Upgrading the competition during fall ball has been a process over the last few years. It started with an NAIA school two years ago. Last year, a road game against a Division I opponent was added. This year, the Wildcats’ first games against someone else came in a doubleheader against UTEP on Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats came out on top in both games, winning 9-4 and 9-3.
The doubleheader was a chance for the duo of Ryley Harrison and Rylie Holder to get starts for the Wildcats. For Harrison, it was the second outing of the fall. Holder was making her first after sitting out the Red-Blue scrimmage last week.
Both starters gave up one home run but were otherwise effective. Harrison sat the side down in order in each of the first three innings. The fourth was a bit more complicated, but not because of Harrison.
The Miners’ first runner reached on an error, but Arizona’s senior pitcher kept the runs off the board through four. The fifth started with a solo home run by former Texas Tech first baseman Mia Richards. Harrison bounced back with a strikeout of the next batter, then sat the next two down, as well.
The home run by Richards was the only hit given up by Harrison in 6.0 innings of work. She did not give up a walk. The only other base runner came on an error in the fourth inning. She struck out five.
Arizona took a 9-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth. In the regular season, that would have stopped the game, but the teams opted to play out the full seven innings.
UTEP came up to bat against junior Sarah Wright in the top of the seventh. The first two batters got hits that were unfortunate for Wright. The first took a bad hope on third baseman Kez Lucas. The second was a failed backhand attempt by shortstop Natalie Keith. Neither was ruled an error, but they came very close.
The two tough hits were followed by an RBI single by UTEP freshman Lily Larrabee to put the Miners’ second run on the board. That inspired a meeting in the circle. Two quick outs followed, but Wright still wasn’t out of it.
UTEP put two more runs on the board with an RBI single, but Lucas ran down a foul beyond the third base line to end the opening game 9-4.
The Wildcats scored their nine runs in the first game on six hits, six walks, a hit batter, and a UTEP error.
The other Rylie got her chance to start in the second game. She went four innings before a brief weather delay. Jenae Berry took over after the pause.
Holder gave up two runs on two hits, one walk, and an error committed behind her. The hit came in the second inning when UTEP freshman infielder Brooklyn Wells hit a long one out to centerfield. An error to start the inning meant there was a runner on for Wells. The Miners had their first lead of the day at 2-0.
Arizona responded in the bottom of the inning. Tele Jennings reached on an error to begin the second. Lucas hit a double to the wall to put runners at the corners, then Sina Talataina’s single drove one in and brought Addison Duke to the plate.
Duke tried to sacrifice the runner over, but the UTEP defense was too slow. Duke reached on an RBI single instead, tying the game at 2-2.
There were still no outs for the Wildcats in the bottom of the second, but some oddities kept them from scoring again.
Regan Shockey came up after a strikeout from Gabriela Nevarez. Since fall is for learning and preparing, Shockey tried something rare for her. She swung away. The ball popped up to the shortstop for the second out.
While it may not have been the result Shockey wanted, improving on her ability to power slap or swing away is important. Last season, she had some outings on the road where it appeared the field was watered heavily in front of the plate to mitigate her bounce slap. Having more in her back pocket could take away the effectiveness of defense by groundskeeping.
Sereniti Trice was next at the plate. She appeared to have a single or at least an error on the infield. Instead, the ball bounced high into the air and ricocheted to second base where the Miners tagged the base for the third out on Violet Mitchell.
The Wildcats finally took the lead in the bottom of the fourth. An error started things off, getting Talataina to first where Molli Daley took over running. Duke once again legged out a bunt single, then a single by Mitchell loaded the bases.
Nevarez hit into a 6-3 double play, but it was enough to get Daley in from third and take the 3-2 lead. It also put Duke on third. Shockey doubled the lead with an RBI single.
Trice followed with a two-out single, then Elizabeth Moffitt had another that drove in a fifth run. Jennings’ RBI single made it 6-2, but Arizona ran itself out of the inning when Madi Babasa tried to go home as UTEP threw the ball around. The Miners recovered in time to get her at the plate.
That’s when a very light rain started coming down. Much of the field was still under blue skies, but the infield was getting wet. The teams went inside for at least 15 minutes before returning to finish the game.
Berry took over in the circle for Arizona when they returned to the field. She started off with a bang by striking out the side. She went 3.0 innings without giving up a hit but she walked three in the top of the seventh and allowed a run to score on a wild pitch.
Her team gave her plenty of support. The Wildcats had a big sixth inning. Two doubles, two singles, and a sac fly tacked on three runs for a 9-2 lead.
Although the Miners only got one run in the top of the seventh, the Wildcats took their at-bats in the bottom of the inning. Nevarez drew a walk, but that was all of the damage. Arizona did not add on to the 9-3 advantage.
Lucas had a superb day at the plate and made some strong plays at third base. The sophomore had some difficulties last year as she got used to college pitching, but she looks like she prepared to make the jump in her second season. She went 2-4 with a strikeout in the early game and 2-3 with a sac fly in the late game. She drove in a run in each half of the doubleheader.
Arizona has now played all but three players on its roster this fall. Freshman pitcher Lilly Hauser, transfer utility player Madison Conley, and transfer catcher Jaelyn Castillo have yet to appear through three games.
The Arizona coaches have obviously not settled on their lineup. A few players moved to multiple positions or shared time against UTEP.
Both Keith and Mitchell saw time at shortstop. Keith also played one inning at first in the second game. Jennings covered first in the opening game and moved to right field in the second contest. Talataina was both a DP and a first baseman. Nevarez took over as DP in the second game. Babasa played right field in the first game.
The Wildcats seem set at five positions. Lucas at third, Trice at second, Moffitt at catcher, Shockey in center, and Duke in left were consistent all afternoon. Most of those positions were holdovers from last week or last season.
The team returns to the field for another doubleheader on Friday, Oct. 23 when they host two junior college teams. The Wildcats play Phoenix College at 5:30 p.m. MST and Pima College at 7:30. They are the only two jucos UA plays this fall.
Arizona will play one more game against a DI opponent when GCU comes to town on Oct. 31. They also have two games against NAIA competition and one more intrasquad game.