TUCSON, Ariz. – Everything clicked for the Arizona Wildcats (23-24, 11-14) as they rolled to a decisive 12-4 victory over the USC Trojans (20-25-1, 9-12-1) in the series opener on Friday night at Hi Corbett Field.
 
Junior left-hander Randy Labaut got the start on the mound for the Cats and turned in another spectacular outing. The Cuban southpaw tossed 7.0 innings and allowed just two earned runs on four hits while striking out seven, tying his career high total in strikeouts.
 
Labaut has now turned in a quality start in four of his last six games, while the Wildcats have won three straight Friday night contests behind his strong pitching.
 
The offense showed up in spades for the Cats as well, with eight-of-nine starters collecting at least one hit. The team finished the night with 16 base knocks, led by four from shortstop Cameron Cannon (4x6, 3 R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI) and three apiece from third baseman Nick Quintana (3x5, 2 R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI) and first baseman Branden Boissiere (3x5, R).
 
Cannon picked up his 25^th double of the season, extending his lead on the rest of the nation's Division I players. Quintana's home run was his 12^th of the season and the 32^nd of his career with the Wildcats, moving him into a tie for seventh on Arizona's all-time career home run leaderboard.
 
Second baseman Dayton Dooney also checked in with a pair of hits, going 2-for-5 with a run scored, a home run, and two RBI. Dooney now has five home runs in just 64 at-bats during Pac-12 conference play, the second-most on the team behind Quintana's nine conference dingers.
 
The Cats jumped out to a five run lead in the bottom of the first and never looked back, holding onto the lead all game. Arizona tacked on one more run in the bottom of the third and then went on a stretch of plating two runs in three straight frames from the fourth to the sixth to pull away from the Trojans.
 
Randy Abshier (1.0 IP) and Cameron Haskell (1.0 IP) worked the final two innings for Arizona from the bullpen. Haskell tossed a scoreless top of the ninth with one strikeout to close the door on the Trojans and wrap up the Cats victory.
 
The Wildcats will play for the series win over the Trojans on Saturday night at Hi Corbett – first pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. MST. Ticket information can be found online at ArizonaWildcats.com/BSB.