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Softball faces 2 more ranked foes

With only three games under his belt this season, UA softball head coach Mike Candrea wants more games against quality opponents and for his team to continue being aggressive.

This weekend in the Fiesta Bowl Classic Softball Tournament in Phoenix, the No. 4 Wildcats (2-1) will have their hands full as they play six games in three days.

"We are looking really forward to it ... we will get a lot of work in and that's what we need," sophomore pitcher/first baseman Jennie Finch said. "We have only played a few games this season, so this is going to be good for us."

UA begins the tournament Friday with games against Georgia and No. 18 South Carolina, followed by Saturday games against Texas A&M and Tennessee-Chatanooga.

The Wildcats finish up the tournament Sunday with an important game against No. 3 Fresno State and then a contest against UNLV.

The Bulldogs beat UA in the 1998 national championship game 1-0 to prevent the Wildcats from capturing their fifth title of the 1990s.

"I don't like to look past anyone, but Fresno (State) obviously sticks out in the bracket," Candrea said. "We just need to keep making strides and keep putting little parts of the game together and we need to go out and get solid pitching performances, good defense and keep plugging away on offense."

Junior outfielder Nicole Giordano leads the potent Arizona offense, which scored 26 runs in an exhibition doubleheader against Pima Community College, Wednesday afternoon.

Giordano has an .857 batting average through six games with six hits, three runs scored and two RBIs.

Junior shortstop Allison Andrade, Finch and junior catcher Lindsey Collins will supply the power for the Wildcats, as all three have hit home runs this season.

"We are all getting pumped up for this weekend," senior outfielder Chrissy Gill said. "We are just trying to take what we did last weekend (at the Pepsi Arizona Softball Classic) and move it to this weekend. We are going to be playing tough teams, and it is going to be a challenge, but we are excited and I think ready for it."

Pitching for UA this weekend will be the duo of junior Becky Lemke and Finch.

Lemke has a 1-1 record and recorded the first no-hitter of her career against No. 5 Southern Mississippi last weekend.

"This weekend is going to be a very good test for us, I think we just have to go out and keep making the strides that we have," Candrea said. "Last weekend I thought we had a good performance, I think we just need to continue to keep preparing the way we have been preparing and keep competing at the plate."