UA one win shy of seventh national crown

OKLAHOMA CITY – When Arizona coach Mike Candrea was honored before the game as the coach for the NCAA’s 25th anniversary softball team, he wore a jersey with a number.

No. 7.

A tribute to his idol Mickey Mantle?

“Could be,” he said with a sly grin after the game. “Could be something else.”

Yeah, like Arizona’s seventh national title.

The Wildcats are one victory away from reaching that mark, cruising past Northwestern 8-0 Monday night in the first game of the championship round at the Women’s College World Series.

They can wrap up the school’s first national title since 2001 at 5 tonight. Tucson time (ESPN2).

If not, the deciding game of the best-of-three series will be at 5 p.m. Wednesday at ASA Don E. Porter Hall of Fame Stadium.

“We’re pleased,” Candrea said. “But we’re not going to let our guard down.”

With a combination of early speed, Northwestern miscues, late power and the one-hit pitching of Alicia Hollowell, Arizona took control of Monday’s game and never let up.

“This is something I have dreamed about in my four years at Arizona, so I wanted to do everything in my power to make sure we came out on top,” Hollowell said.

She wrenched all signs of life from the Northwestern offense, picking up where she left off on the first day of the season, when she fired a no-hitter against the Wildcats on Feb. 10.

This time, she didn’t allow a hit until Jamie Dotson led off the bottom of the fifth by grounding a single between third and shortstop.

Hollowell (31-5) finished with a one-hitter, striking out 12 and walking none. She has faced 42 Northwestern batters this season, striking out 28.

“I’m just having a great time catching her,” catcher Callista Balko said. “She just makes it cake for me.”

Arizona broke open the game with a five-run third inning, chasing starter Eileen Canney (26-8).

Adrienne Acton led off with a bunt single and went to third on an infield hit by Caitlin Lowe and a throwing error.

Acton scored on a chopper to second baseman Ashley Crane, sliding to the outside of the plate and reaching her left hand over the leg of catcher Dotson to avoid the tag.

“Speed kills,” Candrea said. “When you see us put the ball on the ground and force them to make decisions quickly, a lot of things can happen. That’s kind of what we live and die on.”

Kristie Fox followed with a popup to shallow left that shortstop Tammy Williams was settling under, but Crane came from her second base position to collide with Williams and knock the ball out of her glove. Lowe scored on the error.

A couple of hits later, and Arizona led 5-0 when the 28-minute half-inning was over.

And that was that.

The Wildcats flexed their muscles with solo home runs from Chelsie Mesa and Taryne Mowatt in the seventh, making the score identical to the earlier meeting this season between the teams.

“I think this group can handle just about anything,” said Northwestern coach Kate Drohan, whose team committed four errors.

“As athletes, sometimes you have an off day. We just seemed to do it all together.”

Arizona, meanwhile, is all together, too, but in a good way, having won 19 of its past 21 games after struggling through the early part of Pac-10 play.

At one point a couple of months ago, Candrea gathered his players and asked how many thought they could win the national title. No hands went up.

“I think it was kind of a rhetorical question,” said senior outfielder Autumn Champion. “But at that point, we weren’t really sure.”

It’s gone from rhetorical to nearly a reality.

———

UP NEXT
Today’s game: Arizona (Hollowell, 31-5) vs. Northwestern (Canney (26-8), 5 p.m., ESPN2

Wednesday’s game: If necessary, 5 p.m., ESPN2

MORE UA SOFTBALL, Page 4C: UA notes and box score

By the numbers
3: Hits by Taryne Mowatt, giving her five in the Women’s College World Series

81: Pitches Alicia Hollowell needed to breeze through the complete-game win.

162: Combined pitches by Northwestern’s Eileen Canney (34) and Courtnay Foster (128)

Go to www.tucsoncitizen.com for updates before, during and after today’s game between Arizona (53-11) and Northwestern (50-14)

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 6th, 2006 at 12:01 am and is filed under Sports. Tags for this post: Anthony Gimino, High School, page-c01, Softball, Sports-Softball, Sports-Softball-High School. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.