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TEMPE, Ariz. – The Arizona softball team swept its two games Saturday at the Kajikawa Classic to improve to 3-1 on the year, dominating Cal Poly (1-2) 10-3 and walking off with a 3-2 win over San Diego State (3-2).
Brigette Del Ponte hit home runs number one and two on the season and 56 and 57 in her Arizona career on the day. The second of those came in the bottom of the seventh inning against San Diego State, giving Del Ponte the second walkoff home run of her career.
Mandie Perez launched her first career home run in the opener, a solo blast over the right field fence.
Darcy Taylor took advantage of her first two collegiate at-bats, Saturday. The freshman hit a two-RBI double in her first plate appearance as a Wildcat against Cal Poly and then followed with a game-tying RBI knock in her first at-bat against San Diego State.
Alex Lavine equaled her hit total from last season with three on the day. Lavine went 3-for-6 at the dish on Saturday.
The Wildcats recorded 24 hits in two games Saturday after knocking just seven in two games on Friday.
Game 1 : Arizona 10, Cal Poly 3
Arizona scored 10 runs on 14 hits to down Cal Poly to open Saturday’s action at the Kajikawa Classic.
Arizona’s offensive output doubled Friday’s cumulative totals when it scored five runs on seven hits in two games. In 2012, Arizona registered just two games of 14 or more hits and scored double-digit runs just five times.
Two Cats went deep in the game: Brigette Del Ponte hit a three-run homer and freshman Mandie Perez notched her first career blast, a solo-shot in the sixth inning.
Nine different Wildcats had hits in the contest; Chelsea Suitos, Del Ponte, Lauren Young, Estela Piñon and Alex Lavine had two hits apiece. Nine of Arizona’s runs were batted in, led by Del Ponte’s four. Suitos, Perez, Young and Darcy Taylor had RBI in the game.
Piñon went the distance in the circle and allowed three runs, two earned on just four hits while walking five and striking out nine for her first career Division I victory. The junior is 1-0 on the year.
Jordan Yates was issued the loss to drop to 1-2 for Cal Poly. Yates pitched five innings and allowed eight runs on 11 hits. She was relieved by Nicole Innamorato who pitched the final two innings and allowed two runs on three hits.
It was rough start for Piñon, who issued two walks and allowed a hit to load the bases in the first inning before getting out of the inning untouched and then allowed a run to score in the second after allowing a leadoff double. She would settle in, however, to retire eight batters in a row from the second to the fifth innings.
Arizona responded to the run allowed in the second by Cal Poly with a three-spot in the third. All the runs scored on one swing when Del Ponte’s two-out home run brought home Suitos and Hallie Wilson to give Arizona a 3-1 lead.
The Cats plated another run in the fourth with back-to-back-to-back two-out singles saved what was a bases-empty, two-out situation. Suitos’ single up the middle plated Piñon to give UA a 4-1 lead.
Arizona broke it open in the sixth inning with five runs. Perez led off the inning with her first career homer to right field. Young followed with a single up the middle and moved to third on Piñon’s double. With two runners in scoring position and nobody out, Taylor pinch hit for Lavine and roped a double over the centerfielder’s head to score two. Del Ponte batted in her fourth run of the game with a single through the left side to give the Cats an 8-1 lead. With runners on the corners and one out, Del Ponte took off to steal second, drawing a throw. While Del Ponte was in a rundown between first and second, Wilson trotted home to put UA ahead 9-1.
Cal Poly avoided the run rule when Whitley Gerhart bombed a two-run homer to straight-away center to move the score to 9-3.
Chelsea Goodacre drew a lead off walk, moved to second on a groundout and scored on Young’s second hit of the day for her first career RBI.
Game 2: Arizona 3, San Diego State 2
The bases were clear with one out for Brigette Del Ponte in the bottom of the seventh inning with Arizona and San Diego State deadlocked at two. Del Ponte took a 2-2 pitch and turned it around to deep center field. The senior needed every inch. The ball bounced off the top of the wall in center and over for the walkoff home run. The Wildcats improved to 3-1 on the season with the 3-2 victory over San Diego State in the second game of the day for Arizona.
The home run was Del Ponte’s second of the day; she went deep against Cal Poly in the early game.
It was the first time Arizona held a lead all game after the Wildcats had to battle back from two deficits in the contest. Trailing by a run with eight outs remaining in the game, Kelsey Rodriguez singled up the middle to score Hallie Wilson from second to knot the game at two.
Shelby Babcock went the distance for Arizona and improved to 2-1 with the victory. The junior allowed two runs on eight hits while walking two and striking out four Aztecs.
Rebecca Arbino was charged with the loss in relief for San Diego State. Arbino pitched two innings and gave up four hits, including the home run to Del Ponte. Arbino dropped to 3-1 with the loss. Danielle O’Toole got the start for SDSU and pitched 4.1 innings. O’Toole allowed two runs, one earned, on six hits while walking one and striking out six in her no decision.
Arizona scattered 10 hits in the game; Del Ponte, Kelsey Rodriguez and Lauren Young had two each.
Darcy Taylor received her first collegiate start and cashed in with her first at-bat. The freshman batted in a run with a single up the middle in the second inning to tie the game at one after SDSU had taken the lead in the top half of the frame.
The Aztecs got the scoring going with a leadoff home run from Lorena Bauer in the second. The home run was one of three extra-base hits in the game for SDSU.
After UA tied it in the bottom of the second on Taylor’s RBI hit, the Aztecs retook the lead in the fifth. Kayla Jordan led off the frame with an infield single and was sacrificed to second. Jordan moved to third on a fielder’s choice and Patrice Jackson hit a sac-fly to shallow center field to plate the go-ahead run.
The lead didn’t last long as Arizona responded with a run in the bottom half.
The teams exchanged zeros in the sixth and with the help of a diving catch from centerfielder Alex Lavine, Babcock retired the Aztecs in the top of the seventh.
Wilson popped up to shortstop to begin the bottom of the seventh before Del Ponte ended the game with her second homer of the game.
Up Next: Arizona’s participation in the Kajikawa Classic wraps up Sunday with a contest against the 14th-ranked Florida Gators at 8:30 a.m. MST at ASU’s Farrington Stadium.
