Creighton University
#3/2 Arizona
No. 3/2 Arizona Tops Bluejay Softball 6-2
3/6/2007 2:00:00 AM | Softball
TUCSON, Ariz. Tucson native TJ Eadus homered in her first at bat at No. 3/2 Arizona Tuesday night in the first game of a doubleheader, but it wasn't enough to lead the Bluejays (8-2) past the Wildcats (15-3), as the defending national champions topped Creighton 6-2.
Eadus' home run to lead off the top of the second inning gave the Bluejays a brief 1-0 lead over the nationally-ranked Pac-10 foe. The round tripper was Eadus' team-leading sixth of the season.
Arizona responded with a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the second to take the lead. Arizona pitcher Taryne Mowatt reached base to lead off the inning on an error by Bluejay shortstop Bailey Dawon. CU starting pitcher, freshman Tara Oltman, retired the next two Wildcat hitters before Arizona made the error hurt. After Mowatt moved to second on a wild pitch, she came around to tie the game on a base hit by K'Lee Arredondo. Arredondo would then score the go-ahead run on a single by Adrienne Acton.
After a solo home run by Chelsie Mesa made it 3-1 Arizona in the third inning, the Bluejays cut the lead to 3-2 with a run in the fifth. Caitlin Marcano singled with one out and was then pinch-run for by Kate Petullo. Petullo moved to second on a single by Lau Emmsley-Chang and both then moved up a base on a wild pitch. Michelle Koch then reached base and drove home Petullo on a well executed sacrifice bunt. Koch would steal second and the Jays had two runners in scoring position with just one out, but Jessica Wakasugi's line drive to third was snagged by Janae Leles and she doubled off Emmsley-Chang at the bag.
Kristie Fox clubbed a three-run home run in the sixth inning to push the final margin to 6-2 Arizona.
Oltman, a freshman pitcher from Cortland, Neb., suffered her first collegiate defeat in the game. She went the distance, allowing 10 hits, six runs, four earned runs, walked two and struck out seven to fall to 5-1 on the season.
The Jays managed only three hits against the Arizona ace, Mowatt. The junior right-hander who was on the All-College World Series team last year, struck out 12 in improving to 10-3 on the year.
