Feb. 28, 2003
Complete Tournament Results
TUCSON - Arizona blasted six home runs among 14 hits to back up two-hit
pitching by Alicia Hollowell as the No. 4-ranked Wildcats whipped New
Mexico State in five innings, 16-0, in first-day action of the UA's
Hillenbrand Invitational softball tournament at Hillenbrand Stadium.
Hollowell struck out eight in three innings of pitching and improved her
record to 10-2. Leslie Wolfe pitched the last two innings for the Cats ad
struck out four. The home runs tied a school record set by the Cats against
Bowling Green on Feb. 16, 2001 for single game roundtrippers.
UA jumped to a quick 1-0 lead in the first as the visiting team. Autumn
Champion and Courtney Fossatti hit infield singles, Lovie Jung walked and
Mackenzie Vandergeest singled in a run. But New Mexico State pitcher
Jennifer Bride (2-10) started a nifty 1-2-3 double play on a ground ball by
Jackie Coburn to thwart the rally.
In the second, Shelly Shultz walked, Crystal Farley singled, both players
moved up on a wild pitch and Champion singled in Shultz.Fossatti reached on
catcher's interference to re-load the bases and Jung smacked her 10th home
run of the year and second grand slam. Vandergeest dropped a double down
the leftfield line and Wendy Allen dropped a double in the gap in
left-center to make it 7-0.
Jasmine Flores and Bride collected the first two hits off UA's Alicia
Hollowell with one out in the bottom of the second but the freshman hurler
collected her fifth and sixth strikeouts to end the threat.
Crystal Farley reached base on an error in the third, then UA sophomore
Courtney Fossatti, normally a slap hitter, knocked her first career home
run just inside the rightfield foul pole. Jung walked and Vandergeest
socked her fifth homer of the year to make it 11-0.
Farley followed walks by pinch-hitter Erin Palomarez and Lisha Ribellia in
the fourth inning with her first career home run to make it 14-0.Coburn and
Candace Abrams hit back-to-back solo home runs in the top of the fifth to
finish the scoring.
New Mexico State dropped its second game of the tournament and to 2-18
overall. The Cats improved to 18-2 overall.
UA's second game of the day, an exhibition match against the Dutch
National Team, was rained out and will not be rescheduled.
