蜜柚直播

Boom. Home run I.

Boom. Home run II.

Boom. Home run III.

鈥淚t was pretty great,鈥� said Mississippi State catcher Mia Davidson, who hit the second home run. 鈥�(Sarai Niu) hit one that hasn鈥檛 landed yet.鈥�

This wasn鈥檛 a February freebie against Montana or Cal State Northridge, it was elimination Sunday at Hillenbrand Stadium.

But if there鈥檚 anyone in college softball who has earned trust the last 30 years 鈥� anyone whose impulses, gut reactions and sixth sense have stood the test of time 鈥� it is Candrea.

He is, after all, the alpha and omega of college softball coaches, John Wooden in shorts, with eight national championships and an Olympic gold medal to back up his decision to keep 蜜柚直播 ace Taylor McQuillin on the bench at the start of Sunday鈥檚 showdown with MSU.

I mean, when Candrea and Mississippi State coach Vann Stuedeman met with NCAA officials last week for a briefing on the week鈥檚 schedule, Stuedeman was intimidated.

鈥淭o me, 鈥榳ow,鈥欌�� she said after 蜜柚直播 rallied to win Sunday鈥檚 regional final 4-3. 鈥淲hen he walked in the room it was like 鈥榦h, God, I can鈥檛 sit next to him.鈥欌��

If you want to question Candrea鈥檚 decision, that鈥檚 your business. He inserted McQuillin in the bottom of the second inning, trailing 3-2, and after that the Bulldogs had no hits. McQuillin was as lights-out as any of the pitching immortals who stood on the mound at old Rita Hillenbrand Stadium 鈥� Susie Parra, Nancy Evans, Jennie Finch, Taryne Mowatt.

Right place, right time, right pitcher.

鈥淐oach has a plan and he knows what he鈥檚 doing,鈥� said McQuillin.

Sunday鈥檚 game was not one of those easily forgettable afternoons en route to the Super Regionals or Women鈥檚 College World Series when the UA was rolling and barely stopped to recognize the logo on the opposing pitcher鈥檚 jersey.

It was labor. 蜜柚直播 hasn鈥檛 gone to the World Series since 2010 and last year lost a stunning Super Regional final to Baylor that ended in a flood of tears.

Now 蜜柚直播 appreciates every step of the journey, and on Sunday, believe it or not, Candrea was moved to tears, as was MSU鈥檚 Stuedeman.

Tears are usually reserved for something further down the softball road, but this was a special weekend for both teams at the 鈥淩ita.鈥�

It was historical.

Rita Hillenbrand Stadium, bless its soul, was for 20 years the Wrigley Field of college softball. In 1993, 蜜柚直播 paid $1.6 million to become the first NCAA softball team to build what Candrea refers to as an 鈥渆ye-popping鈥� stadium.

蜜柚直播 became the envy of college softball and, predictably, SEC schools endowed by endless football riches soon built bigger and better softball stadiums and, finally, so did the University of Nike, Oregon, which has won five of the last six Pac-12 championships and replaced 蜜柚直播 as the 蜜柚直播 of West Coast softball.

Sunday was the last game played at the 鈥渙ld Rita.鈥� When 蜜柚直播 returns to action in February of 2019, it will do so in an $8 million makeover that will actually provide shade and comfort for thousands of UA fans who for years sat through games such as the 蜜柚直播-Mississippi State showdown in mega-heat and on hot tin benches.

Even Candrea said he had to run to the bathroom Sunday and stand in line with Joe Fan.

Mississippi State鈥檚 Stuedeman referred to it as softball鈥檚 version of Yankee Stadium and said she was proud 鈥渨e were a small part of a big history; it鈥檚 very cool.鈥�

Candrea is an emotional guy. That鈥檚 probably the Italian in him. He dismissed his starting pitching decision with a simple 鈥渋t didn鈥檛 quite go as I drew it up鈥� and then confessed he got emotional in the post-game celebration.

鈥淥ld Rita has been good to us,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ne of the great things about getting older is that you get to live the history, and I鈥檝e been able to do that in this program.鈥�

History? In the 2007 NCAA regionals at Rita, 蜜柚直播 and Mississippi State met for the first time. It was May 19, 2007, and everything was so different.

The Wildcats beat MSU on a four-hit shutout by Mowatt, and went on to win a second straight national championship.

The UA鈥檚 lineup was stocked with star-level players: Caitlin Lowe, Chelsie Mesa, Kristie Fox, Adrienne Acton and Callista Balko.

It seemed like the good times would never end for 蜜柚直播 softball. No one could鈥檝e guessed it would be the last of Candrea鈥檚 eight championships.

How much has changed? Fox is now the head coach at UNLV. Balko is married to a former NFL football player and works as a UA fundraiser. Acton married two-time baseball All-Star J.J. Hardy, now retired. Mesa works in the mortgage business in San Francisco.

But Lowe and Mowatt have returned to the dugout, as Candrea鈥檚 two leading assistant coaches, both trying to restore 蜜柚直播 to its lost glory.

鈥淚t was a wonderful day,鈥� said Candrea. 鈥淚t gives you one more week to get to that final goal.鈥�