In its opening weekend, almost everything went as expected for the Arizona softball team. Sophomore pitcher Alicia Hollowell dominated, and the Wildcats won all five games, including three by the mercy rule.
An impressive power outburst was the only surprise.
The No. 2 Wildcats (5-0) ruled New Mexico (2-3) for the second time in three days yesterday in the championship of the Arizona Softball Pepsi Classic, 11-0 in five innings.
Arizona hit four home runs yesterday and eight in the tourney. Sophomore utility player/pitcher Shelly Schultz hit one out in the first inning, following a homer by senior catcher Mackenzie Vandergeest.
"I was pleased, especially with the young kids," said interim co-head coach Larry Ray. "They got a taste of what it's like to play hard for five innings or seven innings, whatever it takes. I thought Shelly Schultz really had a great weekend."
Hollowell (4-0) struck out 10 and gave up one hit over four innings yesterday.
Arizona beat the Lobos 12-0 on Friday, but UNM advanced to the championship because they tied for the second seed after round robin play with Cal State Northridge and UNLV, and had a better run differential against the other two.
"The challenge wasn't so much physical as it was mental, and I really like what I see from this team," Ray said. "We had success against them, and they played hard right from the beginning. That's what I was looking for."
In the first New Mexico game, the Wildcats scored nine runs in the second inning. Freshman shortstop Kristie Fox hit a single in her first career at-bat, followed by a double in the same inning.
"I'm very, very pleased with the way we're swinging the bats," Ray said.
Arizona's second game on Saturday against UNLV (2-3) ended with a walk-off home run by freshman center fielder and slap hitter Caitlin Lowe. Lowe said it was just the second time ever that she hit a ball over the wall.
The three-run homer gave the Wildcats a 10-1 win in five innings and came following a three-run dinger by third baseman Jackie Coburn, who also had a home run Saturday.
Senior pitcher/utility player Wendy Allen (1-0) pitched against UNLV, sending down 20 Rebels in a row before UNLV recorded two hits and scored a run.
Allen pitched all five innings in her start, striking out seven and walking one. Her playing time is limited because of a wrist injury.
"I was really excited because that was the first more than two innings (pitched since May)," Allen said.
The only low point in the weekend was when Ray pulled sophomore pitcher Leslie Wolfe for Hollowell after 1.2 innings in Wolfe's start against Mississippi (0-4) during Friday's second game. Ole Miss scored two runs on four hits in the first inning and had runners on first and second when Ray hooked Wolfe.
The Wildcats scored two runs in the first to erase Ole Miss' first at bat with a sac fly by Allen and an RBI single by Vandergeest. Wolfe rebounded in the fifth inning of the title game by striking out all three Lobos she faced in relief of Hollowell.
"(Wolfe) did a good job," Ray said.
Against Mississippi, Hollowell struck out 13 of the 18 batters she faced, allowing one hit and one walk. In her next game, against Cal State Northridge (3-2), Hollowell had 12 strikeouts and a no-hitter through five-plus innings in the UA's 6-0 win.
Against the Matadors, Arizona had 12 hits - most notably Vandergeest's three-run homer over the batter's eye and RBI doubles by Coburn and Schultz. CSUN finished third in the tournament, UNLV fourth and Ole Miss last.
"We came out swinging the bat, played some good defense and had some good pitching, so it was pretty good," Allen said.
The UA returns to action this weekend in the Fiesta Bowl Tournament in Phoenix, where they play No. 11 Texas, No. 17 Texas A & M, Texas State, Dayton, Nevada and Western Michigan. The Wildcats' next home action comes at the end of February with the Worth Wildcat Invitational.