Arizona softball beats Ole Miss to reach first Women’s College World Series since 2010

The Wildcats are OKC-bound

The drought is over.

Arizona softball eased by Ole Miss 9-1 on Saturday to win the Tucson Super Regional and advance to its first Women’s College World Series since 2010.

UA’s first opponent will be the winner of the Seattle Regional, either No. 3 seed Washington or No. 14 Kentucky. Washington swept three games from the Wildcats in Tucson earlier this month.

The Wildcats, who remain unbeaten in the postseason, never trailed Saturday and took an early lead when Dejah Mulipola clubbed an opposite field homer to right in the second.

Ole Miss matched it in the third with a deep blast by Autumn Gillespie, but it was all Arizona (47-12) from there.

With some help from a radiant sun, Reyna Carranco and Hanah Bowen dropped RBI singles into the outfield that pushed Arizona’s lead to 4-1 in the fourth.

Malia Martinez, who went 4 for 4 in Friday’s win, then launched a homer to right to make it a four-run cushion in the fifth.

Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza put the game out of reach by belting a two-run homer to center in the seventh. Rylee Pierce added an RBI single and Mulipola scored on a throwing error for good measure.

That was more than enough support for Alyssa Denham, who surrendered six hits but never wilted under pressure in her second postseason start.

Ole Miss loaded the bases with nobody out in the second, but Denham weaved her way out of it by striking out two batters before inducing an inning-ending groundout. Denham walked two batters in the fifth, but shortstop Jessie Harper gunned a runner out at home on a fielder’s choice and then Denham fanned Brittany Finney with a filthy changeup to keep the four-run lead intact.

Harper made another incredible defensive play in the sixth, ranging to her left to corral a chopper before using a back-handed flip to get it to Pierce for the final out of the inning. Harper was responsible for all three outs.

This will mark Arizona’s 23rd appearance in the Women’s College World Series. The Wildcats only missed it one time from 1988 to 2010 before going eight-plus years without an appearance.

As frustrating as that stretch was, head coach Mike Candrea said he didn’t dwell on it. He says he stays where his feet are.

Next week, they will finally be back in OKC.

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