Arizona entered Friday nightโs game against Utah seeking to end a dubious streak: The Wildcats had lost five consecutive series openers in Pac-12 play.
The Cats didnโt get a shutdown pitching performance against the Utes. But Arizonaโs relentless lineup kept on hitting, and that was enough to end the streak.
Five Wildcats had multiple hits as Arizona rallied to defeat Utah 14-9 at Hi Corbett Field. The Wildcats twice trailed by four runs and used a six-run sixth inning to pull ahead for good.
Arizona (20-15, 7-12 Pac-12) has won three straight games and six of its past eight. The Wildcats scored at least 12 runs in all six wins and have totaled 48 runs in their past three games.
Last-place Utah fell to 14-22-1, 4-14-1. It was the second straight time the Utes allowed 14 runs; they won the previous game, 29-14, over BYU on Tuesday.
Mac Bingham, Garen Caulfield and Mason White each had three hits for Arizona. Chase Davis, Tony Bullard and Tyler Casagrande had two hits apiece. Caulfield had a team-high three RBIs. Bingham, Bullard and Tommy Splaine each had two.
Bullard hit the gameโs only home run, a 479-foot, two-run bomb to kick-start the sixth-inning rally. Arizona trailed 9-5 at the time. It was Bullardโs fourth home run in the past three games.
Davis, Kiko Romero and Splaine each drove in a run, putting the Wildcats ahead 10-9. Caulfield then tripled home Romero to make it 11-9.
Caulfieldโs two-RBI single in the eighth bumped the lead to 13-9. The final run scored on an error.
While neither UA starter Jackson Kent (1 1/3 innings, five earned runs) nor reliever TJ Nichols (four innings, four earned runs) was particularly effective, Arizona got much-needed contributions from three other members of its bullpen.
Eric Orloff, Derek Drees and Chris Barraza combined for 3 2/3 scoreless innings. Orloff bailed out Nichols in the sixth, and Drees did the same for Orloff in the seventh after inheriting a pair of baserunners.
Game 2 of the three-game series is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday.
