It took until the fourth week of the season, but Arizona will head into a Sunday for the first time knowing it has won the weekend.
Smith Bailey threw seven shutout innings, striking out a career-high nine, and the Wildcats’ bats put together a couple of big frames late in a 9-5 win over Fresno State on Saturday night at Hi Corbett Field. It clinched the series with the Bulldogs and gave the UA (5-9) its fourth win in five games after a 1-8 start.
Bailey, a sophomore righthander, surpassed his previous career best in Ks by three and pitched into the 7th for the first time in 22 career starts. He threw 100 pitches but needed only 28 to get through the last three innings after laboring during the first four.
“I think I just get kind of more energy,” said Bailey, who lowered his ERA to 1.88. “I do think it’s a little bit of feeling it out, getting dialed in with my pitches, and then at the end emptying my tank with every throw.”
The UA only led 1-0 after five innings, that run coming in on a bases loaded sacrifice fly by TJ Adams in the 2nd. Adams also reached base three times with a walk, hit by pitch and a bunt single for his first hit of the season.
“It’s been fun because like whatever’s asked of me I just do my job,” said Adams, who has made five starts as Arizona deals with injuries in the outfield. “It was nice to get that bunt down.”
Tyler Bickers had a 2-out single in the 6th to make it 2-0, then Arizona looked to break it open with four in the bottom of the 7th. Run-scoring hits by Maddox Mihalakis and Roman Meyers were followed by a 2-run home run from Carson McEntire.
But Fresno State (7-6) scored five times in the top of the 8th after Bailey came out, getting to normally reliable relievers Patrick Morris and Evan Brandt. Former UA outfielder Zach Plasschaert had a 2-run double to make it 6-5 before Garrett Hicks came in to end the rally.
“It’s gonna happen,” Hale said of the bad outings. “But (the hitters) picked them up tonight, scored more runs in the (8th). That’s super impressive. Maybe it’s a good thing for us that we had to go through that.”
The first four Wildcats reached in the bottom of the inning, with Tony Lira bringing one home on a single and Mihalakis the other two on a single. Mihalakis was 3 for 5 with three RBI, giving him five hits in the series after only four in the first 12 games of the season.
The UA will go for the sweep on Sunday at 12 p.m. PT, with lefty Luc Fladda starting. Fladda threw seven scoreless innings last weekend against UC Irvine in Las Vegas, part of a streak of 24.2 consecutive scoreless thrown by weekend starters.