Arizona dominated Central Florida on Sunday to avoid a three-game sweep by the Knights in Tucson this weekend. Ryan Maddox pitched a complete game going five innings allowing one runs on four hits, with no walks and two strikeouts to improve to 3-0 as Arizona earned the run rule win.
Jenna Sniffen led Arizona offensively with two hits in three at-bats with a run scored and three runs batted in. Five other Wildcats had one RBI each. Arizona broke the game open early with four runs in the first inning and six in the second to quickly put pressure on Central Florida.
Seven Arizona players scored runs and six had RBIs. Arizona centerfield Regan Shockley was the only Wildcat who did not either score or drive in a run. Shockley did have one hit in three at-bats. Arizona scored at least three runs against all three Central Florida pitchers on Sunday.
Central Florida upset Arizona 9-3 in the series opener on Friday night. The Knights put away a close game with five runs in the top of the seventh inning. Central Florida led 3-0 after 1.5 innings. Arizona scored its first run in the bottom of the second before Central Florida answered in the fourth.
Sunday run-rule!
— Arizona Softball (@ArizonaSoftball) March 9, 2025
The Cats mercy rule UCF in the final game of the series! pic.twitter.com/j2GXt2Vzhg
Arizona plated two runs in the bottom of the sixth to pull within a run. Central Florida hit three home runs with one with a two-run blast by Stormy Kotzelnick in the seventh pushing the Knights' lead to 6-3. Madison Simon doubled in two more runs and a throwing error pushed the Central Florida closed the scoring.
Arizona scored single runs in each of the first three innings on Saturday. Central Florida did not score until the top of the third with a pair of runs, added one run in the fourth and two more in the fifth. Devyn Netz dropped to 8-3 for Arizona allowing two earned runs on seven hits with no walks and three strikeouts in 3.1 innings of relief.
Arizona added an unearned run in the fifth but was unable to complete the comeback in a 5-4 loss. Netz and Tayler Biehl hit HRs in the Saturday loss. Kaiah Altmeyer, Netz and Sniffen all had multiple hits in the loss on Saturday. Arizona improved to 22-4 and 1-2 in the Big 12 with the win on Sunday and hosts Utah State on Monday.