It took two at-bats for Arizona to completely steal momentum from Arkansas as the Wildcats secured their 24th bid to the Women's College World Series with a 4-1 win Saturday. Senior center fielder Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning to seal the win and help punch Arizona's ticket to the next round of the NCAA Tournament.
Up until the fifth inning the 11th-seeded Wildcats (41-13) were held without a base runner as Arkansas pitcher Autumn Storms had a perfect game through four innings. UA designated player Sharlize Palacios broke through with the first hit on a 2-0 single to left field.
Palomino-Cardoza then came up next and hit her home run to the opposite field in left on the first pitch of the at-bat. It was the first home run since April 24 against Utah for the senior who now has eight home runs this year.
Those runs would be all Arizona needed to win the super regional over the sixth-seeded Razorbacks (43-11) and advance to WCWS in Oklahoma City where the Wildcats will play Alabama as part of the final group of eight teams.
"I just told myself to breathe and take it one pitch at a time," Palomino-Cardoza said of her big moment in the fifth inning. "My previous at-bat before that I hit a back door, and coach just told me to stay on it. That's what I got first pitch, and that's just what I felt. I took a hack at it, and I felt good off the bat and I was excited."
Freshman first baseman Carlie Scupin added some insurance runs in the sixth inning with a single to right that brought in two runs after the Razorbacks committed two errors early in the inning.
While Arkansas did a good job of keeping the Arizona offense mostly in check just a day after the Wildcats scored 10 runs, UA's pitchers did the same against a potent Arkansas offense as well.
Senior pitcher Alyssa Denham turned in a stellar performance in the circle as she went all seven innings for Arizona and only surrendered one unearned run on four hits to go with four strikeouts Saturday.
The lone run came after a defensive miscue for the Wildcats that resulted in an error to allow the leadoff hitter on base. Arkansas shortstop Braxton Burnside hit a double to center field that brought in the unearned run.
Outside of that the Wildcats were sharp led by Denham who earned her team-leading 19th win of the season.
"Alyssa's had her ups and downs, but today this was her moment," Arizona head coach Mike Candrea said of his veteran pitcher. "I told her before the game, I said, 'This is your moment.' She went out and threw a hell of a ballgame against a really good team.
"I'm happy for her. You want all of your players to feel confident going into Oklahoma City, and I think right now this was a big boost for her."
Saturday's win means Arizona will be headed back to the WCWS once again and for the second time in a row after last year's event was canceled. UA previously had a nine-year drought between appearances in Oklahoma City that came to an end in 2019 when the Wildcats lost to Alabama in the second round.
UA will open the 2021 WCWS against the Crimson Tide after Alabama eliminated Kentucky with a win Saturday.
"I feel good right now that we're playing our best softball," Candrea said. "And, we'll get there and get after it."
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