After a disastrous home opener against Grand Canyon University on Tuesday, the Arizona baseball team bounced back in a big way with a 14-3 win on Thursday against the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to open a four-game series.
Here are four key stats from the victory:
Four hits for Chase Davis
The big season continued for the sophomore as he is now hitting 10-for-21 on the season with multiple hits in three of the five games. His big night Thursday against Milwaukee included a towering home run, his second in the season.
Davis wasn’t sure if the ball was going to stay fair.
“I saw it blowing right and I started slowing down,” Davis said. “I was like ‘no, no, no,’ but then I saw it blowing left a bit and I knew I had to keep going. Then, I saw the right fielder look up and I knew it was good.”
Six batters with multiple hits and every starter recorded at least one hit
The Wildcats collected 19 hits as a team with every starter recording at least one hit. Davis, Nik McClaughry, Tanner O’Tremba, Blake Paugh, Garen Caulfield and Noah Turley all recorded multiple hits. Freshman Jack Grant picked up a single for his first career collegiate hit.
RELATED: Arizona baseball team blown out in home opener against Grand Canyon
Zero errors defensively
After committing six errors in Tuesday’s loss against GCU, the Wildcats defense as a whole was much sharper Thursday night. They made a number of phenomenal plays as a team on the field highlighted by this diving play by Davis in left field.
“I think it doesn’t really define how the next couple days go,” Davis said on the defensive rebounding from Tuesday night. “I think every game is [its own] and people are going to play regardless of what happens. If someone has a bad game, oh well. We’re going to move on, pick each other up as an offense and defense and keep on going.”
Quality start from Anthony Susac
After throwing 2.1 innings in relief in the opening game of the season against Kansas State University, Susac earned his first career start Thursday night. After allowing 1 run on two hits in the first inning, he was able to cruise through the next three frames before getting in some trouble in the fifth inning. He was able to finish the frame, earning the quality start and win for the Wildcats.
“What he did,” head coach Chip Hale said on what he was looking for from Susac. “Give us five innings and get up to 80 pitches. He’ll get up to 100 [pitches] next time. It was impressive and with three-game series coming up next weekend, we’ll have a really good arm in the bullpen to give us some real length.
Hale also provided some injury updates after Thursday’s game
Tony Bullard (shoulder) returned to the team and is getting evaluated. He won’t play on Friday but has a chance to make his season debut on Saturday or Sunday.
Chandler Murphy (arm) threw in the bullpen and “felt great” according to Hale.
“We’ll stretch out that bullpen next time to sort of an up and a down where he throws a bunch of pitches, sits down and comes back out and throws again,” Hale said. “Then, we’ll move on to [Murphy] facing some hitters, so he is coming along really well.”
Tyler Casagrande was originally in Thursday’s lineup and was going to play second base, but he was scratched due to a stiff neck.
The Wildcats will be back out on the field on Friday in game two of this four-game series with the first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. MST. TJ Nichols will take the mound for his second start of the season.
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