Citizen Staff Writer
ARIZONA WILDCATS SOFTBALL
BRYAN LEE
brylee@tucsoncitizen.com
It was all about relative distance for K’Lee Arredondo in the University of Arizona softball team’s double bombing of Minnesota on Friday at Hillenbrand Stadium.
In the second game’s first inning, Arredondo’s bunt in front of the plate neatly tied up the Minnesota defense and sparked the first run.
Two innings later, her grand slam broke the game open in UA’s 20-3 win over the Golden Gophers in a Hillenbrand Invitational game.
The Wildcats (18-4) won the opener 10-4.
“They both felt good,” the left fielder from Tempe said. “Two ways to get the job done.”
Arredondo had waited all season to get the fat pitch that went over the fence in left-center for the grand slam. She ended with six RBIs in the second game.
“I knew it was coming, low and in the right place,” she said. “We’ve worked with the coaches a lot, extra practice, get over some struggles.”
Jenae Leles socked two home runs and drove in seven runs as the runs piled up.
In the first game, Minnesota led 4-0 after two innings, but Lini Koria’s two-run homer gave the Cats a 6-4 lead.
Leles also went deep in the first game as the Wildcats scored the game’s last 10 runs.
Big leads are good and bad for UA coach Mike Candrea. The good part is the players are swinging away and making contact. The bad is they tend to lose focus and go back to bad tendencies.
Candrea wants the same intensity at all times “whether it’s 20 runs or a one-run lead,” he said. “Play defense to keep the ball from hitting the grass.”
Sarah Akamine (10-2) picked up the win for the Wildcats in the opener. Lindsey Sisk (8-2) won the second game.
UA hosts Creighton at 4 and 6:30 p.m. Saturday as part of the tournament, then plays St. Joseph’s at noon and 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
Arizona comes up big with bunt, home runs