Arizona did not have quite the same offensive firepower it had the past two nights, when it combined to score 33 runs, but the Wildcats still mustered enough offense to defeat Utah 9-5 Sunday afternoon and complete the three-game sweep over the Utes.
It was only the Wildcats' third series win in conference play and the second sweep, with the previous sweep coming against Cal and previous series win against Washington. Arizona has won five games in a row, averaging 15.2 runs per game during that span.
The pitching has also stepped up as of late for Arizona, allowing less than five runs per game during the winning streak.
βWe have pitched much better,β said UA coach Chip Hale, whose team improved to 22-15, 9-12 in Pac-12 play. βOur bullpen gave us a lot of length.β
Aiden May was able to work around some command issues, issuing seven walks but limiting the Utes to just three runs (two earned) on two hits across five innings with six strikeouts.
βAiden battled his tail off,β Hale said. βIt was a really tight zone today. ... He wasnβt calling (any) balls strikes, which makes it tough on some of the pitches. He threw 100 pitches (actually 96) in five innings. If he can knock out the walks, he might throw a complete game.β
Mason White put Arizona on the board, drawing a bases-loaded walk in the first inning, before Utah scored one run in the second inning and two in the third to take a 3-1 lead.
The Wildcats took control of the game with a four-run third inning off two-run triples hit by White and Tyler Casagrande.
βThey have a lot of confidence, especially in our ballpark, that weβre going to be able to score runs middle to late in the game, so if we get down three, four or five runs, weβre still going to battle back,β Hale said. βWeβre still going to do something to make the game at least close.β
One inning later, Chase Davis blasted a two-run home run to put the Wildcats ahead 7-3. The long ball was the 32nd of Davis' career, tying him for eighth in program history with Moises Duran.
Arizona's Chase Davis went oppo Sunday vs. Utah for his 32nd career home run, tying him for eighth place in program history.
βI didnβt know that was even there (entering the season),β Davis said of the homer leaderboard. βI had no idea, but now I do. Obviously itβs there. I would be lying if I said I had no clue about it, but thatβs not the purpose (of my home runs).β
The sweep of Utah moves UA ahead of Washington State into eighth place in the Pac-12 and gives the Wildcats more breathing room ahead of Cal and Utah (14-24-1, 4-16-1), the two teams currently not making the conference tournament.
The Wildcats have three more series left to play in the Pac-12, heading to Corvallis next weekend to take on Oregon State before ending the regular season in conference play on the road at Stanford and at home vs. USC.
Inside pitch
β’ Hale confirmed that right-handerΒ Cam WaltyΒ will start on Tuesday against New Mexico. Hale recently hinted at Walty joining the weekend rotation, so itβs possible he pitches in limited fashion Tuesday before pitching in a game at Oregon State next weekend, whether that be as a starter or piggybacking another starter.
β’Β Davis, White,Β Mac BinghamΒ andΒ Tommy SplaineΒ had multiple hits for Arizona. Davis, White, Casagrande andΒ Kiko RomeroΒ had multiple RBIs.
β’Β Tony BullardΒ was the only UA batter who didn't have a hit, ending his six-game hitting streak. But he drew two walks and had two of Arizona's five highest exit velocities,Β per UA Baseball Analytics.
β’Β Trevor LongΒ andΒ Dawson NetzΒ did not allow an earned run in four innings out of the bullpen. Long was charged with two runs, both unearned.
Baseball was once Americaβs favorite sport and while itβs fallen in popularity in recent years a global crisis might actually make it more exciting moving forward. According to researchers from Dartmouth College, rising global temperatures might just be leading to more epic home runs.
