The No. 16 University of Arizona baseball team (29-11, 12-6 in Big 12) stayed hot, defeating the University of Texas at Arlington (13-24) 9-3 on Wednesday, April 23, at 6 p.m. at Hi Corbett Field. The Wildcats extended their win streak to three consecutive games after taking two out of three games on the road against BYU.
Arizona’s offense started on a roll, combining for 11 total hits with 3 being home runs, led by juniors Brendan Summerhill and Adonys Guzman and senior Tommy Splaine. Summerhill, who returned from an injury that kept him out for a month, went 2-for-3, driving in 2 runs and walking twice. Guzman went 2-for-5 while knocking in 3 runs and scoring twice and Splaine went 2-for-3 as well. Seven out of the nine hitters in the lineup scored at least once, with junior Mason White and senior Garen Caulfield being exceptions, going a combined 0-for-9.
Senior pitcher Raul Garayzar started the game and went three innings of 1-run ball, allowing just two hits while punching out four hitters. Junior Michael Hilker Jr. and sophomore Bryce McKnight combined for four shutout innings, allowing only one hit and two strikeouts. Freshman Mason Russell faced some challenges on the mound, giving up 2 earned runs on two hits. However, he struck out three to limit further damage. Senior Eric Orloff closed the game out in the ninth, finishing with two strikeouts, no runs and no hits in just nine pitches.
UT Arlington took a quick 1-0 lead in the first, but Summerhill wasted no time attacking the first pitch in the bottom half of the inning, sending one over the right field wall to tie the game. Caulfield followed with an RBI fielder’s choice, then Guzman launched one to left to push the lead to 4-1. Freshman Gunner Geile singled, scoring sophomore Easton Breyfogle to make it 5-1 at the end of the first.
In the third, Guzman doubled, driving in junior Maddox Mihalakis. Later in the inning, Geile hit a sac-fly, scoring Guzman to push the lead to 7-1. The Wildcats would lead as much as 9-1 through five innings after Splaine’s solo home run to left and Summerhills’ double bringing home Geile. The Mavericks scored 2 more runs in the eighth to cut the deficit to 9-3, but it would be too little, too late.
Looking ahead
The Wildcats will look to extend their winning streak, opening a three-game series against Texas Tech University beginning on Friday, April 25, at 4:30 p.m. at Rip Griffin Park in Lubbock, Texas. The series will conclude on Sunday, April 27, at 10:30 a.m.
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