At 6:03 p.m. Friday, Arizona Wildcats right-hander Chase Silseth threw the first pitch of the 2021 season at Hi Corbett Field.
It had been a minute.
Arizona last played a game that counted on March 8, 2020 – a span of 348 days. The UA defeated Houston on that Sunday afternoon to improve to 10-5.
The following week, the coronavirus pandemic brought U.S. sports to a halt. NCAA spring sports never resumed. The Wildcats entered a state of baseball limbo that didn’t officially end until that first pitch.
While the environment for their return felt different – fans aren’t being allowed for the time being, per Pac-12 policy – the result was familiar.
No. 15 Arizona defeated Ball State 3-0. It was the Wildcats’ 13th consecutive opening-day victory and their sixth in a row under Jay Johnson. Three under Johnson have been shutouts.
“It was interesting,” Johnson said. “The second the other team showed up in the other dugout, you could see them all look over there like, ‘Finally.’
“It's been a rough road. ... So just to get back to competing, it's in itself a win today.”
The UA has won 18 consecutive home openers. This was the first one played without fans.
The stands weren’t empty, though. More than 20 MLB scouts sat behind the plate. The group’s main source of interest: Silseth, the junior-college transfer who has emerged as Arizona’s No. 1 starter.
Silseth backed up the buzz that has built around him with a stellar UA debut. Silseth, who transferred from College of Southern Nevada, did not allow a run in 5 2/3 innings. He surrendered three hits and two walks while striking out seven batters.
“They can't win if they don't score,” Johnson said. “Chase, I thought, was really good, especially when he stayed within himself. He showed really good poise. If a pitch ever got away from him, it seemed like the next one was right back where he wanted it to go.”
Silseth ran into trouble in the sixth. He walked a batter and hit two to load the bases with two outs. Pitching coach Nate Yeskie summoned veteran righty Preston Price from the bullpen. Price struck out Aaron Simpson with three straight sliders to end the inning and preserve the Wildcats’ 3-0 lead.
“How ’bout that?” Silseth said. “That's what it's about here, him having my back. That's what we are. This pitching staff’s a family.”
Price caught a break the following inning. Pinch hitter Decker Scheffler appeared to lead off the frame with a triple to center field. But Scheffler missed second base. The Wildcats tossed the ball to second, and Scheffler was ruled out.
Johnson credited first baseman Branden Boissiere, who trailed the runner, and the dugout for being on top of the play.
“That was a smart-guy play, as we call it,” Johnson said. “Good job by the guys being engaged in the game.”
Arizona’s lineup produced just enough offense for the Wildcats to win. The key hit came in the first inning – a two-RBI double by designated hitter Ryan Holgate. The line drive to right-center drove in Kobe Kato and Boissiere. Both had drawn two-out walks.
The Wildcats drew nine walks in all but managed just three hits in 16 at-bats with runners on base. They were 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position.
“I have no concerns there,” Johnson said. “We walked a ton tonight; it's a big part of our offense. The older players settled in and took enough good at-bats for us to be successful. For as many games as we’ve won 14-10, it’s sure nice to win a ballgame 3-0.”
Arizona’s pitchers were even stingier than Ball State’s. The Cardinals went 1 for 12 with runners on base and 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position.
Arizona’s other run came on a fielder’s choice. Donta’ Williams led off the bottom of the fifth with a walk. Jacob Blas followed with a single. Kato’s perfectly placed bunt single down the third-base line loaded the bases for Boissiere, whose grounder to second plated Williams.
Veteran right-hander Vince Vannelle pitched a scoreless ninth inning to record his fifth career save.
Johnson’s multiyear goal has been to upgrade the pitching staff. The group got off to an ideal start.
“It's awesome,” Holgate said. “Silseth’s been great ever since he stepped foot here. Seeing the guys come out of the pen, it kind of made me smile, just because we're super confident in them. We know they can do.”
Inside pitch
- UA pitchers struck out 14 batters. The Wildcats have notched 10 or more strikeouts in 12 of 16 games since Yeskie became the pitching coach.
- Left fielder Mac Bingham had two hits and reached on a hit-by-pitch.
- Right-hander Chandler Murphy (2-0, 2.70 ERA in 2020) is slated to start for Arizona in Game 2 Saturday. He will face righty Chayce McDermott (0-1, 5.02).
