Arizona’s eighth- and ninth-place hitters combined for five hits, four runs and three RBIs in Tuesday’s 14-3 victory over New Mexico State.
It’s a testament to the length and depth of the Wildcats’ lineup – an asset that should serve them well in the upcoming postseason.
“I feel like we have a lot of plug-and-play guys,” UA coach Jay Johnson said. “That's been evident by some guys (who) have been in and contributed at different times during the season.”
No. 9 Arizona (36-13, 19-8 Pac-12) has been relatively fortunate in the injury department but has lost some players for multiweek periods. They include outfielder Blake Paugh and reliever Preston Price.
“We've been able to ride out that storm without anybody even really noticing,” Johnson said. “I think that's probably the biggest benefit (of the depth) and will be going forward.”
The eighth-place hitter, third baseman Tony Bullard, spent a large chunk of the season as a reserve before recently becoming a regular. He has registered at least one hit in seven of his past eight appearances, including his first home run of the season Sunday. He’s 6 for 10 with six RBIs over his past three games and has raised his average to 267.
“I definitely feel a lot more comfortable just consistently getting those ABs,” said Bullard, who started the eight-run fourth inning with a walk and capped it with a two-RBI single. “I feel much better now.”
Like Bullard, ninth-place hitter Nik McClaughry began the season as a backup. He has become the starting shortstop and has provided surprising production at the plate after batting .260 in two seasons at Sacramento City College.
McClaughry notched the winning hit in the 10th inning of Friday’s 17-16 victory over Washington. He has a six-game hitting streak, including a 2-for-3 performance Tuesday, and is batting .352.
“Those guys are quality-at-bat machines right now,” Johnson said, “and they're making a big contribution to our offense being our offense.”
Chase Davis pinch-hit for McClaughry in the seventh inning and added to the 8-9 offensive line with a single and a run.
The game ended in the seventh when Kaden Hopson stroked a two-RBI single to bump Arizona’s lead to double digits. The coaches had agreed before the game to implement a 10-run rule with NMSU (19-32) coming off a four-game weekend series.
The only real drama Tuesday occurred in the third inning. The score was tied 1-1, and the Aggies had the bases loaded with two outs. Chandler Murphy relieved opener Riley Cooper and threw a wild pitch to score a run and give NMSU the lead. After a walk to reload the bases, Murphy struck out Ronnie Allen Jr.
Murphy fanned six batters in 3 1/3 innings to improve to 6-0. The second-year freshman has excelled as a middle reliever after beginning the season as a starter.
“He's done a good job of just going and getting outs,” Johnson said. “He's been big in a lot of important wins, and tonight was no different.
“He got us out of that jam, which allowed our offense to settle in.”
Murphy and left-hander Randy Abshier combined to strike out the final seven NMSU hitters who came to the plate.
The win was Arizona’s fourth in a row, all coming at Hi Corbett Field. Arizona is 25-6 at home and is all but assured of hosting a regional in the NCAA Tournament.
The UA has two regular-season series left – at Oregon State this weekend and against Dixie State May 27-29. OSU (32-18, 14-10) lost at Portland on Tuesday.
Arizona entered Tuesday ranked sixth nationally in RPI. If the Wildcats hold serve – winning at least one in Corvallis and sweeping Dixie State, which has an RPI of 237 – they should be able to secure a top-eight seed in the tournament. That would enable them to host a Super Regional should they advance.
Inside pitch
- Mac Bingham and Daniel Susac each had a pair of hits. Bingham has at least one hit in 15 of his past 16 games. Susac has a nine-game hitting streak.
- Several members of the UA softball team came to the game after concluding practice earlier Tuesday. The Wildcats begin regional play at Hillenbrand Stadium on Friday.
- Tuesday was the last regular-season game for NMSU, which has a bye this weekend. The Aggies will be the No. 4 seed in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament May 26-30 in Mesa. Dixie State isn’t eligible for the tournament because it’s in its first season in Division I.
