Cats Top Trojans in Series Opener

Friday, March 31

Tucson, Ariz.

7:00 PM

University of Arizona

18-7, 0

USC

15-9, 0

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
USC	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	2	0	4	9	1
Arizona	2	0	0	0	5	0	2	0	X	9	14	1

03/31/2017 | Baseball

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By: Arizona Athletics

TUCSON, Ariz. – JC Cloney pitched seven strong innings and Nick Quintana hit an inside-the-park home run Friday night to help the Arizona Wildcats top USC 9-4 in front of 4,173 fans at Hi Corbett Field.

Cloney improved to 6-0 on the season in seven starts. The lefty tossed seven innings, allowing six hits and two runs, while striking out four and walking two. The win improved Arizona to 18-7 on the season, 3-4 in Pac-12 play and a perfect 14-0 at home. USC dropped to 15-9 and 4-3 in league play.

The Cats got to USC starter Chris Clarke right away Friday. Alfonso Rivas and Jared Oliva put together back-to-back one-out singles in the first inning to put two on for JJ Matijevic. Matijevic, who entered with the second-most doubles in the country with 15, laced a two-base hit to dead-centerfield to score Rivas and move Oliva to third. Oliva scored during the next at-bat on a passed ball to give Arizona an early 2-0 lead.

The Trojans got a run back in the second on a solo home run from designated hitter Cris Perez and then tied the game in the fourth inning on a two-out RBI double from center fielder Matthew Acosta.

But Cloney kept the Trojans off-balanced from there and worked a quick scoreless inning in the fifth. With the score still deadlocked at two, the Arizona bats woke up in a big way in the fifth inning and chased Clarke from the game with a five-run inning.

Cal Stevenson got the inning going with a single and moved to third on a single from Rivas. Oliva then singled to score Stevenson and give Arizona a lead it would never give back. Rivas moved to third on a groundout and then scored on a balk to make it 4-2. Oliva moved to third on the balk and then scored on a double from Quintana.

Quintana scored when the next batter, Mitchell Morimoto, singled to make it 6-2. Cesar Salazar followed Morimoto with a single. He rounded the base hard and when USC tried to get him at first, shortstop Frankie Rios threw the ball away, allowing Morimoto to score and make it 7-2 Wildcats.

Cloney cruised from there. The senior left-hander struck out left fielder Brady Shockey with two on to strand a pair of runners and keep it 7-2. Cloney then retired the side in order in the seventh with a pop out and a pair of fly outs.

In the bottom half of the inning, Matijevic singled to left to open the frame. Quintana then roped a 3-0 pitch to deep center and hustled all the way around the bases for an inside-the-park home run. Quintana's home run made it 9-2 Wildcats. The homer also gave Quintana a home run in four straight weekends, dating back to Arizona's final non-conference series against Hartford.

Cloney exited after the seventh and the Trojans got two runs back on a bloop single from David Edson to close the gap to 9-4. But Rivas closed it out on the mound for the Cats, tossing 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief and striking out two.

Arizona had five players register multiple-hit games, led by Morimoto, who went 3 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored. Rivas, Oliva, Matijevic and Quintana all had two hits in the win. The Cats banged out 14 hits total.

The Wildcats will now send freshman left-hander Randy Labaut to the mound Saturday to try to win the series against the Trojans. USC will counter with right-hander CJ Stubbs. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.