The Arizona baseball team traveled to the San Francisco Bay Area to play No. 4 Stanford University for a three-game series this past weekend. The Wildcats dropped the first two games of the series, before winning the finale in epic fashion. Arizona now holds a record of 27-22 (10-17 in Pac-12 play). 

Game 1: Friday, May 12, at 5:35 p.m. 

The Wildcats were the first to jump on the board in the second inning after a scoreless first. After two quick outs, the Wildcats put together four straight hits led by Tony Bullard, Garen Caulfield, Mac Bingham and Nik McClaughry to give the Wildcats an early 3-0 lead. 

The Wildcat lead was short-lived, as Stanford swiftly retaliated. Starting Wildcat pitcher Cam Walty secured two outs before conceding a run, but he faced difficulty getting the third out. During this time, Stanford capitalized on Walty’s struggles, scoring 6 runs and giving them an early 6-3 lead.

By the fifth inning, Stanford scored 2 more runs and led 8-3. However, Arizona would chip into their deficit in the sixth inning, scoring 2 runs on a single by McClaughry, as the Wildcats trailed Stanford 8-5 through six innings. 

In the eighth inning, the Wildcats had runners on first and second with two outs. Stanford looked like they were going to get out of the inning without giving up any runs, but the Stanford third baseman had other ideas. He botched a throw to first base, allowing the Wildcats to score 2 runs and McClaughry to advance to third. Four pitches later, McClaughry completed his second steal of home of the season to tie the game at 8-8. 

The Wildcats, after trailing by 5 runs, were now tied as the game entered the ninth inning. However, Stanford walked it off in the bottom half of the inning, taking game one of the series by a score of 9-8. Friday night’s heartbreaking loss marked the fourth time the Wildcats have been walked-off since April 28. 

Game 2: Saturday, May 13, at 3:05 p.m. 

Stanford took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning of game two. Saturday’s game got off to a quiet start, with the score remaining 2-0 through the first four innings.

However, Arizona cut the deficit to 1 following a solo home run by Mason White — his fifth of the season — as the Wildcats trailed 2-1. Unfortunately, the Wildcats were unable to keep the game close for long, as Stanford scored 8 unanswered runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to take a 9-1 lead. 

The innings were highlighted by sloppy Arizona defense and some fantastic hitting by the Cardinal. The Wildcats saw themselves in a bigger hole than the night prior when they trailed by 5 in the closing innings of the game. 

In the eighth inning, Cameron LaLiberte launched his first career home run, a solo shot to left field, but it wasn’t enough. Ultimately, the Wildcats lost an ugly game two 9-2, but they still had a chance to close out the series with a win. 

Game 3: Sunday, May 14, at 12:05 p.m. 

The final game of the three-game series was chaotic and high-scoring. The Wildcats posted a season-high 21 runs in a game that featured five lead changes and two ties. 

The Wildcats jumped out to an early 3-0 lead following a 3-run homer by Chase Davis for his 17th of the season and 35th of his career, tied for fourth on Arizona’s all-time home run list.  

Stanford scored 2 runs in the bottom of the first, but the Wildcats countered in the third with 5 runs. The inning was highlighted by a 3-run homer by White — his sixth of the season — as the Wildcats held an 8-2 lead early. 

However, Stanford clawed back once again, outscoring the Wildcats 7-1 over the next two innings to tie the game up at 9-9. 

The game wouldn’t stay tied for long, as the Wildcats slugged their way to a 7-run fifth inning, breaking the game open. The Wildcats put together five hits and worked three walks. The inning was highlighted by a grand slam by Kiko Romero — his 15th of the season — giving the Wildcats a 16-9 lead through five innings. 

By the eighth inning, the Wildcats were leading the Cardinal 18-11 and looked like they were ready to cruise to a game-three victory. However, Stanford scored 7 unanswered runs in the eighth and ninth innings. Stanford trailed 18-15 in the ninth and was down to their final strike, when Stanford star left fielder Alberto Rios launched his third home run of the game: a 3-run game-tying homer to send the game to extras. 

In the 10th inning, Emilio Corona launched a 3-run home run — his eighth of the season — giving the Wildcats a 21-18 lead. 

Stanford would not go away without a fight. After the Wildcats were able to get two quick outs, Stanford posted three straight hits, including a 2-run triple. They trailed the Wildcats 21-20 with the tying runner 90 feet from home plate. Fortunately for the Wildcats, pitcher Chris Barraza was able to escape the late-game jam as Arizona walked away with a 21-20 victory. 

Looking ahead

The Wildcats will face the University of California Irvine on the road on Monday, May 15, at 6 p.m., before they close the regular season at home against USC for a three-game series, starting on Thursday, May 18.