Mike Candrea spent Tuesday night at home, trying to find a way to watch his Arizona Wildcats beat San Diego State 8-0 in five innings on the Internet.
He didn't see the oversized "Get Well Soon" card fans signed when they walked through Hillenbrand Stadium's navy wrought iron gate, or smirk when the "Pocket Litter" game offered a Nike bag to the first fan to produce a hospital bracelet.
(It went instead to a supporter with proof of his pacemaker installation last month.)
Candrea - the second-winningest softball coach of all time - rested at his home after being released from University of Arizona Medical Center on Tuesday afternoon, two days after suffering chest pains.
The pains, which the 56-year-old coach first experienced during Sunday's loss at Arizona State, were likely caused by stress.
"The most important man to us isn't here - who we always lean on and turn to when we needed answers," said senior Lini Koria, who hit a solo homer Tuesday.
"We kinda just had to grow up a little bit."
Candrea could return either today, for a 3 p.m. game against the 18-18 Aztecs, or for Thursday's practice. The coach - who didn't immediately return a voicemail message or text message - hadn't decided on his return date as of the end of Tuesday's game.
The No. 17-ranked Wildcats (20-8) sent a bouquet of peach-colored hibiscus flowers to Candrea's room and giggled when operations director Alicia Hollowell sent a photo of him wearing his favorite red UA hat in his hospital bed.
But none had heard from him until Tuesday, when Candrea texted his players and told them to "play for the moment."
"They were sad, because he's not with us," assistant coach Larry Ray said. "But he made them feel really good."
Pitcher Shelby Babcock called the text "very comforting."
The sophomore allowed six hits - but most importantly, no walks - in five innings Tuesday.
The Wildcats scored their first run on a Kristen Arriola double and a Chelsea Goodacre single to lead off the second inning. After Koria was plunked and Nicole Bryan popped out, Hallie Wilson singled home pinch-runner Sam Davis for a 2-0 lead.
Two batters later, Brigette Del Ponte walloped a three-run homer between the center field fence and the batter's eye.
In the fourth, with the bases empty, Koria cleared the batter's eye to take a 6-0 lead.
"Just trying to get my groove back," said Koria, who was demoted to eighth in the batting order three games ago.
With a full count and two outs later in the inning, Del Ponte golfed a home run the opposite way, over the right field wall, for her second of the game and seventh of the season.
Babcock struck out only one but needed only 64 pitches to dispatch the aggressive Aztecs by the mercy rule.
The Wildcats had blown leads in each of their three losses to Arizona State last weekend.
"It's relieving to be up with our runs and keep those runs," Del Ponte said, "and shutting another team out."
That closed out a rare easy win, a nicety after two days Del Ponte called "stressful" because of Candrea's health and a sweep by their rivals.
"He's got to be extremely proud," Ray said. "I told the girls, 'Let's play one for him.'"
On StarNet: See more of Kelly Presnell's photos from the Arizona-SDSU game at azstarnet.com/gallery
The polls
The ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll is voted upon by 15 coaches and five media members, including the Star's Patrick Finley. Here's a look at the poll and how Finley voted (first-place votes in parentheses):
Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll
1. Cal (18)
2. Alabama (2)
3. Washington
4. Florida
5. Arizona State
6. Texas
7. Oklahoma
8. Louisiana-Lafayette
9. Tennessee
10. Georgia
11. Louisville
12. Missouri
13. Stanford
14. UCLA
15. Texas A&M
16. Oregon
17. Arizona
18. Hawaii
19. Michigan
20. Baylor
21. South Florida
22. Florida State
23. LSU
24. Auburn
25. Syracuse
Finley's poll
1. Cal
2. Alabama
3. Washington
4. Florida
5. Arizona State
6. Texas
7. Lousiana-Lafayette
8. Oklahoma
9. Georgia
10. Tennessee
11. Louisville
12. Missouri
13. Stanford
14. UCLA
15. Texas A&M
16. Arizona
17. Oregon
18. Hawaii
19. Michigan
20. Baylor
21. South Florida
22. Florida State
23. LSU
24. Syracuse
25. Auburn
Today
• What: San Diego State at Arizona
• Where: Hillenbrand Stadium
• When: 3 p.m.
Please Wait…