The Arizona softball team increased its winning streak to four game with its 10-2, run-rule victory in six innings over Baylor on Friday night at Hillenbrand Stadium.
Arizona (25-8, 7-3 Big 12) produced 20 hits in a game for the first time since 2017.
The beginning of the game was nip and tuck between the Wildcats and the Bears (21-10, 5-2) until Arizona put up five runs in the fifth inning and finished the run-rule win in the following inning.
Addison Duke was all over the field making a highlight diving catch and batting in two runners in the fifth and walking it off in the sixth.
“She comes out as her best self every single day,” coach Caitlin Lowe said. “I love outfielders who kind of patrol and they don’t just sit back and wait for the ball to be hit to them. I think that’s what you saw in the second half of the game was just the conviction to get the job done.”
Arizona opened the scoring on a Tayler Biehl double that brought in Regan Shockey from second base.
Baylor answered in the second with Kaygen Marshall hitting a solo home run over the left field wall to tie it up before Jalen Adams shut down the side.
The Wildcats came right back loading the bases with one out in the third bringing in Shockey – on a Sydney Stewart sacrifice flyout – from third.
The Bears threatened in the fourth with runners on the corners before being stranded.
Arizona – and more specifically Kez Lucas – came right out swinging and lifting a ball over the left field wall extending the lead to 3-1.
Baylor kept putting up a fight though loading the bases and getting a run across thanks to Leah Cran but a play at the plate from Shockey to Stewart limited the damage before Arizona got out of the inning.
The Wildcats’ bats didn’t shy away starting with back-to-back homers to score three – Stewart two-run homer that scored Biehl and a Grace Jenkins solo homerun.
The offense continued for Arizona in the form of a two-run double by Duke to score Jenna Sniffen and Tele Jennings before Baylor got out of the inning.
“I think we just kept it simple. We knew what we were hunting and just went for it,” Duke said, comparing what worked in the fifth compared to much of the game.
“Hitting is contagious so seeing that everyone else is having success, you feel more confidence that you’re going to,” Jennings said.
The confidence continued into the sixth for both as Jennings scored Jenkins to put the score to 9-2 and Duke being able to finish it off with another double that scored Sniffen from second to end the game.
Arizona will play Baylor in the second game of the series Saturday at 3 p.m.
Recommended for you
