SEATTLE -- Facing two separate three-run deficits, the Washington softball team scored eight of the game's final nine runs and got a walk-off grand slam from Hooch Fagaly to earn an 11-7 victory over Arizona in the series opener Friday night.
Seven of Washington's 11 runs were scored by players who did not earn their way on base. Arizona pitchers issues 10 walks, six of which came around to score. An error led to another run in the fifth, and the Huskies (29-12, 9-8 Pac-12) also scored a run after an illegal pitch extended the first inning.
The Wildcats (39-10, 12-7 Pac-12) took a three-run lead in the first and, after Washington chipped away to tie the score, scored three runs in the fourth to take another three-run lead. The Huskies would score eight runs on just three hits the rest of the way.
Hallie Wilson went 3 for 4 at the plate, including a game-tying solo homer in the top of the sixth inning. Kellie Fox was 2 for 2 with an RBI, and Chelsea Goodacre hit her 21st homer of the year to move into a tie for the NCAA lead.
Starter Estela Pinon allowed six runs, five earned, on six hits with three walks and three strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. She was relieved by Kenzie Fowler (8-5), who walked seven of the 15 batters she faced and gave up five runs on two hits. The senior struck out three in her two innings of relief.
After Inglesby retired the first two batters in the top of the first, Fox drew a walk and Goodacre was hit by a pitch. The two each gained a base on a passed ball, and Mauga then singled in a run to give the Cats an early lead. Mercado followed with a single of her own to score Goodacre, and an error on the Washington right fielder allowed Mauga to score from first on the play.
Washington responded with a run in a bizarre bottom of the first. After Arizona appeared to turn two to get out of the frame, an illegal pitch was called to extend the inning. Kylee Lahners took advantage with an RBI double to the gap in right-center, but a perfect relay from Mauga to Fox to Goodacre cut down a runner at the plate to limit the damage to a single run on the play.
Whitney Jones led off the bottom of the second for Washington with a home run to cut Arizona's lead to 3-2.
The Huskies tied the game after a leadoff walk came back to bite Pinon. Fagaly drew the walk, moved to second on Inglesby's single and scored on an Ali Aguilar double. The Huskies seemed poised to take the lead when Dani Braun hit a shot down the left-field line with two runners in scoring position, but Chelsea Suitos dived and made the catch to save two runs and end the inning.
Arizona got a run back in the top of the fourth to retake the lead. Hallie Wilson bunted for a single and was sacrificed to second by Kelsey Rodriguez. Fox then one-hopped the center-field wall for a ground-rule double to score Wilson and put Arizona on top 4-3. Goodacre followed with her homer, a ball crushed to right to give the Wildcats a 6-3 advantage.
Washington tied the game in the bottom of the fifth with a three-run Aguilar home run and took the lead on Kelli Suguro's RBI double.
Wilson hit a solo homer in the top of the sixth to tie the score at 7-all.
Fowler walked the first two batters she faced in the bottom of the sixth inning before retiring the next two. After a walk, Fowler got Jones to fly out to left field to end the inning and keep the score tied at seven.
Arizona squandered an opportunity in the top of the seventh, and in the bottom half, three walks loaded the bases with one out for Fagaly, who hit a walk-off grand slam to center field.
