Julie Jones' triple against UCLA in the 1991 national championship game tops the list.Â
1
- Greg Hansen
Editor's note: This summer, Star columnist Greg Hansen is counting down the top 10 of just about everything related to Tucson sports.
Today's list: The top 10 hits in UA softball history:Â
UCLA had forever been the recognized force of college softball, the New York Yankees of the sport, when Mike Candrea steered Arizona to the 1991 championship game.
To beat the Bruins, Arizona would have to beat feared pitcher Heather Compton, who had an ERA of 0.20, which is exactly a fifth of a run per game.
You need a little luck, right?
A day or two before the title game in Oklahoma City, Candrea stopped at Whataburger to eat. A man of many superstitions born from his baseball-playing days, Candrea noticed that his receipt order was No 1.
"They were giving out No. 265, No. 286," he would recall. "When mine came out, it was No. 1. I’ve got all these things with a No. 1 on them."
It was the omen of a coach’s lifetime.
In the third inning of a scoreless championship game, UA first baseman Julie Jones, a transfer from Arizona Western College, was at bat with the bases loaded. Two outs. She lined a triple to right-center field off the almost unhittable Compton.
Arizona won 5-1, its first of eight softball national championships.
"You knew it could happen, you want it to happen, but to make it happen is more than I could hope for," said Candrea, whose team beat the 56-7 Bruins in what some contend is the top game in UA softball history. It opened the gates for so much more.
Jones’ triple to bring down the Bruins is our choice as the No. 1 hit in UA softball history. Here’s the list:Â
2
- Greg Hansen
Jones’ triple not only decided the game, but she went 3-for-4 against the All-American UCLA pitcher.Â
3
- Greg Hansen
The Wildcats managed just one hit off the incomparable Lisa Fernandez, regarded by many as the top softball player in history. But that one hit was a two-strike, up-the-middle single by Leah O’Brien to score Amy Chellevold, who had reached base on an error in the first inning. Chellevold collided with UCLA catcher Kelly Inouye-Perez, now the Bruins’ head coach.Â
4
- Greg Hansen
In the 10th inning of a scoreless game, one of the most compelling games in WCWS history, the UA won not on a clean hit, but on an epic slide. Pinch-runner Danielle Rodriguez, a walk-on from Tucson High, was celebrating her 21st birthday. When Adrienne Acton slapped a grounder to short, Rodriguez sprinted for the plate and did a Pete Rose-type head-first slide. She beat the throw by slipping her left hand to the back of the plate. "Luckily, I have long fingers," she said. A day later, Arizona routed Tennessee 5-0 to win the national title.Â
5
- Greg Hansen
NCAA Player of the Year second baseman Jenny Dalton hit a three-run home run in the first inning to stake Arizona to a big lead, eventually growing to 5-0. Dalton was walked eight times at the World Series, but when she got a pitch to hit she went 4-for-6 with two homers and five RBI.Â
6
- Greg Hansen
Catcher Lindsey Collins hit a fourth-inning home run to beat the Bruins 1-0 in the only run of the game.Â
7
- Greg Hansen
The Wildcats and Bruins were tied 0-0 after 13 innings. In the 14th, with two out, second baseman Katie Swan looped a single near the left-field line to score Chrissy Gil to break the stalemate. Gil’s infield single and stolen base set the stage for Swan. Two days later Arizona whipped the Bruins 10-2 in five innings to win the championship.Â
8
- Greg Hansen
In a 4 hour 18 minute game delayed by rain, the Wildcats won in the ninth inning when Caitlin Lowe scored on Kristie Fox’s single to center. Before Fox’s at bat, Candrea said: "you’re going to win the game." Fox replied: "I know, coach." Arizona then won the national title by outscoring opponents 21-1 the next five games.Â
9
- Greg Hansen
The Wildcats won their first-ever WCWS game when Suzie Lady’s fourth-inning single to center scored the game’s only run.Â
10
- Greg Hansen
In a 12-inning thriller, Arizona won when senior outfielder Allyson Von Liechtenstein singled to left to score  Acton. A day later, Arizona lost 1-0 to Texas in 11 innings in the national championship game.Â
11
- Greg Hansen
All-American shortstop Laura Espinoza's first-inning single off the third baseman’s glove scored Leah O’Brien with what proved to be the winning run. "I should probably retire," Candrea said. "It’s not going to get any better than this."
More like this...
- Greg Hansen
Editor's note: This summer, Star columnist Greg Hansen is counting down the top 10 of just about everything related to Tucson sports.
Today's list: The top 10 hits in UA softball history:Â
UCLA had forever been the recognized force of college softball, the New York Yankees of the sport, when Mike Candrea steered Arizona to the 1991 championship game.
To beat the Bruins, Arizona would have to beat feared pitcher Heather Compton, who had an ERA of 0.20, which is exactly a fifth of a run per game.
You need a little luck, right?
A day or two before the title game in Oklahoma City, Candrea stopped at Whataburger to eat. A man of many superstitions born from his baseball-playing days, Candrea noticed that his receipt order was No 1.
"They were giving out No. 265, No. 286," he would recall. "When mine came out, it was No. 1. I’ve got all these things with a No. 1 on them."
It was the omen of a coach’s lifetime.
In the third inning of a scoreless championship game, UA first baseman Julie Jones, a transfer from Arizona Western College, was at bat with the bases loaded. Two outs. She lined a triple to right-center field off the almost unhittable Compton.
Arizona won 5-1, its first of eight softball national championships.
"You knew it could happen, you want it to happen, but to make it happen is more than I could hope for," said Candrea, whose team beat the 56-7 Bruins in what some contend is the top game in UA softball history. It opened the gates for so much more.
Jones’ triple to bring down the Bruins is our choice as the No. 1 hit in UA softball history. Here’s the list:Â
- Greg Hansen
The Wildcats managed just one hit off the incomparable Lisa Fernandez, regarded by many as the top softball player in history. But that one hit was a two-strike, up-the-middle single by Leah O’Brien to score Amy Chellevold, who had reached base on an error in the first inning. Chellevold collided with UCLA catcher Kelly Inouye-Perez, now the Bruins’ head coach.Â
- Greg Hansen
In the 10th inning of a scoreless game, one of the most compelling games in WCWS history, the UA won not on a clean hit, but on an epic slide. Pinch-runner Danielle Rodriguez, a walk-on from Tucson High, was celebrating her 21st birthday. When Adrienne Acton slapped a grounder to short, Rodriguez sprinted for the plate and did a Pete Rose-type head-first slide. She beat the throw by slipping her left hand to the back of the plate. "Luckily, I have long fingers," she said. A day later, Arizona routed Tennessee 5-0 to win the national title.Â
- Greg Hansen
NCAA Player of the Year second baseman Jenny Dalton hit a three-run home run in the first inning to stake Arizona to a big lead, eventually growing to 5-0. Dalton was walked eight times at the World Series, but when she got a pitch to hit she went 4-for-6 with two homers and five RBI.Â
- Greg Hansen
The Wildcats and Bruins were tied 0-0 after 13 innings. In the 14th, with two out, second baseman Katie Swan looped a single near the left-field line to score Chrissy Gil to break the stalemate. Gil’s infield single and stolen base set the stage for Swan. Two days later Arizona whipped the Bruins 10-2 in five innings to win the championship.Â
- Greg Hansen
In a 4 hour 18 minute game delayed by rain, the Wildcats won in the ninth inning when Caitlin Lowe scored on Kristie Fox’s single to center. Before Fox’s at bat, Candrea said: "you’re going to win the game." Fox replied: "I know, coach." Arizona then won the national title by outscoring opponents 21-1 the next five games.Â
- Greg Hansen
In a 12-inning thriller, Arizona won when senior outfielder Allyson Von Liechtenstein singled to left to score  Acton. A day later, Arizona lost 1-0 to Texas in 11 innings in the national championship game.Â
- Greg Hansen
All-American shortstop Laura Espinoza's first-inning single off the third baseman’s glove scored Leah O’Brien with what proved to be the winning run. "I should probably retire," Candrea said. "It’s not going to get any better than this."
