Arizona head softball coach Mike Candrea does not subscribe to the theory that nothing good comes from losing.

Despite splitting with fourth-ranked Fresno State last night in a doubleheader at Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium, Candrea looked on the bright side of things.

"I think tonight there was a lot of things that were very positive," he said after the Wildcats lost the second game 2-1. "It's part of the learning process."

Top-ranked UA (39-5) took a 1-0 lead into the top of the seventh inning thanks to sophomore catcher Lety Pineda's solo home run in the fourth. Freshman pitcher Lisa Pitt got Catalina Chavez to ground into a double play. But the next batter, pinch hitter Brooke Bernadoni, reached base when UA freshman shortstop Michelle Churnock made a good play to pick up a grounder but threw the ball away.

Then, Nina Lindenberg made her pay.

Lindenberg smacked a Pitt pitch over the right field fence that silenced the 1,588 in attendance and gave the Bulldogs (37-7) the 2-1 lead.

After the game, Churnock was visibly upset, so Candrea took his young shortstop aside.

"God, she feels as bad as anyone right now," Candrea said. "My concern is to make sure she picks it up."

Arizona had one last chance in the bottom of the inning when senior third baseman Krista Gomez ripped a two-out double to center. But Bulldog pitcher Kim Peck got sophomore center fielder Alison Johnsen to pop out the second.

The loss was Pitt's first of the year after a 10-0 start.

The Wildcats started the night on a high note. Or perhaps a better word for it would be a long note.

Down 2-0 going into the bottom of the first, Pineda launched a three-run home run and the Wildcats never looked back on their way to a 7-3 win.

Significant about that score is the fact that in the Bulldogs' previous 19 games, the team had given up a total of seven runs.

UA junior Carrie Dolan earned the victory in the first game to up her record to 25-4.