SALT LAKE CITY – The Arizona Wildcats registered a season-high in hits and runs Sunday afternoon in the series finale versus Utah, topping the Utes 18-12 at Smith's Ballpark.
The Wildcats scored in six of nine innings and banged out 20 hits, topping their previous high of 18, set twice earlier this season. Arizona also had eight extra-base hits, establishing a new season high. Seven of Arizona's nine starters had multiple-hit games in the win.
The win lifted Arizona to 24-17 on the season and 7-11 in Pac-12 play. Utah dropped to 12-29 and 6-12 in the league.
Alfonso Rivas got the Wildcats on the board in the first inning when he homered to straightaway centerfield over the 420-foot sign. His fourth homer of the season gave the Wildcats an early 1-0 lead.
Utah got the run back in the bottom half of the inning when leadoff man DaShawn Keirsey Jr., tripled to put a man into scoring position right away. The next batter, Oliver Dunn, grounded out to first base to bring home Keirsey and knot the game at one.
Arizona again regained the lead in the second when sophomore third baseman
Nick Quintana lifted his eighth home run of the season to left field to make it 2-1. The Cats put two more men on base after the homer, but a liner from Rivas ended the inning.
The score remained 2-1 until the fourth inning when the Wildcat bats started to heat up and Arizona plated four runs in the frame.
Tate Soderstrom started the four-run fourth with a walk, and moved to second on a wild pitch. Quintana followed with a walk to put two on with no outs for
Matt Fraizer, who dropped down a two-strike sacrifice bunt to move both runners up a base.
Jacob Blas followed with a ground ball to deep short, and beat it out for an infield single, scoring Soderstrom. After a strikeout, Rivas came up with two outs and two on. The junior, who made his first start in left field Sunday, blasted his second home run of the game to right field for a three-run shot to make it 6-1.
The Utes got two back in the fourth, but Arizona's offense kept the pressure on throughout the game, scoring in four straight innings. In the fifth, Fraizer extended the lead with a two-out single to score Soderstrom and make it 7-3.
Utah again responded with two runs in the fifth, but Arizona came right back with a three-run sixth inning. Rivas walked to lead off the inning and
Cameron Cannon followed with a double to put two men into scoring position with no outs.
Cesar Salazar brought Rivas home with a sacrifice fly for the first run of the inning.
Seve Romo followed with a double to move Cannon to third and again put two men into scoring position.
Mitchell Morimoto then came up and the Cats planned a squeeze bunt. But the ball was too far outside, and it appeared Cannon was caught in a rundown. Instead, he was able to score after the Utes missed the tag at the plate, and Romo moved up to third. Morimoto then executed a squeeze bunt on the next pitch to score Romo and make it 10-3.
The Cats then put an exclamation point on the game with an eight-run seventh inning.
Donta Williams, Rivas, Cannon, Romo, Quintana and Fraizer all had RBI hits in the inning with Quintana plating two on a double to deep left-center.
The eight runs in the inning tied Arizona's high for a season, which came in a 15-4 win over Oregon State on April 7 at Hi Corbett Field.
Fraizer finished 4 for 5 with two RBI and a run scored. Blas, Quintana and Romo each had three-hit games. Blas was 3 for 4 with an RBI and two runs to go with two walks. Romo was 3 for 6 with an RBI and two runs scored. Quintana finished 3 for 5 with three RBI and three runs scored.
Rivas was 2 for 4 with five RBI and three runs scored. Cannon finished 2 for 5 with an RBI and two runs. Salazar was 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored.
The Cats return to action Monday night at Utah Valley. First pitch is set for 6 p.m., MDT and 5 p.m., Tucson time. Arizona then returns home to host UCLA for a three-game series starting Thursday night.
