As if getting swept by Pac-12 rival Washington wasn’t bad enough over the weekend, news now comes out of Tuscon that Arizona star second baseman Reyna Carranco suffered a broken hand after being hit by a pitch on Saturday and is out indefinitely.
Carranco was hit on the left hand by a pitch from Washington pitcher Taran Alvelo in the first inning of Saturday’s game between the Huskies and Wildcats. According to a report from the Arizona Desert Swarm’s Ryan Kelapire, Carranco tried to check her swing and was struck by the pitch.
Head coach Mike Candrea identified Carranco’s injury as a broken hand and two broken thumbs, and did not offer a timetable for her return, per Kelapire’s report.
The Wildcats’ leading hitter at the time of her injury, Carranco boasts a .433 batting average on the season, well above the next-highest member of the batting order.
Candrea’s Wildcats suffered a series sweep at the hands of Washington this weekend, falling to 40-11 on the year with a 17-4 mark in PAC-12 play.
The No. 6-ranked Wildcats will travel to Los Angeles next week to begin a three-game series on Thursday against UCLA that will end the regular season for both teams.
It’s the second time in two years Carranco has had the misfortune of being hit by a pitch from Alvelo and suffering a broken bone.
In April of 2018, she was struck in the face, even with a helmet mask protecting her, and received a concussion, a broken nose and a facial fracture. Here’s a report from KGUN TV covering that story:
— Justin McLeod, Extra Inning Softball College Correspondent