Arizona softball ties program record for consecutive run-rule victories with sweep of BYU
· Yahoo Sports
The No. 13 Arizona Wildcats may not talk about beating teams by the run rule, but that doesn’t mean their streak coming into Saturday’s game against BYU wasn’t impressive. The Wildcats had won seven straight by the run rule, just one shy of the program record set in 2014. They have now tied that record after defeating the Cougars 16-3 in five innings.
The record was set between Feb. 22, 2014 and Mar. 4, 2014 starting with a 14-1 win over UNLV and ending with a 12-3 win over Ball State. Arizona almost had a 10-game streak during that run, but they only beat No. 11 Nebraska by the score of 7-0 on Feb. 21. They had defeated Fresno State 8-0 in five innings earlier that day.
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The last three games of this year’s streak were especially impressive because they came in conference play. Arizona has swept a three-game conference series with three run-rule victories several times. The Wildcats last did it in 2019 when they accomplished the task in the Pac-12 by defeating Utah 13-0, 22-1, and 13-2.
When told about the accomplishments, Arizona head coach Caitlin Lowe and her players used words like “cool” and “awesome,” but they were more impressed by the smaller goals that they repeatedly met over the weekend.
“Even in the in the final talk, Coach Cait said we won every single inning this weekend,” said senior Grace Jenkins. “So, it’s not necessarily about games, but it’s about the game within the game, right? When they’re able to put two runs up on the first inning, it’s like, okay, we respond with five. Like, that’s huge. And I think when we think inning by inning, that’s the most important thing.”
BYU’s offense battled to keep Arizona from getting a third straight short-game victory. An error and a home run put the Cougars up 2-0 right out of the gate.
After that, Arizona starter Jalen Adams settled down until the fourth. A single and a double put two on with no outs for BYU. Adams struck out the next two, but the Cougars found a little 2-out magic.
A single off the bat of Bre Townsend put the run rule in question by cutting the Arizona lead to 11-3 with a runner 60 feet away. Adams induced a weak popup that she put away herself to end the inning.
With the series already in hand, Lowe found opportunities to play some of her bench and move some of her everyday players around on the field. Eighteen of Arizona’s 20 players got into the game at some point. Only pitchers Rylie Holder and Jenae Berry did not make appearances.
Junior outfielder Tele Jennings got a start in right field while everyday right fielder Grace Jenkins moved behind the plate. Starting catcher Sydney Stewart got a day off for her knees and served as the designated player. They all took advantage of those opportunities.
Jennings improved her batting average to .273 with a 2-for-2 day with a walk. She hit a double and drove in a run. She had just nine at-bats coming into the game but the support of her teammates has helped her stay ready.
“This team is so amazing,” Jennings said. “You know when you get your name called that they’re all supporting you, they’re all behind you, so going out with some confidence and courage to do it for them also.”
Jenkins was solid behind the plate and her usual threatening self in the batter’s box. She went 1 for 2, was hit by a pitch, and scored 2 runs.
Her shining moment may have been her celebration of a strikeout by Wright, though. The sophomore pitcher came into the game in the fifth inning after Adams hit the leadoff and walked the next batter.
The younger pitcher has been struggling a bit and not getting as many opportunities as she would probably like. This was a chance to get that opportunity and gain some confidence.
“I told her, when we get out there, I was like, we’re throwing a bullpen at practice on a Tuesday, you know?” Jenkins said. “And so when that happens, it’s exciting to actually see what happens in practice happens in a game…I just got really excited for her.”
Wright got a fielder’s choice for the first out. BYU right fielder Rita Tavita then worked the count full before Wright got her swinging. Jenkins jumped up, pumped her fist, and pointed at her pitcher in congratulations.
The gesture can be tied into the “trust marbles” that the pitchers and catchers share as a way to bond and celebrate each other.
“Every day, you can kind of earn trust marbles from your teammates,” Adams said. “So like, when Grace is behind the plate and she picks one in the dirt, that’s a trust marble that she’s earning with me.”
As for Stewart, she once again proved that last year was no fluke when it comes to power. The catcher hit just seven home runs during her two years at Washington. She has now hit 28 in less than two years at Arizona after getting her eighth of the 2026 season in the bottom of the second.
The big fly came after a called strike that Stewart did not appear to agree with. She stepped back into the box and smacked it to her favorite place just to the right side of centerfield.
Syd Stew Smash 💣@sydneyyystewart extends our lead with a two-run blast! pic.twitter.com/68EcTAwW2p
— Arizona Softball (@ArizonaSoftball) March 7, 2026
Arizona saw four of BYU’s pitchers. None went more than 2.0 innings. All except Hailey Shuler gave up at least four hits and four earned runs. The Wildcats took advantage of 13 hits, 6 walks, 1 hit batter, and 2 errors to score their 16 runs. Nine of the Arizona hitters got at least one hit. Four of the seven who didn’t get a hit were only in the game to pinch run.
The Wildcats had an error of their own that allowed one of the Cougars’ runs to score. Adams went 4.0 innings. She allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 4 hits, 2 walks, 1 hit batter, and 1 error behind her. She tied her season high with 4 strikeouts. She went out to finish the game in the fifth inning but gave way to Wright after allowing the first two batters to reach.
The outing lowered Adams’ ERA to 2.86. She improved her record to 11-3.
Wright went 1.0 innings with no runs on no hits and no walks. She struck out one. She was able to knock almost half a run off her ERA, bringing it down to 7.56 from 8.04.
While Arizona started Big 12 play much better this season than in 2025, the task gets considerably more difficult now. The Wildcats will head to Lubbock to face No. 2 Texas Tech next week. The team that is expected to win the conference again this year has two of the best pitchers in the country leading the way and sport a 24-1 record. They will go for the sweep of Houston on Sunday after run-ruling those Cougars in the first two games of their series.
Arizona isn’t sure whether Holder will be ready for that series. She was hit in the temple by a comebacker to the circle during the second game against BYU on Friday evening. She was active, engaged, and in uniform during Saturdays’ game. Lowe wouldn’t explicitly say whether Holder had a concussion, only repeating the phrase “day-to-day” when asked for clarification.
“Honestly, she looks really good, and we’re just gonna take it day by day and see how she’s doing,” Lowe said. “But I walked in and I’m like, ‘You look great.’ She was feeling good last night, so I’m just super hopeful that it’s gonna be a quick turnaround.”
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