March 4, 2011
Arizona 6, Utah Valley 5 (Box Score)
TUCSON, Ariz. - The No. 17 Arizona baseball let a 5-2 lead slip away in the sixth inning, but a run-scoring single by Josh Garcia and three shutout innings late by the bullpen were enough for the Wildcats to outlast Utah Valley, 6-5, on Friday night at Kindall Field/Sancet Stadium.
Robert Refsnyder went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBI to lead the Wildcats offensively, but no hit was bigger than his one-out double down the right field line in the home half of the seventh. The eventual game-winning run, Refsnyder scored one batter later as Garcia collected his second hit of the game to break a 5-5 tie.
Bryce Bandilla entered with one out in the eighth and the tying run on base, but was able to strike out Austin Hayes and get an inning-ending fly out by Willie Pratt to escape any damage.
After issuing a leadoff walk to Jason Zundel in the bottom of the ninth, Bandilla got a fielder's choice groundout and two strikeouts, including Austin Heaps swinging, to end the game. The save was Bandilla's first of the season and he finished with three strikeouts over 1.2 scoreless innings.
Konner Wade, who pitched a scoreless seventh inning despite two walks, earned his first collegiate win out of the bullpen.
Arizona (7-2) turned to its bullpen early after starter Kurt Heyer tossed just 5.0 innings. Heyer, who allowed two runs - one earned - and struck out 10, saw his pitch count rise after five innings of work and was replaced by Matt Chaffee to start the sixth.
Chaffee worked a wild sixth inning in which he struck out the side but allowed three unearned runs. The runs were unearned after his bases-loaded throw on a come-backer sailed over the head of catcher Jett Bandy trying to cut down the runner advancing to the plate. Another run scored on a passed ball given up by Bandy, but the Wildcats eventually escaped with a runner left on base and the game tied 5-5.
Utah Valley (3-5) chalked up an early run on Heyer in the first to take a 1-0 lead. Pratt doubled to right field to open the game and scored on Zundel's RBI single to center field.
The Wildcats answered with their own run in the bottom of the first. Cole Frenzel hit a one-out single to right field and Refsnyder drove him in with a double to left centerfield to even the score, 1-1.
In the second, Johnny Field doubled and scored on Seth Mejias-Brean's triple to give the host Wildcats their first lead of the game. Shortstop Alex Mejia followed with a single to plate Mejias-Brean from third.
That lead was extended with single runs in the third and fourth frames, respectively. But that would be all the scoring for the Wildcats until the seventh inning with the eventual game-winning run.
Arizona pitching combined to strikeout 16 Wolverines in the game, but issued five walks. Offensively, the Wildcats out-hit Utah Valley, 13-9.
The two teams will be back in action on Saturday evening for the second game of the three-game set. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. (MST) at Kindall Field/Sancet Stadium.
