SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Alfonso Rivas went 3 for 5 with a double, a home run and a career-high six RBI to lift the Arizona Wildcats to a 9-5 victory over Michigan in the second day of play at the Tony Gwynn Legacy at San Diego State.
Rivas, a preseason All-American, homered in the seventh inning with the Wildcats trailing 5-4 to give Arizona a 6-5 lead late in the ballgame. An inning later, the junior, playing in his hometown of San Diego, came up with the bases loaded and roped a double to right field to clear the bases and give Arizona its four-run lead that held up. Rivas is 5 for 9 in two games at the Tony Gwynn Legacy so far with three extra-base hits.
Rivas and the Wildcats improved to 4-2 on the season, after falling behind early.
Starter
Michael Flynn surrendered his first run of the season in the second inning, but the Wildcats responded immediately in the top of the third to give the junior righty a lead.
Trailing 1-0,
Matt Fraizer started the inning with a walk and
Travis Moniot followed with a hit by pitch to put two on with no outs. After a fly out,
Cameron Cannon delivered an RBI single to right-center to score Fraizer and tie the game at one apiece. Rivas followed with a single of his own to score Moniot and give Arizona the lead at 2-1.
Nick Quintana flew out to deep right for the second out of the inning, but
Ryan Haug followed with a walk to load the bases for
Cesar Salazar with two outs. Salazar roped a single to center to score Cannon and Rivas and give the Wildcats a 4-1 lead.
An inning later, Michigan struck for three runs to tie the game at four. A bases loaded walk plated the first run, before first baseman Jesse Franklin singled home two with the bases loaded to tie the game at four. Freshman right-hander
Jonathan Guardado, who entered for Flynn, got an inning ending 4-6-3 double play to get out of the inning and keep the game tied.
The game remained tied until the sixth inning when Michigan took a 5-4 lead, scoring on a balk.
Arizona took the lead back half an inning later, however. Cannon reached on an error to start the inning and put one runner on for Rivas. Rivas worked the count full, and then unloaded on a pitch for a two-run home run to right field to give the Cats the lead. It marked Rivas' first home run of the season after he hit seven last year as a sophomore.
In the eighth, the Cats loaded the bases with two outs. Cannon and freshman
Donta Williams both walked and
Travis Moniot reached on a fielder's choice. Rivas brought them all home when he laced his double to the right field wall to make it 9-5.
Tylor Megill, who tossed 2 1/3 perfect innings, earned his second save of the season. Megill struck out three and needed just 32 pitches to get through his 2 1/3.
Robby Medel, who tossed a scoreless inning in relief, earned his first win of the season. Flynn went 3 1/3 innings, giving up four runs on three hits and striking out two.
Cannon went 1 for 4 with three runs scored and Fraizer went 1 for 3 with a run scored and two walks. Freshman
Blake Paugh, who saw his first action as a Wildcat, reached base all three times he came up, getting a single, a walk and being hit by a pitch.
Arizona will finish play at the Tony Gwynn Legacy on Sunday with a road matchup at the University of San Diego. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m., Tucson time, 2 p.m., PST.
