Tucson, Ariz. – The Arizona Wildcats got multi-hit games from four players and pounded out 11 hits to top Utah Valley 14-0 Tuesday night at Hi Corbett Field.
Arizona has now won eight straight games at home and is 9-1 at Hi Corbett this season.
Junior right-hander Austin Schnabel started for the Wildcats and posted 2 1/3 scoreless innings. Senior Cody Moffett took over in the third with two runners on, but retired both to get out of the mini-jam.
The Wildcats then started their scoring spree in the bottom of the inning to take a lead. Ryan Aguilar started the rally with a one-out triple, before Bobby Dalbec drew a walk to put two runners on. After a strikeout, Alfonso Rivas walked to load the bases for senior Zach Gibbons. Gibbons singled through the right side to score Aguilar and Gibbons. Rivas was also able to score on the play when the right fielder's throw in went off the third baseman's glove to make it 3-0.
In the fourth, Arizona added two more runs. Louis Boyd started the inning with a walk and was moved to second when Cody Ramer was hit by a pitch. Two batters later, with two outs, Dalbec roped a triple to right-center to plate Boyd and Ramer to make it 5-0.
Arizona again scored a run in the sixth when Boyd executed a sacrifice bunt to score Rivas, who led off the inning by being hit by a pitch.
Leading 6-0 heading into the sixth, Arizona broke the game open with a six-run sixth. Ramer started the inning with a single to center, setting the table for Aguilar, who slugged his fourth home run of the season to right field to make it 8-0.
Dalbec and J.J. Matijevic then produced back-to-back singles to put two on. After a double play moved Dalbec to third, Gibbons walked to put two on. Cesar Salazar then reached on an error to score Dalbec. Boyd followed with an RBI single and Jared Oliva then doubled down the left field line to score Boyd and pinch-runner Ryan Haug to make it 12-0.
After a scoreless seventh, Arizona tacked on two more in the eighth. Haug doubled and Justin Behnke was able to score on it off an error by the second baseman. Kyle Lewis made it 14-0 with a single to left to score Haug.
All the offense was plenty for the five Arizona pitchers who combined for the shutout. After Schnabel exited, Moffett came on to throw three innings, allowing just one hit, one walk and striking out three. The senior earned his first win of the season with the outing.
Coach Jay Johnson then turned it over to a trio of freshmen on the mound. Cody Deason was first throwing 1 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out three. Austin Rubick followed with a scoreless eighth, and Rivas, who started in left, before moving to right, pitched a scoreless ninth in his second pitching appearance of the season.
The combined shutout was Arizona's second of the season with both coming at home. The Cats also shutout Cal-State Fullerton 2-0 earlier this month.
At the plate, Aguilar, Dalbec, Matijevic and Gibbons all had two-hit games. Dalbec reached base four times, drawing a pair of walks. He scored two runs. Aguilar hit his third home run in three games and went 2 for 6 with two RBI and three runs scored. Gibbons was 2 for 3 with two RBI and Matijevic was 2 for 5.
Arizona will play next on Thursday when it opens a three-game series with No. 18 UCLA. Left-hander JC Cloney will get the start.
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