Wildcat softball team enjoys spring break successes

Wildcat File Photo Arizona Daily Wildcat UA senior third baseman Lety Pineda is congratulated on her way home in a game last season. Pineda nailed a home run last week in the Wildcats' opening 8-0 victory over Oklahoma State during the Kia Klassic in California.

Senior Nancy Evans recorded her fifth win of the tournament, which ran Thursday through Sunday in Fullerton, Calif., with a complete game- a seven strikeout performance while scattering seven hits.

The Wildcats put their two runs on the scoreboard in the second inning and held on for the win, yielding the single Texas run in the sixth inning.

The title was the icing on the cake to a week which saw the Wildcats record nine victories - seven of which came in the weekend's tournament - while giving up just four runs.

Despite the wins, senior Alison McCutcheon said the team can still improve.

"We are playing really well in the early and late innings but we need to put things together in the middle," she said. "We're almost over the hill from our two losses but we're still turning the corner."

The Wildcats got to the championship game with a wild 14-8 victory over Cal State- Northridge, a team Arizona swept in a doubleheader earlier this season.

Arizona received three hits each from McCutcheon and freshman Toni Mascarenas, who also knocked in four runs.

Freshman Lauren Bauer also helped the offensive output, driving in five runs including her third home run of the year.

The Wildcats cruised through pool play with consecutive victories against Oklahoma State, tournament host Cal State-Fullerton and an 8-0 shutout of Canisius.

The opening 8-0 victory over the Cowboys included a pair of home runs, one each by seniors Leah Braatz and Lety Pineda, as the Wildcats put four runs on the board in the first inning and forced the game to be called after five innings due to the NCAA's eight-run mercy rule.

Evans tossed a complete game three-hitter in earning her 14th victory of the season against no defeats.

In game two against Fullerton, Arizona again pushed four runs across in the first inning and followed with two runs in the second and single runs in the third and fourth innings to cruise to an easy 8-3 victory.

Evans picked up some quality relief work after freshman hurler Becky Lemke struggled in her five innings of work, walking four and giving a three-run homer to the Titans' Nikki Hart.

Pineda belted her second home run in as many games, this one a grand slam in the first to propel her team to the win.

McCutcheon also went deep in the game, her second of the year.

Before traveling to California, the Wildcats swept a home doubleheader from Iowa State by scores of 13-0 and 9-0.