Rounding third base in a joyful matter, UA outfielder Jon Gaston gestured a quiet sign at the Miami crowd to boast the exact opposite: The Wildcats aren’t leaving silently as the underdogs.

Gaston’s powerful shot in the 11th inning, instead, left Miami fans in a state of shock, lifting Arizona to a dramatic 6-3 win.

The Wildcats now hold a 1-0 best-of-three series lead in the NCAA Super Regionals against the tournament’s top seed heading into tomorrow’s second game.

Gaston’s 12th homer of the season came against Miami reliever Carlos Gutierrez’s 1-1 pitch. Second baseman Colt Sedbrook began the two-out rally by getting hit, followed by Brad Glenn’s single to left field.

Then, Gaston’s shot split a windy outfield and hit the right field light pole, destroying the 3-3 deadlock and lifting an Arizona offense that struck out 16 times against Hurricanes pitching.

Closer Jason Stoffel (4-2) gave Gaston his opportunity by virtually shutting out Miami’s powerful offense. Stoffel struck out five hitters in three innings of scoreless work after following relief pitcher Ryan Perry’s clutch outing.

Perry worked himself out of trouble in three consecutive innings, keeping the score notched at 3-3. He ended up pitching 3 2/3 scoreless innings with only two hits.

T.J. Steele launched a two-run home run in the second inning, giving the Wildcats a quick 2-0 lead. Later on in the seventh inning, Steele drove in Glenn with a two-out single to left field.

UA starter Preston Guilmet pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on three hits.

Stay with the Arizona Daily Wildcat for continuous NCAA Super Regional coverage throughout the weekend