With blowouts, close games, home runs and pitching, Arizona softball swept their five games of the Bear Down Fiesta and extended their win streak to eight.
After a 12-8 win over Ohio (5-4) on Saturday, the Wildcats (10-1) topped Cal State Fullerton (6-3) 5-1 to close out the tournament.
“It felt good, because we did it in some different ways and we struggled a little bit (Saturday) and found a way to win, which is a sign of a good team to play some of your worst softball and pick it up on the other side,†said UA head coach Caitlin Lowe. “Pick it up offensively and have (graduate student pitcher) Saya (Swain) come in the door and close the door (Saturday).â€
The Wildcats hit 12 home runs in the five games of the Bear Down Fiesta. The only game they didn’t hit multiple homers was on Sunday when they just had one.
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Graduate student pitcher/infielder Miranda Stoddard led the way with six home runs in the tournament.
She hit zero homers last season as a red and navy Wildcat and had 18 in three seasons at Kentucky. Her season high for homers in her college career was 9 in 2021-22 for the royal blue Wildcats.
Arizona’s Miranda Stoddard (11) warms up her arm before pitching against Alabama in the Candrea Classic, Mike Candrea Field, Feb. 8, 2025.
“Oh, man, I can’t say enough about her and I knew she had done a lot of that to us in intra squad scrimmages,†Lowe said. “I think that’s just a little bit of her coming out party as far as people getting to know that she can hit that way and I thought she just let the game come to her.
“You could see with two strikes she was shortening up and just trying to put the ball in play,†she added. “(Sunday) she took her singles because that’s what the pitcher gave her and didn’t try to do too much and really could hit the ball hard when she got her pitch in the zone and just a really well, just poised performance all around.â€
On Sunday the Wildcats saw more pitcher hitting as their starter senior Devyn Netz (4-1) helped her own cause with an RBI single in the first. In the fifth inning, she hit another RBI single.
“It just kind of helps me keep my mind always going a little bit,†the Ironwood Ridge alumna said. “I’m always somebody who kind of thinks too much sometimes, so hitting and pitching sometimes just keeps me level-headed, so I think it’s one way to kind of keep me at ease and, you know, keep me loose, but Stewie (junior utility Sydney Stewart) the whole time was like ‘Take a deep breath,’ … I’m like ‘OK, sorry.’â€
Netz pitched 6 innings, striking out 5 while giving up 1 earned run on 4 hits and a walk.
Swain (1-0) pitched the last inning, giving up a hit but getting a strike out.
The Iowa State transfer leads the Wildcats in ERA (1.47) and is second in strike outs (15) over 14 1/3 innings.
In the second inning Sunday, junior utility Sydney Stewart hit a 3-run home run. The transfer from Washington has 3 homers and 14 RBIs in her 11 games as a Wildcat.
Stewart said she just tries to stay as consistent as possible.
“Whether that’s like getting on with a walk or just doing anything for my team, I think a lot of preparation goes into it, too,†Stewart said. “I try to stay within my routine, whether that’s watching film, like going over all the bats with coach Amber (Freeman), so I think we do a really good job as a team just getting locked in and being prepared for the game.â€
On Thursday, the Wildcats opened the tournament with a sweep of South Alabama, with two very different types of wins.
The Arizona softball team rushes the field to celebrate their win over Alabama in the Candrea Classic softball tournament, Mike Candrea Field, Feb. 8, 2025.
UA won game one 7-6 after Stoddard hit three home runs. After South Alabama tied it in the seventh, senior outfielder Paige Dimler hit a walk of sacrifice fly.
Then in the night cap, UA won 15-0 in five innings after hitting four home runs and getting five runs in each of the first three innings.
Stoddard added two more homers and Dimler drove in a couple of runs on a triple in the first inning. Junior Aissa Silva and sophomore Brooke Mannon combined to throw UA’s 97th no hitter.
On Friday, the Wildcats won their second straight game by run rule, 10-1 over Cal State Fullerton in five innings.
Stoddard hit her fifth homer in two days and freshman infielder Jenna Sniffen hit her third home run of the season.
UA scored seven runs in the second. Silva pitched 3 innings, giving up a run and 3 hits but striking out 4 and Swain struck out 3 and gave up one hit in 2 innings of work.
On Saturday. in the win over Ohio, three Wildcats homered. Junior utility Kaiah Altmeyer, Stoddard and sophomore utility Emily Schepp hit round trippers.
In the circle, Swain pitched 4 innings in relief, allowing a run on 2 hits and striking out 4 Bobcats to earn her first win as a Wildcat.
Arizona did commit four errors against Ohio, which concerned Lowe in the press conference following that game but she was quick to point out they improved on that, recording zero errors on Sunday.
Extra bases
At the end of the month UA travels to Cal State Fullerton for the Titans’ tournament, the Judi Garman Classic.
Arizona improved their Bear Down Fiesta record to 16-1. The tournament, UA’s second oldest active home tourney, dates back to 2020, though it was canceled and its first games were held in 2021.
