Estela Piñon tossed Arizona’s 13th shutout of the season in Game 2.
SEATTLE -- Through on-again, off-again rain, Arizona and Washington split a doubleheader on Sunday at Husky Softball Stadium thanks to a pair of pitching gems. Bryana Walker’s five-inning one-hitter led Washington to a Game 1 mercy victory, 8-0 while Estela Piñon’s seven-inning two-hit performance helped Arizona avoid a sweep in Game 2.
The doubleheader was delayed 90 minutes due to rain after Saturday’s game was postponed thanks to weather.
After the removal of the tarp, Washington’s bats were hot, needing just five innings to win Game 1 8-0. In Game 2, Piñon was able to cool the Huskies’ bats while Kelsey Rodriguez’s two-run homer in the third would be all the support she would need.
Game 1 – Washington 8, Arizona 0 (5 innings)
The Huskies scored seven runs on three hits in the third and fourth innings, helping the Huskies cruise to an 8-0, five-inning victory in Game 1.
UW pitcher Bryana Walker faced the minimum number of batters, allowing just a single hit in five innings, a bunt single by Hallie Wilson in the fourth, which was later erased on a double play.
Washington used a first-inning triple to take the early lead. Hooch Fagaly hit the three-bagger and scored on Kaitlin Inglesby’s single which gave UW a 1-0 lead after one.
A single and a walk chased Kenzie Fowler in the third in favor of Shelby Babcock. The senior walked the first batter she faced to load the bases with nobody out. After getting the next two batters out, a hit batter and a two-RBI single gave Washington a 4-0 lead.
Kelli Suguro led off the bottom of the fourth with a solo homer to give Washington a 5-0 lead. A pair of walks put two on and then Kylee Lahners hit a three-run homer to put UW on top 8-0.
Game 2 – Arizona 2, Washington 0
Estela Piñon was brilliant, tossing Arizona’s 13th shutout of the season and taking a no-hit bid into the seventh inning. The senior would end up allowing two total hits to an offense which averaged seven hits in the first two games of the series.
Kelsey Rodriguez was responsible for Arizona’s only run production of the day, mashing her fifth homer of the season, a two-run bomb in the third inning, representing the only runs of the game.
UA had five hits against Washington’s pitching duo of Bryana Walker and Kaitlin Inglesby. In addition to Kelsey Rodriguez’s home run, Cheslea Suitos and Kellie Fox picked up a pair of hits each.
In the bottom of the third, Chelsea Suitos notched a one-out bunt single and stole second with two down. Kelsey Rodriguez launched her fifth homer of the season to put Arizona on top 2-0.
Washington would pick up its first hit of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning and then, in the bottom of the seventh, put the tying runs on with just one out. After Whitney Jones reached on dribbler to first base, Dani Braun walked to bring the potential winning run to the plate. Kelli Suguro grounded out to the pitcher, moving the tying runs into scoring position. Piñon would leave them stranded, though, with her game-ending strikeout of Marki Creger-Zier.
