The No. 21 University of Arizona baseball team (44-21, 18-12 in Big 12) saw its season come to a crushing end on Sunday, June 15, as the Wildcats fell 8-3 to the University of Louisville (41-23) in an elimination game at the College World Series at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska.
Arizona carried a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning, but a late 6-run surge from Louisville flipped the game and sent the Cardinals into the next round of the CWS bracket.
The Wildcats got off to a strong start behind a resilient outing from freshman Smith Bailey, who allowed just two hits over six innings with four strikeouts. Arizona built an early cushion with 2 runs in the first and a solo home run from catcher Adonys Guzman in the third.
But Louisville capitalized on two Arizona errors and several timely hits in the eighth, beginning with a misplayed grounder that allowed Jake Munroe to reach, a single from Eddie King Jr. and a perfectly placed bloop from Tague Davis loaded the bases. Zion Rose then delivered a 2-run single to give Louisville its first lead of the game, 4-3.
After a runner was thrown out at the plate, Kamau Neighbors extended Louisville’s advantage with his 4th hit of the day, a single to right. A second defensive miscue brought home yet another run for the Cardinals, followed by a squeeze bunt from Alex Alicea and an RBI single from Matt Klein to cap the 6-run frame.
Tucker Biven (4-0) shut the door on Arizona’s hopes, tossing four scoreless innings in relief to earn the win. Wyatt Danilowicz also contributed 1.1 shutout frames.
Arizona’s offense was led by Guzman, who went 2-for-5 with 2 RBIs and a home run. Senior infielders Garen Caulfield and Tommy Splaine, along with center fielder Aaron Walton, each tallied two hits in what was likely their final game as Wildcats. Caulfield ends his Arizona career second in program history in both games played and at-bats.
The loss ended Arizona’s 19th College World Series appearance, a mark tied for the seventh most nationally. Head coach Chip Hale became just the 21st person in NCAA history to reach Omaha as both a player and a coach.
Louisville advances to face the loser of Coastal Carolina University and Oregon State University on Tuesday, June 17.
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