Huskies Fall To Arizona, 4-2, In College World Series

Saturday, May 27

Oklahoma City, Okla

TBA

University of Washington

0-1

Arizona

1-0

Washington

Arizona

May 27, 2000 | Softball

Box Score

By: Washington Athletics

May 27, 2000

Box Score

OKLAHOMA CITY - A record-breaking season for Washington ended in heart-break as the Arizona Wildcats ousted the Huskies, 4-2, at the College World Series. Washington finishes its season with a 62-9 mark, the best in the program's eight-year history.

Jennie Finch (29-2) pitched seven innings, allowing two runs on four hits to advance, while Washington's Jennifer Spediacci, who finished at or near the top of virtually every career pitching category at UW, suffered the loss to complete her season with a 34-5 mark. Spediacci allowed four runs, three earned, and six hits, while striking out six. Both pitchers struggled with a slick ball and swarming bugs, both the result of a humid evening in the Midwest.

The Wildcats (59-8) scored two runs in the bottom of the second as Chrissy Gil walked with one out, stole second and came around to score on a double by Allison Andrade. After Erika Hanson was hit by a pitch and Lauren Bauer struck out, Nicole Giordano singled, scoring Andrade.

The Huskies used a one-out double by Jenny Topping, a walk to Jaime Clark and a shot to left (called an error) by Kim DePaul to push a run across in the top of the third.

Arizona responded with a run in the bottom of the third after Finch had drawn a walk. With one out, Gil hit a grounder to DePaul who tried to force Finch at second, but the ball sailed wide and into right-centerfield, allowing Finch to score.

Senior center fielder Erin Helgeland promptly smacked her ninth home run of the season into the left field bleacher to open the fourth and pull the Huskies within one, 3-2. But, the Wildcats scored again in the bottom of the fourth on back-to-back singles by Nicole Giordano and Katie Swan, a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly by Toni Mascarenas. Although Washington placed runners on in the fifth and seventh, Finch managed to shut the Huskies down to preserve the win.

"I wish we didn't have to have played them so early. Washington is a great team that I have a lot of respect for and I think that should've been the championship game," Finch said.

"I'm sure some people will see it that we fell short of the ultimate goal that we set for ourselves," Teresa Wilson said. "But the six people who are graduating from this program have achieved so much and grown so much and will go out into society and contribute. If people think that's a failure, then they don't see the big picture."

Arizona will take on home-town favorite Oklahoma tomorrow. The Wildcats must beat the Sooners twice for the right to face the winner of the UCLA-Southern Miss matchup in the championship game on Monday afternoon.

May 27, 2000
No. 2 Arizona 4, No. 1 Washington 2

Washington     001 100 0   2 5 1
Arizona        021 100     4 6 1

Jennifer Spediacci and Jenny Topping, Jennie Finch and Lindsey Collins. WP-Finch (29-2). LP-Spediacci (34-5). LOB-UW 9, UA 7. 2B-UW: Topping, UA: Andrade. HR-UW: Helgeland.