TJ Nichols has pitched better than he did Friday night. But he battled as hard as he ever has.
Arizona’s No. 1 starter hasn’t been sharp lately, and his outing against Nevada quickly went off course. After a 1-2-3 first inning, Nichols surrendered three runs in the second. The inning featured a leadoff walk, a hit batter and a sinking liner that center fielder Mac Bingham misplayed into an RBI triple.
But Nichols – who wears his emotions on the sleeve of his UA baseball uniform sometimes — refused to unravel. He pitched seven innings and allowed only one more run.
Nichols kept his cool, and his teammates rallied behind him. Arizona defeated Nevada 7-6, handing the Wolf Pack a second straight one-run defeat. Game 3 of their four-game series is slated for 1 p.m. Saturday at Hi Corbett Field.
“He did a great job,” said UA coach Chip Hale, whose team won its fourth in a row to improve to 31-13. “Obviously there were some issues in there, that wild second inning. It seems like the second inning is a tough one for us.
“Then he got it right. He started throwing his pitches for strikes. He got a lot of sink, a lot of groundballs.
“That’s who we need. That’s our Friday-night starter getting us through seven innings.”
Nichols, a sophomore with the talent to be picked in the first round of the 2023 MLB draft, had an ERA of 10.29 in his previous three appearances. It was 2.34 through his first seven starts.
Nichols worked on some mechanical changes this week to avoid pulling the ball across the plate. He also has been working on his mental game – trying to slow down and take a breath when adversity strikes.
“That's been preached to me since I got here,” said Nichols, who walked two batters, struck out six and threw 70 of 101 pitches for strikes. “It's hard to do. But I feel like the more I do it, the better I get at it.”
After hitting another batter with two outs and a 2-2 count in the third inning, Nichols swiped at the mound – a clear gesture of frustration. He got out of the inning without any damage.
“When it gets bad, I need to find a way to turn the page,” Nichols said. “But I'm an emotional guy. When I pitch with emotion, I feel like I'm better. That's just me.”
Bingham blamed himself for the second-inning blowup. Had Bingham blocked the ball instead of diving for it, Nichols might have been able to escape the inning with only one run scoring.
“That was definitely on me,” Bingham said. “The night before I let one drop that I know I could have caught. It was definitely easier than the one today. I think I just let it get in my head, and I went for it. I shouldn't have. I hurt TJ there. But he got out of it and rolled on from there.”
The three-run second saddled Arizona with a three-run deficit for the second straight night. The Wildcats again rallied, soring three in the bottom half of the inning. Bingham provided the biggest blow, a 411-foot, two-run homer to left-center.
“I definitely wanted to help us out there,” said Bingham, who has reached base safely in 30 consecutive games. “I just wanted to get on base and get us into scoring position. I just tried to get the bat on the ball.”
The score remained tied, 4-4, entering the bottom of the eighth. Arizona scored three runs to set up Trevor Long (5-0) for his second victory in as many nights.
Bingham began the rally with a walk. Garen Caulfield gave the Wildcats the lead with a bases-loaded, two-RBI single to left. Arizona added another run on a Daniel Susac sacrifice fly – and that proved to be critical.
Nevada scored two runs in the ninth inning off Long, who hadn’t allowed one in his previous 11 appearances.
After getting the final out in the eighth, Long had to sit for a while in the bottom half of the inning. He wasn’t quite the same in the ninth. He also was making his 10th appearance this month.
“I think you saw a little bit of the cumulative effect on Trevor tonight,” Hale said. “(But) even tired, he's our best guy in the ninth.”
Inside pitch
• UA reliever Chris Barraza had to come out of the game after throwing only three pitches in the eighth inning. Barraza, a Sahuarita High School grad who transferred to Arizona from New Mexico State last offseason, experienced tightness in his arm, Hale said. Barraza’s fastball was more than 10 mph slower than Tuesday, when he struck out all four batters he faced against his former team in Las Cruces.
• Caulfield raised his average with runners in scoring position to .333. “Super clutch,” Hale said. “He just has a good idea of what he can hit. He uses the middle of the field. And when they try to beat him in, he's good at hitting into that hole. He's done it a few times now.”
• Arizona’s Blake Paugh made his second start since Feb. 26. Paugh, who missed about six weeks because of an oblique injury, went 2 for 3 as the Wildcats’ DH.
• UA outfielder Chase Davis went 3 for 5. He’s 8 for 13 in three games this week.
• Left-hander Garrett Irvin (4-2, 3.04 ERA) is scheduled to start for Arizona on Saturday. He’ll face righty Cam Walty (4-3, 4.85).
