4.9.2000
Cats Beat Stanford, Move to 6-0 in Pac-10 Softball
TUCSONArizona knocked 10 hits, took advantage of a couple of Stanford errors and hung on to beat the No. 9-ranked Cardinal, 8-4, in Pac-10 softball action Saturday night.
UA pitcher Jennie Finch remained undefeated despite an average performance, improving her record to 20-0. Stanford touched her for nine hits and scored two of its runs on her throwing error in the seventh. Arizona improved to 42-3 overall and stayed unbeaten in Pac-10 play at 6-0. The Cardinal dropped to 32-9 and 1-6.
Arizona put runs on the scoreboard quickly, crossing the plate four times in the first. Nicole Giordano and Katie Swan led off with infield singles and Giordano scored when Toni Mascarenas' grounder was misplayed at third base. Lauren Bauer walked and moved to third when Lindsey Collins drove in Swan and Mascarenas with a single, then Bauer and Collins pulled a double steal for a 4-0 lead.
UA scored two unearned runs in the second on a two-run single by Finch and added another run in the third on Swan's run-scoring hit. Lindsey Collins' 11th home run of the year, a solo blast in the fourth, ended UA's scoring.
The Cardinal had some early opportunities, with centerfielder Jessica Mendoza reaching second base twice, after a first-inning single and a third-inning double, but Finch worked her way out of trouble.
In the fifth, Mendoza doubled with one out after a Katie Wiginton single, then Sarah Beeson drove Wiginton in with a single and Maureen LeCocq hit a sacrifice fly to score Mendoza.
Stanford scored two unearned runs in the seventh and had runners at second and third but Finch rebounded to strike out the last two hitters.
Attendance was 1,650.
Arizona closes weekend play with another Pac-10 game against Stanford, at 1 p.m. Sunday at Hillenbrand Stadium.
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