The Arizona baseball team dropped its first home series of the season to the No. 2 Stanford Cardinal, who completed the sweep of the ‘Cats on Sunday afternoon at Hi Corbett Field, winning 7-2.
“That’s a good team [Stanford], it’s a better team than us right now that played better today,” Arizona head coach Jay Johnson said.
Arizona right-handed pitcher Juan Aguilera started on the mound for the ‘Cats pitching three innings, giving up one run with five strikeouts and posting an ERA of 1.34 before being relieved by junior left-handed pitcher Avery Weems.
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With runners on first and third, Arizona’s pinch hitter Seve Romo helped the Wildcats score early during the second with a RBI single to left-field to bring in Nick Quintana. But it didn’t take long for the Cardinal to respond as they tied up the board at one with a RBI double to left field by Stanford’s third baseman Tim Tawa in the top of the third.
Stanford was able to take the lead due to an unearned run in the top of the fifth, which left Arizona head coach Jay Johnson no choice but to reach in his bullpen once again. The Cardinal bats kept swinging and crossed the plate two more times to leave the ‘Cats at a three-run deficit.
“[The bullpen] wasn’t very good,” Johnson said. “If it spun it a different way then it would be like trying to put lipstick on a pig. It was not good. I think the guys are capable and we will go back and address where we got exposed. We will try to line the pieces u a little bit better, and put them in more advantageous situations to be successful.”
Johnson changed pitchers four more times throughout the innings, and the Cardinal was able to gain three more runs off of Arizona right-handed pitched Zach Stone.
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Right-handed pitcher Robby Medel finished on the mound for the Wildcats and gave up no runs. In the bottom of the ninth, Tate Soderstorm doubled to center bringing in Ryan Haug to add one more to the board, 7-2.
“I thought we competed pretty well overall,” Arizona first baseman Alfonso Rivas said. “They just got us toward the ends of the games and the first two games we struggles, but we were almost as good as them. Sunday’s we call ‘Attitude Sunday’s’ and thats something we lacked today.”
The Wildcats will be hitting the road for their next Pac-12 series against the Utah Utes beginning on Friday, April 27 at 5 p.m.
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