TUCSON, Ariz. -- Dejah Mulipola celebrated her 19th birthday in style on Sunday afternoon at Hillenbrand Stadium, helping the Wildcats sweep a doubleheader against North Dakota State and Boston College and finish a perfect 6-0 at the Wildcat Invitational.
The freshman catcher went 5-for-5 at the plate with two home runs and nine runs batted in. If that wasn't enough, Mulipola picked off her first career base runner.
The 5-for-5 day brought Mulipola's season average to a blistering .593, best on the team, which is hitting .384 as a unit. Quite a start to a career.
And quite a start to the season for the 10th-ranked Wildcats, who are 11-0 for the first time since 2006.
Game 1: #10 Arizona 2, North Dakota State 1
Dejah Mulipola had three of Arizona's five hits, including a homer, and Arizona won a pitcher's duel in Sunday's first game, 2-1 over North Dakota State.
UA scored two batters into the bottom of the first on Mulipola's two-run shot and then could not score again off NDSU starter Jacquelyn Sertic (2-6).
The support would be enough for
Danielle O'Toole, though, who allowed one run on four hits with seven strikeouts and no walks. O'Toole improved to 6-0 on the year; Arizona improved to 10-0.
Dejah Mulipola gave the Wildcats the lead two batters into the game with a two-run shot off the right field foul pole.
North Dakota State cut the lead in half with a solo homer in the fourth, the first earned run allowed by O'Toole since the first inning of the first game of the season.
Game 2: #10 Arizona 12, Boston College 2 (5 inn.)
After scoring just two runs vs. North Dakota State, Arizona's offense exploded for eight runs in the bottom of the first inning, responding to a two-spot put up by Boston College in the top half of the inning. Mulipola had a two-run homer and a three-run double in the frame. Statman, Hughes and Perez added RBI as well.
The eight-run bottom the first came just one day after UA plated 10 in the first against Drake. The Cats are now outscoring their opponents 34-3 in the first inning of games.
UA added to its lead in the third inning on Mulipola's sac fly, her ninth RBI of the day.
Katiyana Mauga led off the fourth with a solo homer, her team-leading sixth homer of the year. Freshman
Malia Martinez added a two-run pinch-hit double, her first hit and runs batted in of her career.
Nancy Bowling pitched four scoreless innings of relief of
Taylor McQuillin, who allowed two runs on three hits in the first. Bowling, who improved to 2-0 on the year with the win, allowed just one hit while striking out two and walking one.
Up Next: Arizona hits the road for the first time next week for the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Palm Springs, California. The Wildcats face Louisville and BYU on Thursday to kick it off.
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