A base hit from pinch hitter T Statman was all No. 6 Arizona needed to win the game against No. 24 Auburn and advance to Sunday’s Regional Final. Statman’s single up the middle brought home Rylee Pierce and Reyna Carranco sealing what would eventually be a 2-1 victory for Arizona.
Statman’s last at bat before Saturday was against Washington nearly two weeks ago and her last hit came against Cal on April 24. Head coach Mike Candrea went into Saturday’s contest with a game plan knowing Statman had the numbers in her favor should Arizona need someone to come off the bench and spark the offense.
Candrea said the senior does not swing at bad pitches and has been successful against left handers giving him the confidence that should could step up and make a key play against the Tigers.
“What I’ve kind of learned over the past four year is that there really isn’t a big difference between DP’ing and pinch hitting and the only difference is that when you pinch hit you see a lot of pitches from other peoples at bats,” Statman said. “So knowing that coach has the trust in me that I can go get it done and my teammates have my back that I can get it done, it’s your first at bat of the game, who says that you can’t get a hit?”
Injured Wildcat second baseman Reyna Carranco made her Tucson Regional debut in the game after being out two weeks with a broken hand and broken thumb. She was welcomed back to Rita Hillenbrand Stadium with a standing ovation from 2,639 fans attending Saturday’s game.
“I thought it was super cool, I didn’t really know what to do… I’ve never seen that before,” Carranco said.
Candrea chimed in and said he has never seen it either.
Injured and all, she accounted for the Wildcats’ first two hits of the game against Auburn’s Lexie Handley.
“It just felt like normal,” Carranco said. “I got back in the batter’s box and everything just felt like it was supposed be. ... It’s fine physically I think and mentally I just had to work through it.”
Arizona’s ace Taylor McQuillin struggled early on for the second game in a row but settled down after a talk with pitching coach Taryne Mowatt. In the top of the third inning she loaded the bases with only one out but found her composure to finish the inning without allowing a run.
From that inning on she did not allow a hit until Bree Fornis’ home run in the seventh inning.
“The best part about it is the defensive was relaxed the entire time and I think that it’s super exciting to see that in the postseason,” McQuillin said. “I think earlier on in the year when we would get in jams like that we would all kind of get tense and tight.
“Now it just feels super relaxed, everybody’s calm, everybody knows we can work with one another, anybody can get an out and that’s really nice to know when you’re pitching especially in jams like that. It’s a confidence booster for sure just knowing you have a whole team behind your back.”
Normally a power hitting team, Arizona has won the first two game of its postseason without a home run. Candrea has been coaching long enough to understand that his team cannot only rely on its home run-hitting ability since postseason games are about much more than that.
“Right now we gotta just find a way to put up a W,” he said. “Its not how many you score. It’s getting good pitching, getting timely hitting and playing good defense. If those three things are occurring then we have an opportunity.”
Arizona will play a second game against Auburn, Sunday, in the Regional Final game at 4 p.m. after the Tigers knocked off Colorado State in an elimination game Saturday night. If the Wildcats lose then they will play again at 6:30 p.m. to determine which team will win the Tucson Regional and advance to next week’s Super Regional round.
