Arizona wore a familiar uniform combination Sunday and enjoyed a familiar ending.
The Wildcats donned camouflage hats, red jerseys and white pants for the series finale vs. Oklahoma State at Hi Corbett Field — the same combo they sported when they clinched the Pac-12 regular-season and tournament titles in walk-off fashion last year.
Sure enough, Arizona did it again Sunday. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Maddox Mihalakis ripped a single into the right-center gap to drive in Aaron Walton and give the Wildcats a 5-4 win over the Cowboys.
The hit gave Arizona a second straight triumph and a series victory after dropping the opener in 10 innings Friday. The Wildcats improved to 25-10, 10-5 in the Big 12. They’re tied for third place in the conference, one game behind co-leaders TCU (11-4) and West Virginia (10-3).
“They pitched their tails off, did such a nice job, all weekend,” Hale said of the Cowboys (16-17, 5-8). “We battled, kept grinding, and our pitchers gave us a chance. And I thought we played really good defense today.”
Arizona’s Maddox Mihalakis, center, gathers with Mason White, left, and Adonys Guzman after he drove them in on his three-run homer to open the scoring in the sixth inning of the second game of their Big 12 series against Oklahoma State on Saturday, April 12, 2025, at Hi Corbett Field.
Both teams battled a fierce wind that blew straight in at about 15 mph, with gusts in the mid-20s. Most flyballs hit to center and right field got knocked down and stayed in the ballpark — until OSU’s Garrett Schull took Garrett Hicks deep with two outs in the top of the ninth to tie the game.
Hicks had pitched brilliantly up to that point, limiting the Cowboys to two hits in 3⅔ innings. He’d worked ahead of most hitters before falling behind 3-0 to Schull.
“You get two outs and the game on the line — he had been strike, strike, strike — and all of a sudden it’s 3-0,” Hale said. “The 3-1 pitch was just not where he wanted. Credit to Schull — did a great job of hitting it through the wind.”
Aaron Walton reached on an error to lead off the bottom of the ninth. After Walton advanced to second on a wild pitch, OSU walked Mason White intentionally.
Hale thought about having Adonys Guzman attempt a sacrifice bunt but figured that even in the worst-case scenario — a double play — Arizona still would have a runner in scoring position.
Guzman hit into a 6-4-3 double play, advancing Walton to third. Mihalakis then hit the first pitch he saw from Noah Wech into right-center to end the game.
Mihalakis went 4 for 9 in Arizona’s wins Saturday and Sunday, including a three-run homer that gave the Wildcats the lead in the sixth inning Saturday.
“He’s a professional hitter,” Hale said of the junior DH/third baseman. “He’s very smart. He’s in tune with what the pitchers are trying to do to him. Even when he makes (an) out, he has the right approach to what he’s doing.”
Another left-handed hitter, Andrew Cain, took the right approach to tie the game in the bottom of the eighth. The sophomore was hitting .063 against left-handed pitchers and fell behind, 0-2, vs. OSU lefty Drew Blake. Cain then bounced a single up the middle to drive in Mihalakis and erase what once had been a 3-0 deficit.
Hale gave brief consideration to pinch-hitting for Cain but decided to stick with him.
“I appreciate all the confidence they give me and all my teammates have in me in that situation — let me go out there and hit,” said Cain, who went 3 for 3 with a double, a triple and two RBIs. “I got it through and did a job.”
Arizona’s Andrew Cain makes an appeal to the ump as Oklahoma State shortstop Drew Culbertson hops over him after applying the tag in the 10th inning of their Big 12 game April 11, 2025, at Hi Corbett Field. Cain reached on a throwing error and was awarded second after an interference call at first.
Cain’s hit advanced Garen Caulfield to third. He scored on Tommy Splaine’s sacrifice fly to right, giving Arizona a 4-3 lead.
The UA offense was quiet for much of the weekend, but the Wildcats stayed in the fight and did just enough to claim their second straight series win.
“I’m not a super religious guy, but every game I say a prayer to help me be as relaxed as I can be and let the players play free,” Hale said. “Because I think a lot of times we as coaches cause them to get too much anxiety. So I try my best to just let them be who they can be. It’s not easy.”
OSU demonstrated the value of putting runners on base. The Cowboys had runners on first and third in three of the first four innings and scored each time despite none of the batted balls that produced RBIs leaving the infield.
OSU’s first run scored on a check-swing groundout. The second scored on a bunt. The third scored on a would-be double play that the Cowboys negated by sending a runner from first.
Arizona coach Chip Hale talks to someone in the stands during the ninth inning of the second game against Oklahoma State on Saturday, April 12, 2025, at Hi Corbett Field.
UA freshman starter Smith Bailey gave the Wildcats a chance to win, limiting OSU to those three runs over five innings. It was the second time in a row and the sixth time this season that Bailey has pitched five-plus innings and allowed three or fewer runs.
Arizona concludes its five-game homestand Tuesday against Grand Canyon, which defeated the UA earlier this season and has won four in a row against the Wildcats — including in the NCAA regionals at Hi Corbett last year. Arizona then visits BYU in a series that starts Thursday.
“We need to get some guys rest, but we need to win this game,” Hale said. “I think it’s very important for our club to play their best ball, win or lose.”
Inside pitch
– Arizona notched its 12th consecutive win in a home series finale, dating to last season.
– OSU starter Hunter Watkins pitched for GCU last year. He limited the Wildcats to two runs on six hits in 6⅓ innings.
– Two paratroopers were injured while attempting to land at Hi Corbett during a pregame ceremony Saturday that was part of the UA’s Military Appreciation Weekend. One suffered a dislocated shoulder and the other a back injury, a UA spokesman said. Both are expected to make a full recovery.
