After rain in Seattle halted play Friday in the first matchup of a three-game weekend set between the No. 18 Arizona softball team and No. 9 Washington, the Huskies gave the Wildcats fits in a makeshift double-header Saturday. Washington won the postponed first game 3-1, before taking the later matchup 4-3 on a walk-off home run at Husky Softball Stadium.
In that second game, after Arizona left the bases loaded in the top of the seventh with the score tied at three, UW’s Madison Huskey ended it in the bottom of the final inning with a blast to right-center off Arizona pitcher Ali Blanchard.
The home run would be the only run Skaggs would give up in 4 and 1/3 innings of relief work in the circle.
Washington took a 3-1 lead to the third before Arizona plated two to tie it, thanks to an RBI single from Olivia DiNardo and an RBI double from Dakota Kennedy.
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The Wildcats loaded the bases with two outs in that seventh inning and Kennedy coming up, but her rocket line drive up the middle was snared by Washington pitcher Kelley Lynch to end the threat.
Arizona's Friday-night matchup against Washington at Husky Softball Stadium in Seattle was postponed in the third inning due to inclement weather. The game is slated to be continued at that same point at 2 p.m. Saturday, prior to the teams' regularly-scheduled matchup at 4 p.m. Photo courtesy UW Softball (via Twitter)
In the first game, Arizona (20-11, 3-5 Pac-12) and Washington (24-6, 5-3) were both hitless and scoreless in the middle of the third inning Friday when weather forced the postponement to Saturday.
The game picked up right at that point in the third, with the Huskies continuing the stymie the Wildcats. Arizona managed just one hit off Washington starter Ruby Meylan, who threw a complete game, striking out 10 and walking four.
The only hit for Arizona was a solo home run by Allie Skaggs.
The game was scoreless entering the bottom of the fifth when the Huskies scored via a pair of RBI doubles from Huskey and Sami Reynolds. Skaggs narrowed the gap in the top of the sixth before another UW RBI double, this time from SilentRain Espinoza, capped the scoring.
Arizona starter Devyn Netz gave up three earned runs on eight hits while striking out six and walking one in five innings in defeat in game one. In game two, Aissa Silva lasted 1 2/3 innings as Arizona’s starter, giving up three earned runs on three hits with two strikeouts.
The finale of the three-game set is Sunday at 12 p.m. The game will be televised on Pac-12 Arizona.
Arizona softball infielder Allie Skaggs and head coach Caitlin Lowe discuss the Wildcats' performance last week against New Mexico State and Utah. Lowe and Skaggs spoke to local media March 21, 2023 at Hillenbrand Stadium. Video by Devin Homer/Special to the Arizona Daily Star
