Arizona withstood a Santa Clara comeback with a walk-off home run by Sydney Stewart in the bottom of the fifth inning to earn a 13-5 run rule win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night. Santa Clara scored four runs in the top of the fourth inning to cut a 6-1 deficit to 6-5.
Arizona took control with a Kaiah Altmeyer two-run double and an Emily Schepp groundout to take a 9-5 lead and set up the heroics by Stewart. Altmeyer and Regan Shockey each had two hits to lead Arizona offensively. Robynn Balmediano had two hits and two runs batted in for Santa Clara.
Santa Clara took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a HR from Hope Alley. Arizona answered with an RBI single from Devyn Netz. Arizona seemed to break the game open with a four-run second inning. Shockey had a two-run single and scored with Dakota Kennedy on a wild pitch to give Arizona a 5-1 lead.
Arizona increased the lead to 6-1 when Miranda Stoddard hit a solo HR. Stoddard was also the winning pitcher, going four innings, allowing three hits and one earned run with one walk and no strikeouts to improve to 13-0. Ryan Maddox relieved Stoddard in the fourth inning and retired Santa Clara in order.
After hitting the first batter of the fourth inning, Maddox walked the next two hitters. Baldmediano doubled with the bases loaded to cut the Santa Clara deficit to 6-3. Stoddard went back to the circle following the Baldmediano double. Lauren Bryson added a two-run double to get Santa Clara within 6-5.
After Santa Clara plated the four runs with no outs, Stoddard retired the next three batters to get Arizona out of the inning and leave Bryson stranded on base. Arizona answered with a three-run fourth. Altmeyer hit a two-run double, advanced to third on the throw and scored on a Schepp ground out to make the score 9-5.
Singles by Kennedy and Shockey and a walk by Netz set up Stewart to become the hero and advance Arizona to the winners bracket in the Tucson Regional. Arizona plays the winner of Grand Canyon and Mississippi, who played the second game on Friday night. Santa Clara plays the loser on Saturday in an elimination game.