TUCSON, Ariz. – The Arizona Wildcats opened their 2018 season in style Saturday, sweeping a doubleheader from Bryant in front of 3,124 fans at Hi Corbett Field.
 
Arizona shut out the Bulldogs 4-0, before taking the nightcap 5-1 to improve to 2-0 on their first day of action.
 
The Wildcats will now go for the series sweep Sunday at noon.
 
In Saturday's opener, junior right-hander Cody Deason, who drew the Opening Day start, set the tone with seven shutout innings. Deason dominated over his seven innings, allowing just three hits and striking out three. He walked five, but worked around it, needing 97 pitches. The junior right-hander from Ojai, California worked around some early trouble to keep the Bulldogs off the scoreboard.
 
In the first, the first two batters each reached on singles to put two men on with no outs. But catcher Cesar Salazar erased leadoff man Nick Angelini, throwing him out at third trying to steal the base. After a walk, Deason got a pair of flyouts to escape the inning without any damage.
 
Again, he ran into some trouble in the second, allowing two men to reach base, but worked out of it, getting a ground ball to shortstop Travis Moniot to end the inning. After walking the leadoff man in the third, Deason retired nine of the next 10 batters he faced to get on a role and hold the Bulldogs off the scoreboard for the first five innings.
 
With neither team having plated a run, Arizona got to starter Steve Theetge in the bottom of the fifth for the first run of the game. Nick Quintana reached on an error and moved to second on a double play. With two outs, Cameron Cannon singled home Quintana to break the deadlock and give Arizona a 1-0 lead.
 
Deason allowed one baserunner each in the sixth and seventh, but never allowed them to get past second base. After striking out the ninth-place hitter to end the seventh, Deason exited to a nice ovation from the Hi Corbett faithful.
 
Robby Medel came on and struck out the only batter he faced. Randy Labaut followed, after allowing a single, struck out third-place hitter Mickey Gasper for the second out. Arizona again went to its bullpen, bringing in righty Tylor Megill, who struck out the only batter he faced in the eighth to close out the inning.
 
The Cats went to work in the bottom half of the inning and scored three more runs. Cal Stevenson had an RBI single to score pinch-runner Donta Williams and Alfonso Rivas came through with a two-run single to plate Cannon and Travis Moniot to make it 4-0.
 
Megill pitched around a single in the ninth to close it down and earn the save. It marked the second straight year the Wildcats notched a shutout in their opening game of the season. Arizona beat Eastern Kentucky 6-0 in the opener last year behind seven strong innings from JC Cloney.
 
In the finale, Michael Flynn got the start and earned the win, going 5 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing three hits, one walk and striking out five on 83 pitches. Combined, Arizona starters went 12 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing just six hits.
 
The Wildcats didn't wait as long to get Flynn run support as they did Deason. In the third inning, with the game still scoreless, Arizona plated three runs. Moniot was hit by a pitch with one out to put one on. Matt Fraizer then dropped down a bunt single and Moniot moved to third on a throwing error by the pitcher. Stevenson followed with another bunt single, scoring Moniot and moving Fraizer to second.
 
Mitchell Morimoto then singled up the middle to score Fraizer. The left fielder then eventually came around to score when he moved to second base on a wild pitch and advanced two bases on an error by the center fielder.
 
That remained the score until the Bulldogs finally got to the Arizona pitchers in the sixth inning. Third baseman Tyler Panno homered off reliever Jason Seever to make it 3-1.
 
But Arizona didn't waste any time getting the lead back to three. Michael Benson doubled with one out and moved to third on a single from Cannon. Cesar Salazar then drove Benson home with a sacrifice fly to make it 4-1.
 
Arizona tacked on its final run in the seventh when Stevenson tripled for the second time in the game and scored on a sacrifice fly from Morimoto.
 
Medel closed out the game, getting the final five outs, and retiring all five batters he faced. He earned the save, as he entered in the eighth with the tying run on deck.
 
Stevenson went 5 for 8 on the day with two RBI and two runs scored in the doubleheader sweep.