TUCSON, Ariz. -- Arizona defeated Wisconsin (1-0) and San Diego (10-2, 5 innings) on Friday afternoon at Hillenbrand Stadium. UA hit five homers in the doubleheader, including two apiece from
Aleah Craighton and
Alyssa Palomino.
The doubleheader sweep improved Arizona to 18-2 on the season. UA is back in action on Saturday morning at the Wildcat Invitational. UA takes on USC Upstate and Wisconsin beginning at 9 a.m. MST.
Game 1: #9 Arizona 1, Wisconsin 0
Taylor McQuillin threw her seventh shutout of 2018, a three-hit, 10-strikeout effort that was just good enough to beat her counterpart Haley Hestekin in a pitchers' duel in UA's first game on Friday.
McQuillin improved to 13-1 while Hestekin fell to 5-4.
Arizona was limited to just three hits in the game. A home run off the bat of
Alyssa Palomino in the third inning was the difference.
Malia Martinez and
Reyna Carranco managed the other two hits in the contest.
Game 2: #9 Arizona 10, San Diego 2 (5 innings)
Aleah Craighton hit two of Arizona's four homers as the Cats run-ruled San Diego, 10-2, in the second game of Friday's doubleheader.
UA's offense came alive after a quiet performance in the first game on Friday. The Cats scored 10 runs on 13 hits, with contributions from the usual suspects.
Ayssa Palomino hit her third homer in as many games and had her second three-hit game of the weekend. She took over the team lead with eight homers on the year.
Craighton's two homers were her fourth and fifth of the season and marked her first multi-homer game in a UA uniform.
Malia Martinez hit UA's fourth homer, her second of the season.
Craighton and Palomino had three RBI apiece while
Reyna Carranco,
Jessie Harper and
Carli Campbell all plated runs as well for the Cats.
Hanah Bowen picked up the victory for UA to improve to 3-1 on the year. She allowed two runs on three hits with two strikeouts and a walk.
Palomino and Craighton hit home runs and
Jessie Harper doubled home
Reyna Carranco to put the Cats ahead 4-0 four batters into the bottom of the first.
San Diego responded with a solo homer in the top of the second.
Palomino singled home Kean in the second to push the lead back to four.
In the third, Craighton and
Malia Martinez homered, UA's third and fourth of the game, to give the Cats a 7-1 lead.
The Toreros picked up a run in the fifth before UA scored three in the bottom half to walk off with the win.