By
Brett Erickson
Arizona Daily Wildcat
It's not uncommon for a college softball team to have a commanding pitcher who consistently shuts down the opposition.
Nor it is unheard of for a team to have a dominant slugger who becomes the focal point of opposing defenses.
But for the same person to serve both roles is rare.
Pitcher/first baseman Jennie Finch proved that she belongs on this short list this weekend with two dominating performances against Oregon and Oregon State.
The latter outing came Sunday, as the second-ranked Wildcats (38-2 overall, 2-0 in Pac-10) faced the No. 14 Beavers (29-13-1, 0-2) in Corvallis, Ore. Finch tossed her fifth career no-hitter and struck out 10 batters as Arizona cruised to a 5-0 victory.
Only former UA All-Americans Susie Parra (eight) and Debbie Day (six) have thrown more no-hitters.
"She was throwing so hard, but keeping them off balance with the off-speed stuff," freshman Jenny Gladding said. "She just mixed it up really well."
Finch's gem in the pitching circle Sunday came two days after she showed the abilities of her offensive game. Against Oregon Friday, Finch hit two home runs - a first-inning grand slam and a three-run blast in the seventh inning - and added a two-run double to lead Arizona to a 11-1 drilling of the Ducks (22-18, 0-1).
"She had the hits at the right times with people on in important situations," Gladding said. "She had an incredible weekend."
Finch's nine RBIs are believed to be an Arizona record by the UA sports information department.
Senior Becky Lemke (13-1) provided Finch and the Wildcats with plenty of pitching support Friday, allowing three hits while striking out nine.
In Sunday's victory against OSU, Arizona staked Finch to an early 3-0 lead on a three-run home run by senior Toni Mascarenas. The long ball, which scored seniors Lauren Bauer and Nicole Giordano, was Mascarenas' team-high 17th of the season.
Bauer also added a two-run homer for the Wildcats.
The second game against Oregon State Sunday, which was to be played after Saturday's rain-out, was canceled due to poor field conditions.
Arizona continues its longest conference road trip of the season Friday when the team visits No. 16 Washington.
The Wildcats then head to Los Angeles for a two-game series against top-ranked UCLA (37-1, 2-1).
The Bruins lost their first game of the season Friday against No. 5 Stanford, but bounced back Sunday to defeat No. 3 California 2-1 (in nine innings) and 5-1.
