Whether in the name of consistency or superstition, or both, coach Mike Candrea changes his lineup less often than he changes the oil in his car.
Which is why the Arizona softball team had to be stunned before Saturday's 13-5, five-inning blowout of Washington at Hillenbrand Stadium.
Candrea, who last year had the same batting order for 26 straight games, reshuffled his cards thusly:
• Lauren Schutzler, who had never in college hit leadoff, did.
• Karissa Buchanan made her first career appearance in the No. 2 hole.
• Brittany Lastrapes, the team's leadoff hitter since the departure of Caitlin Lowe in 2007, batted third. It marked the first time since Feb. 7, 2009, she hit anywhere other than first.
• And Nicole Bryan, who had 10 at-bats this year and only one career Pac-10 plate appearance, hit ninth as the designated player.
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The Wildcats' top seven hitters had been arranged in the same order since the first weekend of this season. But after stranding 43 runners and splitting their last four games, the Wildcats were in need of a change.
Brigette Del Ponte, the UA's No. 3 hitter most of this season, walloped two solo homers as Saturday's cleanup hitter.
Onetime cleanup hitter Stacie Chambers, hitting fifth, slammed her NCAA-leading fourth grand slam of the season in a seven-run fourth and a walk-off solo homer to end the game in the fifth.
"It got the juices flowing," Del Ponte said. "It takes a lot for him to change up the lineup. Something must have clicked in his mind."
At dinner with wife Tina, late Friday, Candrea realized that a change needed to be made.
He arrived at his office early Saturday and crunched the numbers. Schutzler, for instance, hit .667 when she led off innings.
"Your three best hitters, by average, are the three I put up at the top," Candrea said. "Your best power hitter, I thought at that moment was Del Ponte, swinging the bat, so I put her at fourth. Chambers is your next best."
Candrea told Lastrapes during batting practice, but no one else.
The Wildcats (35-8, 6-2) didn't see the lineup until it was tacked to the dugout wall before the game.
The move paid immediate dividends when Schutzler tripled over the head of Huskies (30-5, 5-3) left fielder Victoria Hayward to start the game, and scored on a Lastrapes sacrifice fly.
"My stomach was turning," Schutzler said. "I think I was on a high for four innings after that.
"It was hard to slow down. I was so nervous."
The Wildcats - now in sole possession of first in the Pac-10 - added seven runs in the second. After the UA had scored one run on a wild pitch, Bryan singled in Lini Koria from third to chase pitcher Bryana Walker.
Schutzler doubled to center to score Bryan. Four batters later, Chambers hit a full-count, bases-loaded pitch into the left-field bleachers.
Chambers' fifth-inning homer was the 82nd of her career, eight shy of tying Stacey Nuveman's NCAA record at UCLA.
Down eight, the Huskies scored four in the third and one in the fourth.
The UA countered with three runs - on only one hit, a solo shot by Del Ponte, to lead off the fourth inning. Alex Lavine plated a run on an error at shortstop, and Bryan grounded out to score another.
UA sophomore Kenzie Fowler relieved Shelby Babcock after she allowed five runs on seven hits over four innings. She threw a hitless fifth, and Del Ponte and Chambers hit solo homers to win the game by the mercy rule.
So, will Candrea try the same lineup today at noon?
"I think this is probably a pretty good lineup right now to go with," he said. "Now how long you ride it, you ride it."
Del Ponte was more succinct.
"Definitely," she said. "He's very superstitious."
Today
• Who: Washington at Arizona
• When: Noon
