The Arizona softball team played its last regular-season home game of the season Sunday and celebrated Senior Day with a 15-4 run-rule win in five innings against Houston at Hillenbrand Stadium.
Arizona (34-13, 15-6 Big 12) finished sweeping Houston (20-31, 3-21) with all the wins in five innings by run rule.
On Sunday, Arizona scored all 15 runs in the first three innings. The seniors showed up too, notching seven runs between Sydney Stewart, Grace Jenkins, Tayler Biehl and Kiki Escobar.
Ace pitcher Jalen Adams and former Tucson High and Pima College standout Camila Zepeda were the two other seniors honored.
Adams did not pitch and Zepeda had a pinch-hitting appearance in the fourth inning that resulted in a hard line drive caught by the pitcher.
Stewart and Jenkins both had home runs – Jenkins with two – and had eight RBIs between the two of them alone.
Tele Jennings also had a solo shot in the first over the centerfield wall and finished with five RBIs.
“Only being here one year has made it so bittersweet,” said Jenkins, who transferred from UConn after earning Big East Player of the Year last season. “I wish I could be here for all four years, but then at the same time, it makes this year so special.
“These girls, we want to hold each other accountable and that’s something I’ve never been a part of before.”
“I’m going to take my walks and get on and give opportunities for Tele to get the job done,” Stewart said after being intentionally walked three times in the series. “We just have a special dynamic in the amount of trust we have.”
“It says a lot about who she is right now as a hitter,” coach Caitlin Lowe said on intentional walks for Stewart. “It’s pretty incredible to see someone who can get pitches within their at-bat and execute while taking her walks when they do come.”
Houston jumped on Arizona early with Maddie Hartley hitting a two-run homer that scored Makenna Mitchell in the top of the first.
The Wildcats came back, putting up five scores starting with Stewart clobbering a three-run homer that scored Regan Shockey and Sereniti Trice, and a couple of solo homers by Jennings and Jenkins.
Arizona shut Houston down defensively before putting up another five scores thanks to a bases-clearing single from Jennings, scoring Shockey and Trice, and a single that allowed Stewart to make it home from first and Jennings to reach second.
Biehl followed that up with an RBI single to get Jennings home from second and a Jenkins double to score Biehl from first.
Another five-run inning followed for Arizona, set up by back-to-back singles by Escobar and Shockey. They were driven in by a two-run single by Jennings.
Jenkins went yard again with a three-run shot, bringing in Stewart and Jennings in her second home run – and third extra-base hit – on the afternoon.
Houston scored in the fifth when Ariel Redmond scored on a Maddox Mitchael fielder’s choice ground out and Kylei Griffin singled to score Maddie Hartley – but it was too late.
Freshman Rylie Holder, who pitched three innings of scoreless relief, earned the victory and is 11-4.
The Wildcats will have one more regular-season Big 12 series against the Utah that starts Friday at 4 p.m., before they head to Oklahoma City the following weekend for the Big 12 Tournament.
“We need to build off it next weekend and continue that progression no matter what happens on (NCAA tournament) Selection Sunday,” Lowe said not only about the series against Utah but what comes next.
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