Arizona softball routs Auburn to win Tucson Regional, advance to Supers

When the going got tough, Arizona’s offense got going.

After blowing a three-run lead in the third, the Wildcats scored six runs in the fourth en route to a 12-3 win over Auburn in Sunday’s Tucson Regional Championship.

Arizona (45-12) advances to Super Regionals for the sixth straight season. The Wildcats will host 11th-seeded Ole Miss next weekend, a best-of-three series with a spot in the Women’s College World Series on the line.

UA shortstop Jessie Harper went 5 for 5 with three home runs and five RBI, giving her an NCAA-best 28 long balls on the season. She is the first Wildcat to log a three-homer game since Hallie Wilson in April 2015 and the first to have five hits in a game since Sam Banister 2009.

But it was a walk, four singles, a pair of Auburn errors, and a three-run homer by Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza that were the driving forces in Arizona’s big six-run inning.

Hanah Bowen and Peanut Martinez both knocked RBI singles to right to give Arizona a 5-3 lead, and Bowen later scored when a low throw by Auburn third baseman Tannon Snow that allowed Carli Campbell to reach on a sacrifice bunt.

Palomino-Cardoza then blasted her 16th homer of the season to clear the bases. The junior also drove in Arizona’s first run, a bloop single to center, to put UA up 1-0 in the third. The next batter, Harper, roped a two-run homer to left to make it a three-run cushion.

Auburn immediately matched that with three runs of its own.

Martinez could not handle a sinking liner in right field, resulting in a two-base error. Casey McCrackin tripled down the right-field line to plate the Tigers’ first run, and later scored on an RBI groundout by Alyssa Rivera.

Snow knotted the game at 3-all by clubbing a solo homer off the batter’s eye.

Arizona right-hander Alyssa Denham was otherwise spotless in her first postseason start, allowing four hits in a complete-game effort. She struck out 10 and walked one.

Auburn starter Lexie Handley was relieved by Chardonnay Harris after Harper’s first homer. Harris gave up seven runs (four earned) in 2.2 innings before Handley re-entered the circle.

Auburn ace Makayla Martin and No. 2 starter Ashlee Swindle were out with injuries.

Harper hit two homers off Handley and one off Harris.

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