Arizona powers past Ole Miss; Wildcats are one win from reaching College World Series

Another early deficit. Another rally. Two more Tony Bullard home runs.

Just like that, the Arizona Wildcats are one win away from advancing to the College World Series.

Arizona overcame a rough top of the first and powered past Ole Miss 9-3 in Game 1 of their Super Regional series Friday night.

“We were totally poised,” said UA coach Jay Johnson, whose team overcame a 4-0 deficit in the Tucson Regional last Friday. “I'm proud of the team’s response.

“With that being said, I'm not surprised. We want to play in character; that's something that's really important to me. I thought it was just another example of the character of our team.”

Bullard thrilled the record crowd of 5,839 at Hi Corbett Field with a pair of homers, continuing his torrid postseason. Freshman Jacob Berry put the Cats ahead to stay with a two-run homer in the sixth that was estimated at 444 feet.

With a win Saturday night, Arizona (44-15) would punch its ticket to Omaha. It would be the Wildcats’ second CWS berth under Johnson in his five full seasons.

It won’t be easy. Ole Miss is expected to start its ace, Doug Nikhazy. He’ll likely face Garrett Irvin in a battle of premier left-handers.

Cats, Rebels battle with Omaha at stake — Arizona shortstop Nik McClaughry tracks down a roller up the middle by Ole Miss’ Hayden Dunhurst for an out to lead off the top of the second inning in the opening game of the NCAA Super Regionals at Hi Corbett Field on Friday night. UA won 9-3 and is just one win from the College World Series. The teams meet Saturday night at 7 p.m.
Kelly Presnell,
Arizona Daily Star

Pitching is always paramount, and it’s been a multiyear project for Johnson and the Wildcats to get theirs right.

Everything clicked over the final 25 innings of the Tucson Regional. UA pitchers allowed just four runs during that span.

But questions lingered entering the Super Regional:

Could No. 1 starter Chase Silseth rediscover his early-season form? And could the Cats overcome the absence of lefty relievers Randy Abshier and Gil Luna, who were suspended for the weekend because of an off-field incident?

The short-term answers were yes and yes. Silseth responded after another rocky beginning, giving Arizona 4 2/3 workmanlike innings. He handed the ball to freshman left-hander Riley Cooper, who stranded two baserunners in the fifth to keep the game tied.

Silseth’s final line wasn’t stellar, but it was an improvement over recent outings and good enough to keep the Rebels within striking distance. He allowed six hits and three earned runs, walking four (including one intentional) and striking out six.

Five of the strikeouts came on sliders or curveballs. Silseth featured his breaking stuff more than in last week’s start against Grand Canyon, when he surrendered nine hits and four runs in three-plus innings.

Silseth pitched into and out of trouble. He didn’t have a 1-2-3 inning. But he didn’t allow a run after yielding three in the first.

“The story of the game,” Johnson said, “was Chase Silseth buckling his chinstrap after the original punch in the gut and getting us three more innings.”

Arizona's infielder Kobe Kato (1) makes the throw to get Ole Miss' Jacob Gonzalez (7) and end the Rebel fourth inning in the opening game of the NCAA Super Regionals at Hi Corbett Field, Tucson, Ariz., June 11, 2021.
Kelly Presnell, Arizona Daily Star

Cooper’s role became magnified when Arizona lost Abshier and Luna for at least this weekend. Those three are the Wildcats’ top left-handed relievers.

Although he’s a freshman, Arizona has utilized Cooper in high-leverage situations all season. It doesn’t get much higher than tied 3-3 with runners on first and second in a Super Regional.

Cooper calmly retired TJ McCants, a left-handed hitter, via a groundout to end the top of the fifth. Cooper then threw two more hitless innings to earn his first career postseason win.

Cooper summed up his approach to that situation as playing “like it's just another game, not trying to put too much on it and just go do what I'm supposed to do out there.”

“He's not afraid of anyone,” Bullard said. “He just goes out there 110% every day.”

Berry’s blast – his team-leading 16th – gave Arizona its first lead. Bullard helped the Wildcats erase a 3-0 deficit with a pair of solo shots, giving him six in his past six games – doubling his total for the previous 87. Bullard also had a triple. He has 15 hits in his last 24 at-bats with 12 RBIs and 10 runs.

“I believe it was against Utah or USC, there was a couple of at-bats where it looked like he found something,” Johnson said. “All that work had started to click, and then he realized he's as good as I think he is. Now he carries himself that way, and he takes those types of at-bats.”

Bullard scored on Ryan Holgate’s groundout to bump the lead to 6-3 through six innings. Donta’ Williams busted the game open with a three-RBI double in the eighth. He finished 3 for 5 with four RBIs.

Inside pitch

Bullard became the first Wildcat to hit two home runs in a postseason game since Jordan Brown did it on June 20, 2004, against Arkansas in the CWS.
When Ole Miss outfielder Kevin Graham walked in the third inning, it extended his on-base streak to 58 games. It’s the longest active streak in the nation.
With Abshier and Luna unavailable, Arizona activated left-hander Ian Churchill and righty George Arias Jr.
Williams’ first-inning homer initially was ruled a double. It became a home run after an umpire-initiated replay review. In the 103 games played in the regional round of the NCAA Tournament, only 17.7% of plays that were reviewed were overturned

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