If any sort of hangover from the Wildcats’ weekend-sweep against Georgia was expected, that search would have come up empty.
After scoring just 15 runs in its last three games, the Arizona offense came alive on Tuesday night at Frank Sancet Stadium pounding the Holy Cross Crusaders 15-4.
The Wildcats (5-4), still in search of dependable arms, used a collaborative effort from five different pitchers to keep the Crusader (0-4) contained.
“”It was good to see all of the pitchers,”” UA head coach Andy Lopez said after the game. “”We use the midweek games to find some arms and use guys who haven’t had a lot of innings.””
Freshman Cody Lewis got the start, and although he only allowed two runs over 1 2/3 innings pitched, he walked four batters and plunked another. After Lopez pulled Lewis with runners on base, sophomores Matt Chaffee and Joe Allison combined to cover 4 1/3 innings and allow just one earned run.
Senior Cory Burns and sophomore Daniel Workman rounded out Arizona’s pitching menu for the evening, with Chaffee (3-0) recording the win. The five pitchers combined to hold an opponent to under 10 runs for the first time in the last five games.
“”We saw some good things out of our pitchers tonight,””
Lopez said. “”Workman and Allison pitched really well, they were definitely bright spots.””
While the UA head coach experimented with some inexperienced arms on his pitching staff, his offense relied on its reliable weapons to lead the way for a 17-hit night.
Senior Brad Glenn snapped out of his 4-for-22 slump with a double and his first homerun of the season and junior Dwight Childs – mired in a 2-for-11 hole – also added two hits, including a double.
“”It was nice to see the guys hit tonight,”” Lopez said. “”We’re going to need Childs and Glenn throughout the season, so it was good to see them come through.””
Freshman Steve Selsky, who was promoted to the clean-up slot for the game, went 3-for-5 with and scored three runs.
Tuesday night’s victory allowed the Wildcats to take a deep breath and put the Georgia sweep in the past, something Lopez knows will be essential for future success.
“”I was happy with the way to team bounced back,”” Lopez said. “”Sometimes people put too much emphasis on three-game series that happened in the past. There are still plenty of games to be played.””