Washington Comes Back To Defeat Arizona, 9-8

Saturday, April 11

Tucson, AZ

7:30 PM

University of Washington

35-10, 7-6

Arizona

32-10, 7-4

Washington

Arizona

Photo by: Washington Athletics

April 12, 2015 | Softball

Box Score

By: Washington Athletics

TUCSON, Ariz. – Trailing by four runs in the sixth inning, No. 18 Washington used a two-out rally to tie the game before scoring a run in the seventh to come from behind and defeat No. 16 Arizona 9-8 and even the three-game series at one game apiece. The potent Husky offense scored at least one run in all but one inning.

For the fourth time this season, the Huskies hit four home runs in the contest, including a pair of two-run long balls late in the game to tie the game. Kelli Suguro's RBI single in the top of the seventh proved to be the Huskies' winning run.

Ali Aguilar went 3-for-3 at the plate, hitting two home runs in the game. With two-outs on both occasions, the sophomore hit a solo homer in the first before delivering a game-tying two-run shot in the sixth.

Fellow sophomore Casey Stangel also went 3-for-3 in the game and smacked a leadoff home run in the second inning to put the Dawgs up, 2-0.

In the bottom of the second, Arizona scored five runs to take a 5-2 lead. The Wildcats used an illegal pitch to score their first run of the game before a single locked it at 2-2. The Cats then hit a three-run home run to take a 5-2 advantage.

After a scoreless third, Washington scored a run in both the fourth and fifth frames to cut into the three-run deficit. After Aguilar and junior Courtney Gano hit back-to-back singles, Stangel delivered a double to plate Aguilar in the fourth.

Trailing 5-3 in the fifth, the Huskies took advantage of back-to-back walks to leadoff the frame. Aguilar was hit-by-pitch to load the bases and Stangel drew a walk to score the Huskies fourth run of the ball game.

A pair of solo home runs in the fifth gave Arizona a 7-4 lead and caused a Husky pitching change as Stangel replaced Husky starter Kirstyn Thomas. The Wildcats hit back-to-back singles to score another run and take an 8-4 lead after five full innings of play.

Facing a four run deficit with two outs, the Huskies were resilient, plating four runs to tie the game. Suguro reached on an infield single to leadoff the frame and two outs later, senior Kylee Lahners unloaded on her 11^th home run of the season. Freshman Taylor Van Zee kept the inning alive, roping a single through the left side before Aguilar smacked her second homer of the game to tie it all up.

Arizona threatened in the bottom of the sixth, drawing a leadoff walk but two straight pop ups and a huge backwards K by Stangel ended the inning.

Stangel led off the seventh with her third hit of the game, ripping a double to right-center. A sac-bunt off the bat of junior Kimberlee Souza advanced her into scoring position before Suguro hit the game winning single.

The Cats threatened again in the final inning, putting the tying run into scoring position with a single and a walk to open the frame. With nobody out, senior Kasey Stanchek entered the circle for the Dawgs. Washington recorded their first out after Arizona's attempted bunt was caught by third baseman Julia DePonte. With two down after a fly out to left, the Wildcat runners each moved up a bag off an illegal pitch, but Stanchek induced a ground out to Suguro at second base to end the game.

Stanchek (14-3) earned the win, pitching the final three outs while Michelle Floyd (17-6) took the loss for Arizona.

The Huskies and Wildcats will play the third and final game of the series tomorrow (April 12) at 2 p.m. The game will air live on the Pac-12 Networks.