Utah starting pitcher Taylor Jacobs came into the opening game against No. 11 Arizona with a 14.00 ERA in seven innings of work. Things didn’t get better for her against the Wildcats, who belted four home runs in an 8-0 victory in five innings.
The Wildcats got home runs from third baseman Jenna Sniffen, right fielder Kaiah Altmeyer, first baseman Miranda Stoddard, and starting pitcher Devyn Netz. It was the most home runs in a game since they had five against Stanford on Feb. 23.
It was no surprise for Netz, who came into the weekend with the fifth-best WAR in the country according to 643 Charts. Netz took the team lead with her ninth homer of the season, one more than Sydney Stewart and Stoddard.
Stoddard hit her eighth to tie Stewart, but it was her first since Feb. 21 against Colorado State. Half of her eight home runs came over one weekend against Cal State Fullerton, South Alabama, and Ohio.
“The goal is never really to hit a home run,” Stoddard said. “I think if you’re thinking, home run, that’s when you hit a pop-up. And so I think that just staying consistent and just trying to drive a ball hard and happy actions happen sometimes.”
Stoddard had a big game offensively, hitting a double to drive in Stewart from first base for the game’s first run. The 6-foot-1 catcher showed her speed by getting in easily. It was the first of three RBI for Arizona’s pitcher/infielder. It came immediately before Sniffen’s home run.
“Miranda saw two pitches and did damage on both,” said Arizona head coach Caitlin Lowe. “She kept it very simple. And was very proud of Jenna to be on time in her first at-bat. And she, I mean, was a vacuum over there at third base, but just was on it today. Was ready to play from first at-bat on, and that felt good. And we like to catch fire throughout the lineup when we’re on time early, so that second or the bottom half of the lineup, really, I thought, set the tone today.”
Sniffen’s home run was her fourth of the year. The freshman last hit one out on Feb. 14 against Cal State Fullerton. Altmeyer’s was also the fourth of the year. Her last one came against UCF in the opening game of last week’s Big 12 series.
The home runs were especially effective because three of the four came with someone on base. While Altmeyer’s was a solo shot, the other three were two-run homers after singles and walks.
The Wildcats scored their eight runs on nine hits and four walks. They left just three runners on base, a dramatic improvement over the seven per game they averaged during the UCF series. Thirteen of those came in the second game against the Knights, which the Wildcats lost 5-4.
Stoddard also had a big play at first base. The ball took a bad hop as she tried to record the second out in the top of the fourth. She didn’t have time to throw it back to Kiki Escobar covering the bag, so she dove for the base. The initial call was safe, but a review reversed that.
“We had the field tarp last night, and so we were talking about it,” Stoddard said. “Sometimes it just is a little bit dry and super hard, and it just kind of took a weird hop, but I had Dev’s back. I wasn’t gonna give up on the play, and I knew that I had her out.”
The tarp was on the field due to inclement weather that has plagued the Tucson area off and on for the past week. The game was moved up three hours to avoid a rainstorm that was in the evening forecast.
“It snowed on us last year in Utah,” Lowe said. “It’s how the girls remember that, but it’s just so weird. I mean, I feel like we hit the same cycle we had last week, and it’s supposed to be beautiful by Sunday, so who knows. I think it was weird. It was, I think October, we were still in the hundreds, and then winter shifted into the spring…It’s good to get this under our belt before we travel to some places.”
Stoddard’s play was one of several defensive plays that made a huge difference for Arizona and its pitchers. Just before that play, shortstop Tayler Biehl made a diving stop to keep a ball from leaving the infield. While she couldn’t make the play at first, it kept the hit from turning into extra bases. The game ended with Dakota Kennedy’s catch at the wall after reliever Aissa Silva had allowed two baserunners to reach with two outs.
Netz was effective in the circle as well as at bat. She pitched four innings giving up three hits and a walk. She struck out one. It was just the fifth shutout for Arizona this season despite their 24-4 record.
“I think our pitching staff, especially our girls that usually start games, we really pride ourselves on setting the tone,” Netz said. “And that’s what really gets our offense going.”
Silva came in at the top of the fifth to try to preserve the run-rule victory. She got the first two outs with a strikeout and a flyout. She walked the third batter and hit the fourth to put two runners on base. Then, she induced the deep flyout that looked like it might have enough to put three runs on the board but ended harmlessly in Kennedy’s glove.
“I think (Silva) came in great,” Lowe said. “I loved her energy. She pounded the strike zone right away. I mean, went right after that first hitter and got 0-2 on hitter number three. So really, just that finish. It’s one pitch away from being completely clean. It’s not miles and miles away. She’s right there knocking on the door.”
Arizona takes on Utah again on Saturday at 4 p.m. MST/6 p.m. CDT. Lowe is aware that things could get more difficult.
“Utah’s a good team, and we haven’t seen two of their best pitchers yet, and I think that’s important to remember for tomorrow,” Lowe said. “Wipe the slate clean and start again.”
Lead photo courtesy of Arizona Athletics