The Arizona softball team is in a bit of unfamiliar territory entering tonight's doubleheader with rival Arizona State in Tempe.

Losers of their last three games, the Wildcats are looking to get back into the win column. Head coach Mike Candrea has no doubts that they will.

"Winners find a way to win," he said. "And this is a team of winners."

The Wildcats (39-7 overall, 11-3 in the Pacific 10 Conference) are coming off a doubleheader loss to No. 2 Washington. The Huskies and No. 1 UA will most likely flip-flop positions when the USA Today/National Softball Coaches Top 25 poll is announced today.

The 20th-ranked Sun Devils (24-21, 4-12) host tonight's matchup which is set to begin at 6.

"I think (UA) is up for the challenge," Arizona assistant coach Stacey Hill said. "They know what they need to do for the rest of the season."

To control their own destiny for the rest of the season, the one thing the Wildcats need to do is win. Both Arizona and the Huskies own 11-3 Pac-10 records, but UW took three of the four conference games from UA and thus own the tiebreaker.

To keep winning, though, the Wildcats must become more aggressive at the plate. The Wildcats were no-hit on Saturday in Seattle, so Candrea worked a good deal this week on hitting.

The team would take batting practice and simulate a no-ball, two-strike count, forcing players to swing the bat.

"If we make mistakes," Candrea said, "let's make aggressive mistakes and live with it."

Arizona, who took both games of a doubleheader with ASU on April 10, will go - as always - with pitchers Carrie Dolan (25-6) and Lisa Pitt (10-2). Both have been on the down side of tight games in the past week. Pitt lost a 2-1 decision to Fresno State on a late-inning home run, while Dolan lost the first game on Saturday 2-1 in extra innings. Hill said that they will just have to bounce right back.

"It's more comfortable to pitch with a big lead," she said. "But you're not always going to be ahead by five runs."

The Wildcats continue on the road this weekend at the Bay Area schools. They will return for their final home games May 3-4 against the Oregon schools. Washington faces the Oregon schools this weekend in Seattle.

Tonight's UA-ASU game will be broadcast live on Prime Sports cable channel 23.