In each of the first three games of Arizona’s series against Nevada, the Wildcats fell behind by multiple runs within the first two innings. They came back to win two of those contests. But they knew they couldn’t let it happen again if they were to win the series.
“We talked about it after the game yesterday, just about how we keep falling behind,” UA coach Chip Hale said after Sunday’s 8-2, series-clinching victory at Hi Corbett Field in which the Wildcats took an early lead and never surrendered it.
“The first couple innings have been tough for us. So really important for the pitcher to come out of the bullpen ready to go, ready to shut them down. And then talking to the offense about (getting) something early.
“They knew it. It was verbalized. Sometimes at home you can get a little lazy on these things. They did a lot better job.”
Freshman right-hander Anthony Susac delivered four scoreless innings and allowed only one run in five frames. The offense put up five runs in the second inning. Nevada never got closer than four runs and never had the tying run at the plate.
“Usually we’re a team that likes to put up a lot of runs in the seventh, eighth and ninth,” said right fielder Chase Davis, who went 3 for 5, including a two-run homer in the sixth. “Recently he (Hale) has just been preaching to us, ‘Get on early, score early.’ That’s what we’ve been trying to do and do a better job of.
“I think we did a very good job with that today. So if we can keep this going for the next however many games we have the rest of the season, we should be in good shape.”
Arizona (32-14) has 10 games left in the regular season before the inaugural Pac-12 Tournament. The UA hosts Grand Canyon (30-15) on Tuesday in its final non-conference game before finishing with series against USC, Oregon State and Oregon.
After losing two of three at Utah April 15-16, the Wildcats have gone 8-2.
“We’re ready to go. That’s really the best thing you could say,” Davis said. “Just keeping our minds on winning every single game, it’s the best thing we can do, regardless of who we’re playing next, regardless of how many games we have left or wherever we are in the standings.”
Arizona’s strong start Sunday featured a couple of minor hiccups.
Susac, who has pitched well of late, walked the first batter of the game on four pitches. He then retired the next 12 Wolf Pack hitters.
Landon Wallace registered Nevada’s first hit, a single to lead off the fifth. Another single and a walk loaded the bases. Susac escaped the jam with only one run scoring via a 4-6-3 double play and a line drive that landed in his glove.
“ ‘Tonko,’ the whole game, was getting groundballs,” Hale said. “So you feel comfortable that it’s not going to be a big inning if you just get another groundball, get a double play.”
A similar scenario played out in the eighth inning, when reliever Holden Christian loaded the bases with nobody out. Quinn Flanagan entered from the bullpen and induced a 5-3 double play. The next hitter struck out swinging.
“That’s part of Coach (Dave) Lawn coaching those guys up,” Hale said. “They understand the situation. If we can get a groundball, we have a chance to get two for one.”
Susac has allowed four earned runs in 13 innings in his past three appearances — an ERA of 2.77. He allowed five runs in 1 1/3 innings in his previous outing against Utah, at which point his ERA had ballooned to 9.75. It has dropped more than two runs since, to 7.30.
“He has the same attitude every time he goes out there,” Davis said. “Whether the result says so or not, it doesn’t matter. He’s going out there the same way every time. And that’s really all you could ask out of someone – consistency in the mindset.”
Arizona’s first two batters of the game, Tanner O’Tremba and Daniel Susac, drew walks — matching the team total from Saturday, when the Wildcats were shut out for the first time since March 2018. Davis then smashed a ball to deep right-center.
Nevada right fielder Pat Caulfield made a diving catch on the warning track. Caulfield then tried to flip the ball to center fielder Dario Gomez, prompting second-base umpire Angel Campos to make a safe call.
“Everybody was confused,” Hale said. “He (Davis) thinks it’s down. Daniel sees it caught. Really a funky play.”
Said Davis: “I just saw the umpire do some kind of signal, and I looked around and just went back to the dugout because I didn’t want to stand on the base with Daniel. I had no idea what they ruled it.”
The conjecture in the press box was that Davis was called out for passing Susac on the basepath. In reality, it was a standard flyout, which advanced O’Tremba to third. Susac then was erased on a double play.
Undaunted, the Wildcats put the first six runners on in the bottom of the second. Nik McClaughry registered the biggest blow, a three-RBI double into the left-field corner.
Hale moved McClaughry to the bottom of the lineup and nudged O’Tremba, Susac and Davis up a spot after Saturday’s lackluster offensive performance.
“We just had no offense,” Hale said. “So why not put the top three guys (in the top three spots) and let that starter see O’Tremba up there to start the game off? It’s not fun.
“And Nik in the one-hole or the nine-hole, to me, he’s the same hitter. Because once we go through the order, he becomes the second leadoff hitter. I just wanted to throw something different at the pitcher.”
Inside pitch
Arizona has outscored its opponents 71-56 in the first two innings, but that margin shrinks to 62-56 if you take out the UA’s nine-run first inning against Cal on March 13. In the seventh and eighth innings, the Wildcats have a 104-53 advantage.
Arizona is 19-3 when it scores first, 13-11 when the opponent scores first.
Davis has an eight-game hitting streak. He has gone 16 for 36 over that span and has raised his average from .255 to .295. He leads the team with 13 home runs.
McClaughry also had three hits. His three RBIs were a season high and one off his career best.
George Arias Jr. pitched a scoreless sixth inning. Arias (Tucson High) hasn’t allowed a run in his past six appearances, lowering his ERA to 2.14.
Arizona’s staff allowed only three hits, matching its season low (April 1 at Washington).
The Wildcats did not commit an error for the first time in the series. They’re 14-4 when they don’t make an error, 10-3 when they make one and 8-7 when they make two or more.
