Arizona coach Caitlin Lowe told ESPN she scheduled a late-season non-conference series on the road against an SEC program to prepare the Wildcats for a potential regional or Super Regional away from home.
The No. 11 Wildcats managed to win in that scenario, 4-2, on Sunday at No. 18 LSU after playing the Tigers tough in losses in the first two games of the series (4-1 loss Friday and 3-1 defeat Saturday).
Arizona (30-11, 11-4 Big 12) now has only three weeks left in the regular season to finish strong ahead of the Big 12 tournament that starts May 7 at Oklahoma City.
The Wildcats are in second place in the standings, 3 1/2 games behind Texas Tech (40-3, 16-2). One of the Red Raiders’ three losses this season is to Arizona at Lubbock, Texas.
Arizona turned three double plays in Sunday’s comeback win over LSU, setting the single-season program record with 34 double plays.
The Wildcats scored four runs on four hits. Sydney Stewart belted her 15th home run. Regan Shockey went 2 for 4 and Emma Kavanagh had a two-run double..
LSU took a 2-0 lead over the Wildcats in the bottom of the third on an RBI single and hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded.
Stewart’s solo home run in the fourth cut the lead to 2-1.
The Wildcats took a 4-2 lead in the top of the sixth. Tele Jennings hit an RBI groundout to bring home Shockey from third base to tie the game at 2-2. Kavanagh then hit a two-run double to give Arizona the lead.
Jalen Adams earned the win to improve to 17-6 after tossing 4 2/3 innings in relief and not allowing LSU to score on four hits.
Jenae Berry started the game and went 2 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits.
The Wildcats will head to Oklahoma State (27-11, 9-6) to resume Big 12 play Friday at 4 p.m., Tucson time.
They return to Hillenbrand Stadium for the first time in three weeks on April 24, when they start a three-game series with Houston (20-25, 3-15).
Their last Big 12 regular-season series is on the road against Utah (27-15-1, 5-9-1) from May 1-3.
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