p.m.
“They’re well prepared and well coached, and anytime you get that, they’re going to come out and they’re going to have a really good game plan for whatever you throw at them,” Lowe said about Long Beach State, who has a win over Oklahoma on the season.
“It’s adjusting on the fly and it’s making sure we get in the game.”
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