March 6, 2011
Arizona 9, Utah Valley 3 (Box Score) | Overall Stats (PDF)
TUCSON, Ariz. - After falling behind by three runs in the first inning, the No. 17 Arizona baseball team overcame a sluggish start to score the game's final nine runs and earn a 9-3 victory that completed a three-game sweep of visiting Utah Valley on Sunday afternoon at Kindall Field/Sancet Stadium.
Senior Bryce Ortega went 3-for-3 at the plate with two doubles and four runs scored, and junior Jett Bandy delivered a clutch two-run single with the bases loaded in the seventh inning to give the Wildcats their first lead of the game, 5-3.
The Wildcats claimed their first lead with a two-out rally in the decisive seventh inning. Ortega reached on his first of two doubles and moved to third on Joey Rickard's infield single to deep shortstop.
With runners at the corners and left-hand hitting Cole Frenzel coming to the plate, Utah Valley brought in left-hander Ty Hansen to relieve Ryan Chadwick. But Hansen walked Frenzel to load the bases and prompt another pitching change.
Right-hander Criag Brimhall entered to face Bandy, who was hitless in the game to that point. Bandy ripped a single up the middle to drive in Ortega and Rickard with the game's eventual winning runs.
Arizona (9-2) added four insurance runs in the eighth inning to break open the game and eliminate any chance of an upset by the Wolverines.
Utah Valley (3-7) jumped on Arizona starter Tyler Hale in the first inning. Hale issued walks to the first two hitters he faced before Chris Benson's RBI single drove in Willie Pratt. A second run scored on a balk by Hale, and a third crossed home on an RBI groundout by Billy Burgess.
Despite allowing three hits and two walks on 40 pitches in the opening frame, Hale settled down and tossed 5.2 scoreless innings the rest of the way as he pitched into the seventh inning.
By that time, the Wildcats' bats had awakened and the game was tied 3-3 thanks to a two-run fifth inning.
In the fifth, Mejia doubled with one out and Ortega reached on a walk. After a fly out, Mejia moved to third base, and Ortega stole second with Frenzel at the plate to put runners on second and third. Frenzel delivered a single to centerfield to plate both runners and tie the game.
Matt Chaffee took over for Hale in the bottom of the seventh innings with two outs. The Wildcats rode the arm of the lefty the rest of the way as Chaffee picked up his first win of the season with 2.1 scoreless innings of relief.
Chadwick, who yielded the two runs in the seventh inning, suffered the loss for the Wolverines.
Arizona's offense throughout the game was generated at the top and bottom of the batting order. The No. 1-2 (Rickard and Frenzel) and No. 8-9 (Mejia and Ortega) hitters in the lineup combined for 11 hits in 16 at bats, eight runs scored and seven RBI.
The Wildcats managed just three hits over the first four innings off Utah Valley starter Kyle Beecher. But from there, Arizona tallied nine hits, including four in the four-run eighth inning.
With two outs in the eighth, Mejia singled home Josh Garcia from third base. Ortega followed with a double down the left field line to drive in Mejia, who had stolen second base. Rickard and Frenzel tacked on the final runs with RBI singles to push the score to its final, 9-3.
Arizona will continue its busy early season non-conference schedule with five games this coming week. The Wildcats will play two mid-week games at UNLV in Las Vegas, Nev., March 8-9, before returning home to host Northern Colorado March 11-13.
