The biggest question entering the Arizona Wildcats’ biggest series of the season was whether they were truly ready for it.
Many signs pointed in that direction. Arizona had won seven of its previous eight games. The Wildcats’ offense, which had gone quiet in a three-game sweep at Washington, had sprung to life. UA coach Jay Johnson could sense that his team’s confidence level was rising.
“Guys have gotten settled into college baseball,” Johnson said this week. “We have a good number of players that have been down this road before. Just their general approach to each day gives me confidence moving forward.”
Johnson’s faith is unwavering – even in the face of defeat. Arizona suffered its second home setback of the season Friday night, falling to No. 5 Oregon State 6-2 at Hi Corbett Field.
The Beavers won their third in a row to improve to 24-4, 7-3 in the Pac-12. They ended the Wildcats’ five-game winning streak. Arizona is 17-11, 2-5 in the conference.
UA junior right-hander Cody Deason dropped to 3-2 but pitched better than his final line suggests.
Deason should have walked off the mound in the sixth inning with a 2-1 deficit. But shortstop Travis Moniot – possibly distracted by baserunner Jack Anderson – turned a would-be inning-ending double play into a two-run error.
Deason allowed three earned runs and five hits in six innings, walking four and striking out four. He threw a career-high 117 pitches.
After throwing 116 pitches against Washington State on March 23, Deason got last weekend off. He started strong, retiring seven of the first eight batters he faced.
With one out in the top of the third, No. 9 hitter Cadyn Grenier lined a single to right-center. Steven Kwan followed with a double down the third-base line, scoring Grenier and giving OSU a 1-0 lead.
Deason got into and out of trouble in the fourth. After a pair of nine-pitch at-bats – one ending in a walk, the other a fly out to left – Deason hit Michael Gretler, at least according to plate umpire Bill Van Raaphorst. Van Raaphorst said the pitch grazed Gretler’s hand. He did not move toward first base until instructed to do so.
A bunt single by Anderson loaded the bases with one out. But Deason struck out Zack Taylor and Grenier to escape the jam.
Nick Quintana erased Arizona’s 1-0 deficit in the very next at-bat, launching a solo home run to left field.
The homer was Quintana’s fourth of the season – all coming in the past six games. He has been a different hitter since a heart-to-heart talk with Johnson after Arizona’s only previous home loss, against Washington State on March 24.
Johnson recently revealed the gist of that conversation.
“I just brought him in and said, ‘You love baseball. It’s one of the things I appreciate about you,’ ” Johnson said. “He’s here more than any other player. He cares more than any other player. I thought that was suffocating him a little bit.
“I tried to get back to a message of, find your joy in being in the moment and competing – as opposed to chasing the result to make you feel good. By doing that, hopefully it clears his mind up a little bit and gets him back to his roots. And from there it allows his ability to take over.”
The following day, Quintana went 3 for 5 and hit his first homer of the season. He has been on a tear ever since.
Unfortunately, most of the rest of the lineup did not come along for the ride Friday. OSU starter Bryce Fehmel limited Arizona to one run and four hits over 6 2/3 innings. Jake Mulholland threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings to earn his ninth save.
With his team playing well, and a top-five team coming to town, Johnson dubbed Hi Corbett “the place to be this weekend.” Indeed, a season-high 4,645 fans turned out.
But the only fireworks they saw were solo homers by Quintana and Cameron Cannon. The postgame fireworks show was canceled because the game went past curfew.
Inside pitch
- Cannon has three home runs in his past four games.
- Moniot started in place of freshman Jacob Blas. Blas was unavailable after undergoing an emergency root canal, Johnson said.
- Daron Sutton and Ben Francisco are calling the series for Pac-12 Networks. Francisco played for the Tucson Padres in 2013. The Cal product played seven seasons in the majors with five clubs.
- OSU held back ace left-hander Luke Heimlich, who threw 30 pitches in relief Tuesday.
