Chase Davis’ entire skill set was on display at Hi Corbett Field on Thursday night.
Arizona’s sophomore outfielder had four hits in six at-bats. One of those hits was a towering home run to right that landed on the roof of the Terry Francona Hitting Center like a meteor falling from the sky. He also made a diving catch on a fly ball just inside the left-field line.
Davis provided the spark the Wildcats needed after their ugly home opener. With Davis leading the way, No. 14 Arizona defeated Milwaukee 14-3 in the opener of a four-game series.
“I think the spark came before the game even started,” said Davis, who also scored three runs. “I don't really want to say we needed a spark, because we're (the) kind of guys that just are able to keep rolling it out each and every day with the same approach. What Tuesday did and showed us is, ‘You know what? We're capable of more.’ ”
The home opener vs. Grand Canyon on Tuesday counted as only one game in the standings. But when the score of that game was 19-3, and your side committed seven errors, you can’t just brush it off.
So UA coach Chip Hale changed his lineup fairly significantly. He moved shortstop Nik McClaughry from ninth to first and dropped center fielder Mac Bingham from first to fifth. McClaughry went 3 for 5 with two doubles, two RBIs, two runs and a walk.
Hale also shifted Garen Caulfield from third base to second with Tyler Casagrande unavailable because of a stiff neck. Caulfield, a middle infielder by trade, had been pressed into duty at third because of an injury to Tony Bullard. Caulfield made three errors in the first four games.
Redshirt freshman Jack Grant got the nod at third, making his first career start. Arizona (4-1) did not commit an error for the third time in four games.
“We had some funky plays the other night. We didn't make them,” Hale said. “You make a couple early plays, it does loosen you up. You feel like, ‘Hey, I can do this.’ ”
Freshman right-hander Anthony Susac also made his career start, and he also gave the Wildcats something they needed: efficiency. Susac pitched five innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits. He didn’t walk a batter and threw 54 of 77 pitches for strikes.
“He's an aggressive pitcher,” Davis said. “He's someone that can really just dial in and attack the hitter.
“As a young guy, to be able to get on the mound and dominate the way he does, it's very impressive to me.”
Milwaukee had all kinds of problems in the bottom of the first, and Arizona made the Panthers pay, scoring eight runs.
The Wildcats sent 13 batters to the plate. Six of them registered hits, including a triple by Caulfield and a double by McClaughry. One of the Wildcats’ runs scored on a balk; another scored on an error. Blake Paugh’s two-RBI single came after Milwaukee failed to catch a popup.
Hale wanted the Wildcats to “flush” the GCU game, and the first inning showed that they had done just that.
“There's really nothing you can take away from it other than you just gotta be ready to play,” Hale said. “This is a really resilient group. One of the greatest things about baseball is the ability to turn a page. Sometimes us older guys and coaches, we have a hard time letting go of it and we get upset. You see coaches get upset at players who, quote-unquote, ‘aren't taking a loss hard enough.’
“What you need to do is just let them get over it as quick as they can, because guess what? The next game is coming pretty quick. They do a good job of that.”
Milwaukee starter Riley Frey needed 49 pitches to get through the first. The balk came a few batters after third-base umpire Steve Corvi warned Frey that he was executing an improper delivery. “You can’t do that!” Corvi told the left-hander.
Davis’ homer accounted for the first of three runs in the bottom of the fourth. It had a 105-mph exit velocity and a 42-degree launch angle, per Arizona’s analytics department.
Inside pitch
- Grant notched his first career hit in the eighth inning, singling through the left side.
- Every UA starting position player had at least one hit and scored at least one run. Six players had multiple hits.
- Bullard returned to the team Thursday after being absent Tuesday to attend his father’s funeral. He told Hale that his shoulder felt “much better,” and it’s possible Bullard could return to the lineup by Saturday.
- Right-hander Chandler Murphy (arm) threw a bullpen session earlier this week and “felt great,” Hale said. Murphy played catch Thursday and again responded well. The next step is to throw a bullpen in which he throws some pitches, sits for a few minutes, then comes back and throws some more. Then he’ll face hitters. “He's coming along really well, knock on wood,” Hale said.
- Before the game, a moment of silence was observed for former UA catcher Al Lopez, who recently passed away. Lopez was a member of Arizona’s 1976 national-championship team.
- Right-hander TJ Nichols (0-0, 2.25 ERA) is slated to start for the Wildcats on Friday. He will face left-hander Jack Mahoney (0-0, 5.79).
