The pitch came up and in on C.J. Ziegler. He glared toward the mound, stepped back in the box, then bombed the next pitch he saw deep over the left-center field wall.

Ziegler had the first multi-home run game of his career, planting two shots deep out to left center to pace the Arizona baseball team (12-4) to a 9-2 win over Eastern Michigan (1-7) Friday night at Sancet Stadium.

“”I came out (Friday) focused in (batting practice), and I just went on from there,”” said the designated hitter Ziegler, who finished the game 4-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs scored. “”They said that they got two (pitchers) that were pretty good, and I was up for the challenge, and we were up for the challenge.””

The junior’s first bomb came one pitch after an offering from Eastern Michigan starter Jeff Fischer went sailing just past his head.

“”I was kind of angry about that, but you know, it happens,”” Ziegler said. “”The catcher apologized, said it slipped out of his hand … and then (Fischer) threw me a fastball in, and I got a good piece of it.””

Said UA head coach Andy Lopez: “”We need a couple of other guys to kind of pick up on his momentum and swing a little bit.””

Left fielder Brad Glenn followed Ziegler’s homer with his fifth of the year off Fischer’s 2-2 pitch a batter later to go back-to-back with Ziegler for the second consecutive game and put Arizona up 4-2.

Then in the seventh, Ziegler took the first pitch he saw from Fischer over the wall in left center again for his team-leading sixth homer of the year to put Arizona up 7-2.

Arizona starter Preston Guilmet (3-0) went 7 1/3 innings to pick up the win.

The 12 hits the righty gave up were the most he’d given up all season, but Guilmet worked out of all but one jam – he gave up two runs on five hits in the third – picking off two runners and striking out five along the way.

“”I was struggling tonight,”” Guilmet said. “”I couldn’t get the ball on the outer-half (of the plate) and I think that’s what led to all the hits, but I made pitches when it counted and we got ground balls and the defense played good behind me.””

Guilmet threw 113 pitches and didn’t walk a batter.

“”We set standards here. I hate walking people, I’ve never liked it,”” he said. “”I’d rather give up a bloop hit than a walk.””

Glenn doubled off the top of the wall in left center field to drive home first baseman Bill Rhinehart and Ziegler to spot Arizona a 2-0 lead in the first.

Eagles’ designated hitter Derek Lehrman cut the lead to 2-1 with a run-scoring double of his own in the top of the third, and shortstop Jeff Hehr tied it up a batter later when he singled past a diving Erik Castro to score Lehrman from second.

But after Ziegler and Glenn homered in the third, right fielder Jon Gaston tripled to right field and the third baseman Castro singled him home to put Arizona back ahead 5-2.

The Wildcats added another on Ziegler’s fielder’s choice in the fourth, and Abel’s triple off the wall in eighth plated catcher Dwight Childs as the Wildcats went up 8-2. Abel scored on a passed ball two pitches later to cap the scoring.

Extra bases
817 people took in the game … Glenn had three RBIs … Fischer (0-2) took the loss … Right-hander Cory Burns came in with two on the seventh and got an inning-ending double play. He pitched the final 1 2/3 innings without allowing a hit and struck out three. Said Lopez: “”That’s called coming out of the ‘pen. That’s exactly what you want, strikes and on the ground.””