PALM SPRINGS, Calif. -- An eight-run third inning, including a Mo Mercado grand slam, and a gem in the circle from Nancy Bowling led Arizona to a 13-1 victory on Friday night at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.
 
Mercado's grand slam, plus a two-run homer from Dejah Mulipola, accounted for six of UA's eight runs in the third. Mercado is now 6-for-6 with eight RBI at the Mary Nutter Classic.
 
Nancy Bowling allowed one run on three hits in the complete-game effort. The senior struck out seven and walked one. Bowling improved to 3-0 on the year.
 
Arizona improved to 14-0 on the year, its best start since a 15-0 start in 2006. Competition ramps up for the Wildcats tomorrow, who face top-ranked Florida State on Saturday, following a tilt with LIU Brooklyn.
 
After a scoreless first inning, Mercado led off the second with her fifth hit in her last five at-bats, moved to third on Tamara Statman's single and scored on an opposite-field single for Reyna Carranco.
 
In the second, Arizona loaded the bases with no one out on just one hit. Mercado cleared the bases with UA's first grand slam of the season, a shot to dead center to put Arizona up 5-0. Arizona would add two more on a Purdue error and a Mandie Perez single to put the Cats up 7-0. Dejah Mulipola followed with a two-run homer, her second homer in as many games, to give UA the 9-0 lead.
 
The Cats plated two more in the third, one on an Eva Watson groundout and one on a wild pitch to stretch the lead to 11-0.
 
Purdue got on the board with a pair of extra-base hits in the fourth, and UA plated another two in the top of the fifth. Robyn Porter and Monica Pasillas recorded RBI in the frame.
 
Up Next: Arizona wraps up its participation in the Mary Nutter on Saturday. Arizona plays LIU Brooklyn at 6 p.m. and No. 1 Florida State at 8:30 p.m. MST.
 
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