Arizona’s postseason run in Durham unfolded with decisive authority Saturday, the Wildcats producing a 10-1 run-rule victory over Duke in five innings to move into the regional final. The win erased some of the regular-season road struggles — Arizona was 4-9 against RPI top-25 opponents away from Hillenbrand this year — as the Wildcats combined timely hitting, steady defense and effective pitching to close the game early. “I’m just really, really proud of the fight we had today against Duke,” head coach Caitlin Lowe said. “They’re a great team, top to bottom, and I thought we came out playing to win today. I thought yesterday felt a little more like playing not to lose, and today felt like we came out and just stuck to our plan, stuck to our game.”
Arizona controlled almost every facet of the contest, outhitting Duke 8-2 and taking advantage of two throwing errors in the first inning that produced unearned runs. The coaching staff’s use of its pitching staff proved decisive, as the starter Jalen Adams left with a lead but did not factor into the decision; sophomore Jenae Berry worked the final 2.2 innings and was credited with the victory. Lowe highlighted Berry’s ability to mix speeds and keep hitters off balance: “When Jenae is on, she can compete with anybody because she mixes speeds so well. She’s got three different speeds, and her hard stuff was legit today, too, so she was able to keep people off balance. But I think when she pulls a string on her change up, it’s hard to be able to hammer both speeds.”
The early damage to Duke’s plan came quickly. Two throwing errors by Duke ace Cassidy Curd in the opening frame allowed Arizona to plate a pair of unearned runs and seize the early advantage. Curd ended up going 4.1 innings, allowing seven runs — five of them earned — on six hits with two walks, while striking out seven. Adams worked 2.1 innings for Arizona, surrendering one earned run that would eventually score after she left the circle; she gave up two hits, walked one and struck out two. Duke did appear to have better swings against Adams in the second and third innings, forcing long outs that Arizona center fielder Regan Shockey had to run down. “Regan Shockey is the best center fielder in the country, bar none, probably the world right now, and I don’t say that lightly,” Lowe said of the catch-and-run plays that helped keep Duke from turning contact into damage.
Adams returned to the circle in the third but walked Duke leadoff hitter KK Mathis. A sacrifice and a single then put runners on the corners with one out, and that sequence ended Adams’ day even though she continued to throw in the bullpen to stay ready. A run scored in the frame and was charged to Adams, but the play that produced the plate appearance was a baserunning miscue rather than a pitcher's mistake: with a runner on third and one out, Arizona catcher Sydney Stewart tried to throw out a would-be base-stealer at second. Tayler Biehl chased the runner back toward first but delayed pursuing home, and the runner from third crossed the plate before Stewart could tag. Berry then walked the first batter she faced, and the situation briefly looked concerning for Arizona — until a hallmark defensive sequence from the Wildcats ended the threat. A grounder to third gave Jenna Sniffen time to step on the bag and throw across the diamond to first for a double play that quelled the inning. “We hunt double plays,” Sniffen said. “Every time we get a runner on, we’re salivating for that double play.”
Arizona responded in the fourth with a two-out rally that swung momentum firmly in its favor. Grace Jenkins opened the inning with a first-pitch single up the middle, and Tele Jennings followed with a home run that cleared the opposite-field wall. Jennings, who had been used sparingly the previous day, capitalized on a Curd pitch up in the zone and sent Arizona ahead 4-1. A pinch-hit walk by Emma Kavanagh — hitting for Kez Lucas — put a runner aboard later in the frame, and Regan Shockey appeared to drive a run in before a baserunning mistake erased the plate appearance on review when Kavanagh left early and was ruled the third out. Berry’s next inning was tidy: she tossed a 1-2-3 frame aided by a diving catch in left by Addison Duke as Arizona’s defense continued to flash leather and protect its lead.
Arizona batter No. 20 readies in the box during the Wildcats’ dominant offensive performance that helped send Duke to the losers’ bracket.
The decisive sequence arrived in the fifth. A bunt single by Shockey and an infield knock by Sereniti Trice put two aboard with Stewart following by driving a pitch to left for her third straight single, loading the bases with two outs. Duke turned to KK Mathis to try to stem the tide — Mathis, who had the team’s lowest ERA, had only made eight appearances before Saturday and was brought in from left field to pitch in a high-leverage spot. Mathis walked Tayler Biehl to force in Arizona’s fifth run, then served up a sacrifice fly to Jenkins that pushed the margin to 6-1. Jennings then ripped a double to left that plated another run, making it 7-1, and Arizona was a single swing from the run rule. Jenna Sniffen provided that swing: she lifted a 0-1 pitch over the left-field fence for a three-run homer that pushed the final margin to 10-1 and ended the game on the run-rule.
Arizona’s No. 8 pumps a fist as teammates cheer in the dugout after a decisive moment during the Wildcats’ win that pushed Duke into the losers’ bracket.
Duke needed at least two runs in the bottom of the fifth to extend the game, but Arizona’s defense closed the door. The inning opened with a strong groundout to shortstop, and the Wildcats followed with a diving grab by Biehl on a liner that effectively ended Duke’s rally hopes; the final out was a grounder to first that concluded the five-inning affair. Arizona’s combination of situational hitting, fundamental defense and timely pitching usage prevented Duke from mounting a comeback and advanced the Wildcats to Sunday’s regional final. Earlier in the day, Marshall defeated Howard to set up an elimination meeting with Duke that would determine Arizona’s opponent in the final.
Arizona is scheduled to play the winner of Marshall vs. Duke on Sunday morning at 9 a.m. MST in the regional final. If the Wildcats lose that first game, a second game will be played later the same day; Arizona needs just one win in the regional final to move on to the Super Regionals, which are expected to be hosted in Fayetteville, Ark. On Saturday in Durham, the Wildcats stamped their postseason ticket with a complete performance that featured an 8-2 advantage in hits, early capitalization on opponent mistakes and effective relief from Jenae Berry that closed out a 10-1 run-rule victory.