Box score
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Now on to the tough stuff for the Arizona softball team.
After finishing off a dominant Tucson Regional performance Sunday, next up is Oklahoma (48-8), the same team that put an end to UA’s World Series chances last season.
"We obviously know our challenge and what’s ahead of us, and that’s if you beat (pitcher Keilani) Ricketts, you beat Oklahoma," Arizona coach Mike Candrea said. “We’re going to have to try and figure something out.
"But whatever, I’m very pleased with the performance our team gave us this weekend."
Indeed.
Arizona (38-17) outclassed the regional field, going 3-0 in its three-day run to advance to its eighth consecutive Super Regional. UA advanced by beating Notre Dame 8-3 on Sunday at Hillenbrand Stadium. The victory gave UA a 78-6 record in NCAA regional action over its 26 consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament.
Four of the Wildcats' runs came via back-to-back home runs in both the fifth and seventh innings. Arizona had 14 hits, four of which were home runs.
Chelsea Goodacre, who had just six home runs all season, had two homers Sunday.
Candrea all but offered up a sigh of relief in UA’s postgame media session.
"(It’s) probably the weekend I’ve been waiting to see all year," he said. "We’ve finally started to put some things together."
That's what happens when good pitching, good hitting and good defense come together. Shelby Babcock (21-9) scattered seven hits to earn the win.
"Overall, the energy of this team and focus is something that ... damn it, I wish they would have had it in February, March and April," said Candrea, who admitted that the season was a challenge. "It’s taken them so long to get to this point. But I’ll take it. Right now, we’re in a good place."
Better late than never. In the Wildcats' three victories over the weekend, they outscored opponents 26-5 and never trailed at any point over. It was exactly what Candrea had hoped for with a team that has plenty of potential but was up and down all season.
"We wanted to be the aggressor," he said."We’ve been the opposite all year. We’ve sat back until someone punched us. ... This weekend, there were a lot of kids where I saw confidence in their eyes, which has been a struggle to get."
Isn’t confidence half the battle? Arizona, an eight-time national champion, has long had the talent (or at least the perceived talent), but it’s been the mental game that has been lacking in recent years.
"If you can believe you can win and give the effort then, well, anything can happen,’
Candrea said.
Some of the motivation may have come from former Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona, a UA graduate and Tucson resident who gave the team a pep talk more than a week ago. The Wildcats have since gone 5-1.
"The talk was good because he just nailed everything on the head, not knowing anything about our team,’’ said Candrea, a diehard New York Yankees fan. "He talked about caring for the game and caring for each other, play the game hard even when things are tough. And I saw a little of that this weekend. Even though he was with the Red Sox, I want to thank him for his kind words. I think the girls absorbed those and took them to heart."
As for the confidence his team has displayed Arizona needs it more than ever heading into the series with the Sooners. OU swept UA last season 2-0 in the Super Regional, preventing the Wildcats from reaching the World Series for only the second time in 25 years.
"It’s been talked about a lot,’’ said Kristen Arriola. "We know it’s going to be a challenge, but we are up to it. We just have to have our head screwed on and go in and give it our all."
Said Candrea of the team's understanding of its challenge: “That’s a positive. It’s going to take a good effort. But the team is in a good place."
Notre Dame coach Deanna Gumpf should know. Her team lost 7-2 to Arizona on Saturday, then was eliminated on Sunday. What’s UA’s potential?
"They just need to keep hitting," she said. "If they can just (have) their pitchers keep them in the ballgame, the way they’ve been hitting ... They have weapons throughout their lineup. That’s what you want come postseason."
