TUCSON, Ariz. – The 16th-ranked Arizona softball team defeated Boise State 9-5 on Thursday evening to take the opener of the three-game series at Hillenbrand Stadium.
UA improved to 16-5 while Boise State dropped to 9-11.
Arizona’s offense picked up where it left off from the Wildcat Invitational, an event in which the Wildcats scored 48 runs in five games.
Shelby Babcock got the start in the circle for Arizona and tossed a complete game. She allowed four earned runs on eight hits to record her ninth win of the season.
It was all offense for both teams in the first three innings, as the two would combine to score a total of twelve runs.
Babcock limited Boise State to one run in the top of the first after Boise State put its first two runners aboard. A Boise sacrifice bunt advanced the runners to second and third and an Arizona error scored the game’s first run.
Arizona responded immediately in the bottom first with an RBI single by Brigette Del Ponte. Hallie Wilson led off with a double, advanced to third from a fielder’s choice and scored via Del Ponte’s base hit.
Boise tacked on another run in the top second to retake the lead. However, the lead was short-lived; Wilson launched a two-run home run over the right-field wall to give Arizona the 3-2 lead in the bottom half of the frame. The home run was Wilson’s first of the year.
A couple of base hits would set up Boise State’s Mackenzie Whyte to launch a three-run home run to deep left-field to Boise back on top, 5-3.
In the bottom of the third, Arizona answered with a pair of two-run home runs from Chelsea Goodacre and Lauren Young. After Del Ponte singled, Goodacre tied the game by recording her sixth home run of the season. Estela Piñon followed with a base hit and scored from Young’s third home run of the season.
Babcock settled down after the third and kept the Broncos scoreless for the remainder of the game. Arizona would seal the win by adding two more runs.
