Page 49 - summer18

UA softball player Alyssa Palomino
after practice at the UA’s Hillenbrand
Memorial Stadium
The knee trouble was worrisome. Palomino has torn her ACL twice — an
excruciatingly painful injury to the anterior cruciate ligament of the knee. An
ACL tear in her right knee kept her out of competition her entire freshman
season, and a tear in her left knee denied her postseason play at the end of
her triumphant return in 2017.

But on this evening, all was well. After the therapy session, Palomino
sprang to her feet, took a couple of jokey giant steps, and laughed out loud.
As soon as the second game began, the ’Cats were killing it: The score
was already 3-0 when Palomino stepped up to bat in the third inning. She
crouched, eyed the ball with a laser focus, then slammed it out of the ballpark.
Her teammates exploded into a dance in the dugout, and Palomino ran the
bases, her ponytail flying behind her.
The next inning, she did it again, sending another ball soaring into the
darkening sky. Another home run — totalling 19 this season and 35 in her
career — and another ’Cat victory, 9-0. She finished the season as the Pac-12
home run leader and was named a first-team NFCA All-American, earning the
100th All-America honor in UA history.

SUMMER 2018 47