Jessie Harper blasted three home runs to help the host Arizona Wildcats whip Auburn on Sunday, 12-3, and earn a host role in Super Regionals of the NCAA Softball Championships next week at Hillenbrand Stadium.
The Super Regional appearance will be UA's 14th in the 15-year history of the format for postseason play.
Harper was 5-for-5, with three runs scored and five RBI and Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza hit another homer and drove in four runs before a crowd of 2,705 at Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium. UA had 14 hits.
Auburn ended its season 39-21 in its 15th NCAA appearance.
Alyssa Denham (12-5) won in the circle for Arizona (45-12). She struck out 10, walked one and gave up zero earned runs.
Denham allowed a two-out single by Tannon Snow in the first, but struck out cleanup hitter Kendall Veach.
UA got the bats cooking in the third. An infield single by Hannah Martinez led things off, and after a sacrifice bunt from Carli Campbell, leadoff batter Palomino-Cardonza singled in Martinez for her 58th RBI of the year. Harper then launched her 26th home run of the year deep to left, collecting her 66th RBI, a team best.
That chased Auburn starter Lexi Hendley in favor of Chardonnay Harris (11-7). She got the last two outs without issue.
But a mishandled fly ball cost UA three unearned runs in the Auburn third. Right fielder Hannah Martinez muffed a liner with one out, and leadoff batter Casey McCrackin followed with a triple just inside the rightfield line to plate Morgan Podany.
Denham got an infield roller for the second out but it brought McCrackin across the plate for cut the lead to 3-2. Snow then followed with her 15th home run to knot the score.
The Cats responded and sent 11 hitters to the plate, and got help. Snow's error at third let UA's Rylee Pierce get aboard to open the fourth. Reyna Carranco walked. Hanah Bowen singled high off the glove of firstbaseman Justus Perry to drive in a run and put runners at the corners.
Hannah Martinez got some atonement with an RBI bloop single down the rightfield line, still with no outs.
Snow's second error was thrown past first and brought in Bowen for a third run and let the runners reach second and third. Palomino-Cardoza then blasted a three-run home run to center to make it 9-3, still no outs.
Harper singled to left. After a force play and a hit by Muliopola, Harris settled down and got a grounder and a strikeout to end the rally. Three of the runs were unearned.
Harper socked her second home run of the game and 27th of the season, an NCAA best, to lead off the Arizona sixth. It brought starter Lexie Handley back into the circle for the Tigers.
She struck out Malia Martinez, but walked Mulipola, gave up a single to Pierce and walked Carranco to load the bases with one out. Bowen hit into a force at home and got Handley to fly out to center.
In the UA seventh, Harper followed another error by the Tigers with her 28th yard ball of the year, moving up the UA charts. She raised her batting average from 14 percentage points to .353 in the game.
Arizona will play host to Ole Miss at Hillenbrand Stadium next weekend in the best-of-three Super Regional, with tournament schedules to be announced by the NCAA.
