Arizona closes Hillenbrand Invitational with game against Long Beach State

Information provided by the Arizona media-relations contributed to this report:

Arizona is 0-2 against SEC teams this season following Saturday’s 7-6 loss to No. 16 Kentucky in the Hillenbrand Invitational at Hillenbrand Stadium.

The Wildcats lost last week against No. 2 Alabama in the Candrea Classic.

Arizona (6-2) defeated Loyola Marymount earlier in the day Saturday.

The Hillenbrand Invitational wraps up today. Arizona players Long Beach State at 2 p.m.
 
Game 1 – Arizona 4, Loyola Marymount 3

Arizona beat LMU 4-3 in the first game of the doubleheader behind Sharlize Palacios’ two-run homer in the first inning. Allie Skaggs ended the game on a walk-off sacrifice fly in the seventh to score Jazmine Perezchica.

Arizona had four runs on four hits, with four RBIs. Palacios’ home run was her fourth of the season.
 
Cienega grad Blaise Biringer scored Amber Toven – a pinch-runner for Palacios – on a single up the middle in the third inning to put Arizona up 3-0.

After LMU hit a home run in the fourth and scored two in the sixth to tie the game, Perezchica walked to lead off the bottom of the seventh.

The Lions intentionally walked Palacios and Perezchica advanced to third on a wild pitch. Skaggs scored Perezchica with a sacrifice fly to secure the win for Arizona.
 
Hanah Bowen (4-1) earned the win, entering the game in the sixth and allowed no runs on one hit.   
 
Game 2 – Kentucky 7, Arizona 6

Three Arizona players hit doubles, but Kentucky had two home runs.
 
Kentucky struck first in the third inning, but Arizona answered back with a two-run single from Skaggs.

Martinez’s RBI single in the fourth put Arizona ahead 4-3.
 
Kentucky scored four in the top of the fifth to regain the lead at 7-4. Tucson High grad Carlie Scupin and Biringer each hit RBI doubles to bring Arizona within one in the bottom of the fifth.
 
It was a pitcher’s duel between Madi Elish and Kentucky’s Kennady Sullivan in the final two innings. Sullivan (2-0) came away with the win and Elish fell to 0-1 after giving up the deciding run in the fifth inning.