TUCSON, Ariz. – The 19th-ranked Arizona softball (23-13, 3-5 Pac-12) was on the losing end of a pair of four-run decisions to fifth-ranked California (29-3, 5-0 Pac-12) Tuesday night at Hillenbrand Stadium.
The Bears used six homers in the two games to down the Wildcats 6-2 and 5-1 in front of 2,225 fans. Meanwhile, Cal's Jolene Henderson picked up two complete-game victories, pitching all 14 innings and allowing just three Arizona runs. Henderson struck out 12 total batters.
Game 1: California 6, Arizona 2
The Bears hit four home runs off of Estela Piñon and cruised to a 6-2 win in the early game of the doubleheader.
Three Wildcats recorded multi-hit games, including Kelsey Rodriguez, who homered and doubled in a run in the contest. Arizona had seven hits in the contest, including a trio of extra-base hits, but managed just two runs off of Henderson. Hallie Wilson and Mandie Perez recorded a pair of hits each as well.
Piñon allowed six runs, five earned, on 10 hits with no walks and four strikeouts. The junior dropped to 8-4 with the defeat.
Cal scored its first five runs on homers in the game. Danielle Henderson opened the scoring with a solo blast in the second inning.
The Cats drew even when Kelsey Rodriguez doubled home Brigette Del Ponte in the fourth.
The Bears, though, would score four runs over the next three innings to put the game out of reach.
A two-run home run home run by Lindsey Ziegenhirt sandwiched between solo blasts by Jolene Henderson and Victoria Jones made it 5-2 entering the seventh.
A two-out, two-base error by Courtney Rodriguez in the seventh inning kept the frame alive for Britt Vonk double home Cheyenne Cordes and give the Bears a 6-2 lead and eventual win.
Game 2: California 5, Arizona 1
Hallie Wilson added two more hits, including her fifth home run of the season, but fifth-ranked Cal downed Arizona 5-1 in the nightcap.
The Cats outhit the Bears 6-5, but stranded nine runners on base in the game. For the doubleheader, the Wildcats stranded 18 runners to just seven left on base for California.
Shelby Babcock limited the Bears to just five hits to go along with six strikeouts, but did walk four batters in the contest. Babcock fell to 11-5 with the loss.
After allowing a run in the first inning, Jolene Henderson tossed six shutout frames. The California pitcher allowed one run on six hits with six strikeouts and two walks. Henderson improved to 25-2 on the season.
Cal used a two-out solo shot by Ziegenhirt to get on the board in the first.
The Cats responded quickly, though, when Wilson blasted an opposite field homer to tie the game at one.
Arizona would get baserunners in every inning, including runners in scoring position in the second, third, fifth and seventh frames, but was unable to get anything across the rest of the way.
California, meanwhile, pulled away with a four-run fifth inning, all runs scoring with two outs. A singled and a walk put two on with two out for Ziegenhirt, who tripled a pair of runs home, her second and third RBI of the game, giving her five for the day. Jolene Henderson followed with a two-run blast to make it 5-1 in favor of the Bears.
Henderson would hold serve in the circle, preserving the doubleheader sweep and series victory for the Bears.
