The Arizona softball team closed the Hillenbrand Invitational Sunday afternoon winning 12-2 in five innings against Long Beach State at Hillenbrand Stadium.
Arizona (17-5) ended the tournament run-ruling every team it faced within five innings of play.
“It’s a real big confidence booster to show us what can come from just playing free,” Jenna Sniffen said as Arizona now looks to Big 12 play.
Arizona will start its conference schedule against BYU on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Hillenbrand Stadium.
“We go inning by inning which is something big for us,” Emma Kavanagh said. “They put up a two-spot and we’re able to put up an eight-spot and we feel like we took the momentum back.”
Sniffen and Kavanagh stole the show hitting a two-run shot each to keep the game out of reach for Long Beach State.
The Beach came out swinging a hot bat getting the first four batters on base and building a two-score lead before Rylie Holder was able to close the side in succession.
Arizona came right back putting up eight runs by sending 12 batters up to the plate.
The Wildcats started by getting the first three batters on base on before Sydney Stewart was able to work a walk to get Regan Shockey home and get Arizona on the board.
Grace Jenkins followed with a fielder’s choice grounder to shortstop that got Stewart out at second base but forced Seriniti Trice home.
Salpointe alum Anyssa Wild was walked to load the bases and the walking continued with Kavanagh, bringing Tayler Biehl in and forcing Long Beach State to make a change in the circle.
The offense did not stop there as Sniffen bounced a ball in the infield over the third baseman’s head, scoring Salpointe grad Molli Daley and Jenkins.
Addison Duke kept the rally going with a single to shallow right field, scoring Kavanagh. An error then allowed Sniffen to run home.
Shockey went to the plate for the second time in the inning and hit a single up the middle that scored Duke.
Holder did not allow a score in the second inning, which closed with Biehl fielding a grounder and throwing to Wild at first base for the double play.
Arizona continued the offense with Jenkins getting a single before Kavanaugh hit a home run over the center field fence.
Holder continued to pitch well, getting a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the third and fourth innings.
The Wildcats had a quiet third inning offensively but tacked on two more runs in the fourth after a Sniffen home run that brought in Kiki Escobar, who was pinch running after Wild was able to single to lead off the inning.
Jalen Adams came in to relieve Holder in the fifth and retired the side to end the game.
“We wanted to get them both time today and it was just a matter of how we were going to do that,” coach Cailtin Lowe said of pitching Holder and Adams. “They’re starting to pair together well as far as the tools they come in with. It’s something they’re going to have to be good at in conference.”
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