After Sunday’s loss at Arizona State, his team’s sixth defeat in a row in Pac-12 play, Arizona coach Chip Hale was asked what it would take to get the Wildcats out of their funk.
“A win,” he said. “Find a way to win. I don't care how it is.”
Tuesday’s game against Grand Canyon at Hi Corbett Field was the definition of a find-a-way-to-win game.
Arizona coughed up a pair of multi-run leads, tied the game in the ninth inning and won it, 10-9, on Emilio Corona’s RBI single up the middle in the 10th.
Much of that transpired without Hale guiding the club; he was ejected between the seventh and eighth innings after Chase Davis was called out on a check swing. It was the second time this season Hale has been booted.
Corona, a transfer from Pima Community College, went 2 for 4 with three RBIs and hit his first UA home run. Davis also went 2 for 4 with three RBIs, with both of his hits leaving the building. He has three homers in his past two games and a team-leading 10 on the season.
Shortstop Nik McClaughry also homered, a three-run shot in the seventh that gave Arizona an 8-6 lead. The Wildcats had been up 5-2 entering the seventh before surrendering four runs.
The Lopes (15-9) put up another crooked number in the eighth, scoring three runs to make it 9-8. Mac Bingham’s RBI double, which scored Kiko Romero, tied it in the bottom of the ninth. Corona drove home Tyler Casagrande, who led off the bottom of the 10th with a double.
After allowing three inherited runners to score in top of the eighth, Trevor Long pitched around trouble to pick up the win. He was not charged with an earned run in a season-high three innings.
Arizona (14-9, 3-6 Pac-12) opens a three-game series against Oregon (15-7, 3-3) Friday night at Hi Corbett. The Wildcats have won 10 in a row on their home field.
Japan comes out victorious in a 3-2 win over the United States during the World Baseball Classic final on Tuesday.
