DURHAM, N.C. – No. 21 Arizona won the first game of the Durham Regional, 7-5, against Marshall on Friday afternoon in Durham.
The Wildcats recorded eight hits to score seven runs and
Grace Jenkins led the team with two home runs and six RBI.
Sereniti Trice went 3-for-3 and scored two runs.
Arizona struck first with three runs in the first inning to take an early lead over Marshall. With Trice and
Tayler Biehl on base, Jenkins hit a three-run home run for her 13th homer of the season.
In the top of the second, Marshall hit a solo home run to make it a 3-1 game but Arizona kept the Herd to just the one run in the second.
The Herd hit another solo home run in the third to cut Arizona's lead to just one run.
Arizona extended the lead to 7-2 in the bottom of the fifth with a four-run inning. Biehl drove in the first run of the inning with an RBI single. Jenkins then hit her second three-run home run of the day to give the Cats a five-run lead.
Marshall scored two in the top of the sixth on a two-run home run and cut Arizona's lead to 7-4.
In the top of the seventh, the Herd hit their fourth home run of the game – a solo shot – to make it a 7-5 game.
Jalen Adams earned up the win to improve to 21-9 after pitching 5.1 innings. She allowed four runs on six hits and struck out two batters.
Rylie Holder entered in the fifth inning and faced four batters, allowing one runs on two hits.
Jenae Berry picked up the save, her second of the season, after entering in the seventh to close out the game. She struck out one batter and retired the three batters she faced.
Up Next
Arizona will face 12-seed Duke in the second day of the Durham Regional at 10 a.m. MST at Smith Family Stadium.
