No. 10 Arizona outlasted No. 4 UCLA 9-8 in a wild, extra-inning thriller Saturday at the Judi Garman Classic, walking it off in the 10th after a game full of momentum swings.
Arizona struck first with a pair of runs in the opening inning, sparked by an RBI double from pitcher Devyn Netz and a run-scoring single from Paige Dimler. UCLA tied it up in the fourth, cashing in on a bases-loaded walk and a sacrifice fly.
The fireworks began in the seventh. Trailing 2-1, UCLA flipped the script when Megan Grant crushed a three-run homer to center, putting the Bruins ahead 5-2. But Arizona answered in the bottom of the inning, stringing together clutch hits from Stewart and Netz to score three runs and tie the game 5-5.
In the ninth, UCLA regained a slim edge after Jordan Woolery reached on a two-out error, allowing the go-ahead run to cross. But once again, the Wildcats refused to fold. Kaiah Altmeyer’s RBI single kept Arizona alive, sending the game to the 10th tied at 6-6.
EXTRA-INNING DUB!!
— Arizona Softball (@ArizonaSoftball)
#10 Arizona takes down #4 UCLA in 10 innings!
UCLA struck first in the 10th, thanks to a two-run blast from Kaniya Bragg. Yet Arizona had the final word. Sophomore Emily Schepp launched a two-run homer to tie it before Altmeyer’s sacrifice fly sealed the walk-off win.
Netz went the distance for Arizona, throwing all 10 innings and battling through 163 pitches. The Wildcats tallied 13 hits, with Altmeyer and Shockey each collecting multiple hits.
The win pushed Arizona to 20-2 on the season, while UCLA dropped to 18-4.
