In the top of the sixth inning Friday night, with Arizona clinging to a one-run lead over No. 8 UCLA, Wildcats starter Michael Flynn threw three straight balls to the Bruins’ Daniel Amaral. Given that the bases were loaded at the time, it wasn’t exactly what Flynn had in mind.
“I’m thinking, ‘Oh God, oh God,’ ” Flynn said later. “Let’s really slow this game down. Just go one pitch at a time. Give my team a chance. Throw strikes.”
Flynn threw nothing but strikes the rest of the at-bat. He eventually struck out Amaral on a well-placed fastball. Flynn then fanned Garrett Mitchell to end the inning and the threat.
The last strikeout was Flynn’s 12th, a career high. He limited UCLA to six hits over 6 2/3 innings, fueling Arizona to a 3-1 victory in front of a season-high crowd of 6,014 at Hi Corbett Field.
The win clinched the series for the Wildcats, who improved to 27-17, 9-11 in the Pac-12. The Bruins (30-12, 14-6) suffered their first series loss since March 31.
After losing five straight, Arizona has won four in a row. The Wildcats will try for the sweep Saturday afternoon.
“It’s a good accomplishment for the team and the players,” UA coach Jay Johnson said. “In the grand scheme of where we’re at, tomorrow’s what matters. They know what we have to do. This team will come prepared to play.”
Spurred by roommate Cody Deason’s career-best performance Thursday night, Flynn stymied the Bruins and outdueled UCLA starter Zach Pettway, who was nearly his equal. Escaping that sixth-inning jam was critical.
“That was the tipping point of the game,” Johnson said. “I’m really proud of Michael for getting through that.”
Flynn had a second source of inspiration: His mother, Linda, was in attendance, and Friday was her birthday.
“I’m going to dedicate the 12 strikeouts to my mom,” said Flynn, whose previous career high was eight. “We just had a good game plan coming in. Watching Cody last night, we can tell what they’re chasing, what they lay off of, what we can get ahead on them with.”
Like Deason, Flynn fell behind in the count more than he wanted to. But he battled every hitter, effectively changing eye levels with low breaking balls and high fastballs.
The Wildcats needed Flynn to be sharp, because Pettway was practically unhittable after the first inning. Arizona stroked four line-drive singles and scored two runs in the bottom of the first. Pettway allowed just two hits over the next six innings. He struck out 10 and didn’t walk a batter.
“He’s good,” Johnson said of the freshman right-hander. “That’s going to be problematic over the next couple of years for a lot of people in the Pac-12.”
The Wildcats had a chance to expand their lead in the third. Alfonso Rivas III led off with a single. Cameron Cannon then got hit by a pitch. Cesar Salazar’s sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third with one out.
But Tate Soderstrom popped out to second, and Nick Quintana struck out looking. Arizona wouldn’t threaten again until Pettway left the game.
“You have to cash in,” Johnson said. “Otherwise, you’re going to be in a tight game like that.”
The Wildcats hadn’t been very good in tight games entering this week. Arizona was 3-11 in one-run games before rallying to beat Utah Valley 7-6 on Monday.
The Wildcats were 0-14 when scoring three runs or fewer entering the UCLA series. They’re now 2-14.
“We’re not always going to win the exact same way,” said Rivas, who went 3 for 4. “We need these one-run, two-run ballgames to build character, to build confidence. We’ve shown in the past few days that we can do it.”
Flynn exited with two outs and a runner on first in the top of the seventh. Reliever Avery Weems got out of the inning with a flyout to left.
Zach Stone entered in the eighth and walked the first batter he faced – after not walking a single hitter in the month of April. One out later, Jake Pries hit a towering fly ball to left that Donta Williams caught on the warning track.
Stone got the next four outs to earn his first save as a Wildcat. The senior transfer is the all-time saves leader at UC Davis.
The Wildcats have used only two relievers in two games, and they’ve pitched only 2 1/3 innings. That’s what happens when your starters go deep.
“Do the math,” Johnson said. “The less outs you need to get at the end of the game, the better.”
Arizona gave Stone a bit of breathing room with a run in the eighth. After a failed squeeze attempt, Cannon scored on a wild pitch.
“We don’t care how we get it,” Johnson said. “We’ll take it.”
Arizona has won three straight series over UCLA for the first time since joining the Pac-12. A sweep would move the Wildcats within a game of .500 in the league.
Normally when UA starters leave a game, they retreat to the clubhouse to shower and change clothes. Flynn only changed his shoes. He watched the final innings from the top step of the dugout.
“I’m watching every single pitch,” Flynn said. “It was crunch time.”
Inside pitch
- Seve Romo started at second base in place of Jacob Blas, who was hobbling around on a strained knee at the end of Thursday’s series opener.
- Former UA coach Andy Lopez, who entered the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame earlier this year, will throw out the first pitch Saturday. Lopez is calling the UCLA series for Pac-12 Networks, alongside Roxy Bernstein.
- Arizona has not announced a starter for the series finale, which starts at 3:30 p.m. UCLA will start sophomore right-hander Ryan Garcia (5-0, 1.77 ERA).
