COLUMBIA, Mo. (KGUN) — After a bumpy regular season, Arizona Softball is feeling super again.
The Wildcats advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals by winning the Columbia Regional on Sunday, beating host school Missouri for the second time in two days.
Arizona capped a perfect 3-0 weekend with a 1-0 win Sunday. Sharlize Palacios hit a home run for the game's only run, while Devyn Netz shined in the circle with a complete game shutout.
It comes after Arizona struggled through its Pac-12 season but did enough to sneak into the Big Dance.
"We've been tested like we've never been tested before this year, and they let it make them stronger," first-year head coach Caitlin Lowe said after Sunday's game. "And I think it really showed today. So proud of Devyn and the way she competed in the circle. And this game's crazy, and sometimes it comes down to one pitch. And that one pitch [Sharlize] capitalized on.
The sophomore pitcher Netz credited Palacios—her catcher—as well as teammates from last year and this year with helping her get better and be prepared for such a brilliant postseason performance.
"We build momentum on our pitching, and then from our pitching our defense feeds off it, and from our defense we go right into our offense," Netz said.
The Wildcats will play Mississippi State in a best-of-three Super Regional in Starkville, Miss. beginning Friday at 9 a.m. Arizona time.
Arizona has not fallen short of a Super Regional appearance since 2013.
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