Correction
In yesterday’s story “”Steele strikes back,’ UA center fielder T.J. Steele was misidentified as second baseman Colt Sedbrook. The Wildcat regrets the error.

T.J. Steele broke out of his slump in a big way.

The sophomore center fielder drilled a 2-2 slider from Northern Colorado’s Matt Collins over the left field wall in the 12th inning to lift the Arizona baseball team 7-5 over the Bears at Sancet Stadium yesterday afternoon.

“”I was thinking slider the whole time, because that’s all they were throwing me,”” Steele said. “”I haven’t hit that (pitch) very well this year, so I just waited back on it and trusted my hands.””

Steele, who entered the series having hit safely only once in his last 20 at bats, finished 4-for-6 with three RBIs for Arizona (21-6). He had a RBI on Saturday for the first time in seven games.

“”I’ve been working just to change some things up, because I really need to help this team out,”” Steele said. “”So far, we’re heading in the right direction.””

Steele’s shot wouldn’t have been possible if not for some ninth-inning heroics from second baseman Colt Sedbrook.

Down 5-4 with two outs and two men on, the junior singled up the middle to plate shortstop Robert Abel and tie the game.

“”I was just thinking, ‘Get a fastball,’ “” Sedbrook said. “”Have your approach, stick to your approach and when you get that fastball, hammer it and make sure you hammer it well. Stay short with your stroke and try and drive it back up the middle. I got it, and that’s what happened.””

Wildcat starter David Coulon struggled in the first inning, hitting two batters and walking another as Northern Colorado (7-13) went up 3-0.

The lefty was pulled after he allowed a lead-off homer to Bear catcher John Ray in the third. He gave up four runs in two innings, striking out three

Right hander Mike Colla, who replaced Coulon, wasn’t much better. The sophomore walked four batters over two innings and gave up another run as Northern Colorado extended its lead to 5-3.

But after that, the Arizona bullpen – including sophomore Ryan Perry, who made his third appearance of the year in the fifth – kept the Bear bats at bay, allowing only six hits over the next eight innings.

Perry struck out two of the three batters he faced and got the other to ground out to second – all in 10 pitches.

“”After an interesting start, we got very good pitching,”” said UA head coach Andy Lopez.

Freshman

Paul Bargas (2-1) didn’t allow a run in the game’s final two innings in picking up the win.

“”He gave us a chance to win,”” Lopez said.

Collins (0-1) took the loss for Northern Colorado.

Saturday, Arizona swept the Bears in a doubleheader forced when rain postponed Friday’s scheduled game.

In the second game, lefty Brad Mills went seven innings and gave up two runs – one earned – on five hits as the Wildcats won 6-2 in the program’s 1,000th victory at Sancet.

The senior struck out 10 and didn’t walk a single batter to improve to 5-2 on the year, thanks in large part to a one-two punch of a changeup that was on and a curveball that was biting.

“”It was the first game that I’ve had in a long time where I’ve had just both of them (working), kind of just pick one and throw it, and I can throw them both for a strike,”” Mills said.

With the score knotted at two in the bottom of the sixth, left fielder Diallo Fon singled up the middle to score Abel and pinch runner Hunter Pace to put Arizona up 4-2.

The Wildcats added two more runs an inning later on a pair of extra-base hits off the outfield wall.

In the early game, the Wildcats found a bit of the offense they’ve been desperately searching for lately, pounding out 17 hits in a 12-0 win.

Righty Preston Guilmet (5-0) went the full nine innings for the first complete game of his career, surrendering only three hits while striking out 11. The sophomore walked just one batter.

“”His second pitch was on the money,”” Lopez said of Guilmet. “”His slider was just – I mean, we probably could’ve called it at any time in any count, and he would’ve thrown it with some effectiveness.””

Guilmet hasn’t allowed a run in his last 21 1/3 innings.

“”I was just throwing it hard,”” Guilmet said of his slider. “”It’s something that that’s what I want every game.

“”It’s not like something changed. I strive for that pitch every game, and (Saturday) afternoon it was there.””

First baseman Bill Rhinehart drove in Arizona’s first four runs, including a home run to deep right in the third and an RBI single in the fifth that put the Wildcats up 4-0. Rhinehart finished 3-for-3.

Arizona broke things open in the seventh, when it scored six runs on six hits to go up 10-0.

Extra bases

Steele finished the series 7-for-15 with five RBIs. … Sedbrook went 3-for-6 yesterday. … Perry is scheduled to start Wednesday against ASU in the second-annual Challenge at Chase. … Abel stole four bases in the second game Saturday.