LAFAYETTE, La. – Louisiana-Lafayette got “Arizona’d” this time.
Playing its brand of small ball from the start, Arizona defeated host and top seed Louisiana Lafayette 6-3 Monday afternoon at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field to set up a winner-take-all championship game in the NCAA’s Lafayette Regional.
The Wildcats also received brilliant pitching from ace Nathan Bannister, who started on two days’ rest. The senior right-hander lasted into the eighth inning, allowing three runs on five hits. He threw 102 pitches. Bannister had thrown 96 pitches in Arizona’s 7-3 regional-opening victory over Sam Houston State on Friday.
Bannister stranded two runners in the first and second innings. After a two-out single in the second, Bannister did not allow another hit until Steven Sensley’s leadoff double in the seventh. Sensley eventually scored on a wild pitch.
Bannister finally tired in the eighth, allowing a leadoff single to Hunter Kasuls and a two-run homer to Joe Robbins. Alfonso Rivas III entered in relief, struck out the first batter he faced, then loaded the bases on a hitter batsman and two walks. Rivas yielded to Kevin Ginkel, who got Kennon Fontenot to hit into a 6-4-3 double play to end the threat. Ginkel pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.
Unlike the first game between the Wildcats and Ragin’ Cajuns on Sunday, in which ULL jumped out to a 3-0 first-inning lead en route to a 10-3 victory, it was Arizona playing from ahead from the get-go Monday. The Wildcats scored three runs in the first inning and two more in the second.
Half of Arizona’s runs scored via successful squeeze bunts, two by shortstop Louis Boyd. The Wildcats had six sacrifice bunts in all, putting constant pressure on Louisiana-Lafayette to execute defensively.
First baseman Ryan Aguilar also had two RBIs. Catcher Cesar Salazar had two doubles and scored two runs.
Monday’s game was Arizona’s third in a 24-hour span. The Wildcats and Ragin’ Cajuns are scheduled to play at 5 p.m., Tucson time, to decide the regional. The winner will play against Mississippi State in the super-regional round later this week.
