Arizona softball powers past Cal

BERKELEY, Calif. -- Arizona registered as many home runs, three, as Cal had hits Sunday as the Wildcats won 7-2 to take the series from the Bears at Levine-Fricke Field.

Chelsea Goodacre, Katiyana Mauga and Mo Mercado hit home runs as ninth-ranked Arizona (34-9, 9-6 Pac-12) put up seven runs on 10 hits in the contest.

Estela Pinon tossed the complete-game three-hitter to improve to 13-5 on the season. The senior struck out four and walked five in the outing.

Mercado went 3-for-4 at the plate, including a solo homer and a two-run single. Goodacre added a pair of hits in the game, including a solo shot of her own.

Cal (21-17, 4-6 Pac-12) got a solo homer off the bat of Danielle Henderson to take an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.

The Cats responded quickly, though, when Goodacre led off the top of the second with a solo homer, her 16th of the year.

After a scoreless third, freshmen Mauga and Mercado went back-to-back with a pair of two-out solo homers in the fourth to give Arizona a 3-1 lead.

In the bottom half, Cal loaded the bases with one out, and Alleah Laxamana sent a foul ball toward the Wildcats' bullpen. First baseman Hallie Wilson reached over the fence to make the catch and threw a strike to catcher Goodacre to cut down the runner attempting to tag from third on the play.

Arizona broke the game open with four runs in the sixth. Kellie Fox led off the frame with a double and moved to third on a pop-fly double by Goodacre. Mercado singled in a pair before Cynthia Pelayo and Hallie Wilson each added RBI singles to extend the Wildcats' lead to 7-1.

Three walks loaded the bases for Cal in the bottom of the sixth with one out. The Bears plated one run on a groundout, but Pinon was able to limit the damage to just the single run in the frame.

Pinon then got the Bears in order in the bottom of the seventh to finish off the win.