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Scoreboard watching was the theme of the night at Hi Corbett Field.

Inconveniently for No. 8 Arizona, the scoreboard at Hi C merited more scrutiny than the Wildcats had hoped.

In Game 1 of a series that has no bearing on the Pac-12 title race โ€“ but could damage the Wildcatsโ€™ RPI and NCAA Tournament seeding โ€“ Arizona edged Dixie State 4-2 Thursday in front of an announced crowd of 1,312.

The victory was the Wildcatsโ€™ 13th in a row at home but wasnโ€™t exactly a work of art.

Entering Thursday, Arizona (39-14) led the nation in runs and hits. The Cats managed only five hits against a team that had a 7.85 ERA.

Dixie State committed four errors, and only two of the six runs scored in the game were earned.

โ€œIโ€™ll be frank โ€“ I thought we looked incredibly tired and spent a little bit, which is not surprising,โ€ UA coach Jay Johnson said. โ€œThese guys have played hard every single game of the year. The extra day off this weekend before getting going will benefit our team greatly. I thought they competed through it pretty well.โ€

On the bright side, Arizona excelled from the mound. Three pitchers โ€“ Chandler Murphy, Randy Abshier and Gil Luna โ€“ combined to yield four hits and zero earned runs.

Abshier allowed one run in 2 2/3 innings to improve to 4-0. Luna got the final four outs to earn his first save. The crowd was standing, clapping and stomping as Luna retired the final DSU batter โ€“ a preview of whatโ€™s to come when Arizona hosts regional play next weekend.

โ€œIt was awesome,โ€ said first baseman Branden Boissiere, who went 2 for 5 and drove in the Wildcatsโ€™ final run in the eighth inning. โ€œWhen Gil got to two strikes on the last batter I looked at (second baseman) Kobe (Kato). I was like, โ€˜Man, I've never seen it seen it like this here before.โ€™

โ€œIt gives us a lot of confidence. It's going to be really exciting to play in front of a lot of fans with my boys out there.โ€

Meanwhile, in Berkeley, California, Oregon defeated Cal 11-5. The Wildcats need the Golden Bears to beat the Ducks at least once this weekend to clinch sole possession of the Pac-12 championship.

Arizona already has secured co-champ status and, by virtue of a series win vs. Oregon, the conferenceโ€™s automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Johnson downplayed the possibility of a letdown against Dixie State, which entered Thursday ranked 235th in RPI.

The Trailblazers (23-31) had won eight games in a row, however, and they gave the Wildcats everything they could handle.

The trouble began in the second inning, and it was self-inflicted. With one out and a runner on first, DSUโ€™s Tyson Fisher hit a comebacker to UA starter Chandler Murphy. Murphy threw errantly toward second base, putting runners on first and third.

After a single made it 1-0, Murphy induced another would-be inning-ending double-play ball. But Kato bobbled the grounder and got only one out, enabling another run to score to make it 2-0.

Aside from the error, Murphy performed well it what amounted to an audition of sorts for the No. 3 starting job. Murphy, who began the season as a starter before finding a niche as a long reliever, allowed only those two runs (both unearned) in five innings. The outing was his longest since a five-inning, no-hit relief effort at Arizona State on April 1.

โ€œIn looking at the postseason, you take them one game at a time with all hands on deck,โ€ Johnson said. โ€œWeโ€™ve been in the situation before where we had to play five games and win four to win a regional. I know what that looks like in terms of the guys that are gonna have to make contributions.

โ€œWe certainly feel good about him as a starter. So I wouldn't call it an audition. I think it was more of, โ€˜Hey, let's get you back in a pregame routine should we need to use you in that role next week.โ€™ โ€

Arizonaโ€™s top two starters, Chase Silseth and Garrett Irvin, are locked in. The Wildcats had been using a committee approach in series finales, with Austin Smith recently serving as the opener. But Smith failed to record an out Sunday at Oregon State, and Murphy got the nod Thursday.

โ€œI love starting,โ€ Murphy said. โ€œBut I also love getting the ball in big situations out of the bullpen. So whatever they need me for, I'll do.โ€

Inside pitch

  • Tyler Casagrande made his second consecutive start in left field. Johnson said regular left fielder Mac Bingham is not available this weekend for unspecified reasons.
  • Luna hasnโ€™t allowed an earned run in 10 consecutive appearances spanning 19 2/3 innings. His ERA is 0.92.
  • Boissiere recorded his first multi-hit game since May 2.
  • DSU assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Bobby Rinard played for and coached under Andy Lopez at Arizona. Rinard played for the Wildcats in 2010 and โ€™11 after transferring from Yavapai College. He served as an undergraduate assistant in 2014. Rinard joined the DSU staff the following season.
  • Silseth (8-1, 5.08 ERA) is slated to start in Game 2 Friday. He will face righty Jimmy Borzone (3-5, 6.68).

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Contact sports reporter Michael Lev at 573-4148 or mlev@tucson.com. On Twitter @michaeljlev