Freshman wins individual title; Wildcats battle back from 9 down to take team championship

When asked Tuesday about his team's chances of rallying from a 9-shot deficit in yesterday's final round at the Pac-10 Championships, UA men's head golf coach Rick LaRose was less than optimistic.

"Not impossible," he said. "Certainly to challenge, you need to have someone carry your team."

Henry Liaw must have heard him. The freshman birdied six of his first 11 holes en route to winning the individual title, spearheading a UA rally that wiped out Arizona State's 9-stroke advantage and gave Arizona its first Pacific 10 Conference Championship since 1991. [Read article]

A pair of watchful eyes looked over the Arizona women's softball team last night as the Wildcats battled it out with rival Arizona State.

Those eyes belonged to USA/UA head coach Mike Candrea, who stopped by Hillenbrand Stadium to watch Arizona drop ASU 3-1 behind a 9-strikeout performance from Alicia Hollowell.

After the game, the hugs and kisses were plentiful for the coach, who is taking time away from the Wildcats this season to manage the USA Olympic softball team. Surrounded by a throng of his former players, Candrea was quick to dole out a hearty dose of congratulations and advice to his beaming players, and even took jokes about his gaining weight in stride. [Read article]

Well, a win is a win.

The No. 1 Arizona softball team swept the season series from Pac-10 cellar-dweller Arizona State with a 3-1 win last night, but took a full game to do it.

The Wildcats (46-2, 10-1 Pacific 10 Conference) had outscored the Sun Devils 14-0 in the two previous matchups.

"It is not that we weren't playing well," UA acting head coach Larry Ray said. "Right now, we're in a kind of mini-slump and for some players, it is nothing more than being able to get a key hit at the right time. Right now, we've got some kids that are pressing and we need to relax a little bit." [Read article]