TUCSON, Ariz. – The Arizona Wildcats pounded out 17 runs on 16 hits and topped the Oregon Ducks 17-6 Friday night at Hi Corbett Field in front of 2,708 fans.
With the win, Arizona improved to 20-23 on the season and 8-14 in Pac-12 play. Oregon dropped to 23-20 and 8-11.
The Wildcats saw five different players register multiple-hit games. Senior
Justin Wylie led the way with three hits, two doubles and a run scored. Freshman first baseman
Austin Wells added two hits, three RBI and three runs scored, while
Nick Quintana,
Cameron Cannon and
Dayton Dooney all had two hits as well.
On the mound,
Randy Labaut went seven hitting, allowing five runs on seven hits, while striking out four and not issuing any walks in 103 pitches. He improved to 5-3 on the season and leads the Wildcats with his five victories.
The win was a come-from-behind one for the Wildcats. Oregon exploded for five runs in the third inning off Labaut. Centerfielder Jonny DeLuca hit a two-run home run with two outs to cap off the scoring for the Ducks, who took a 5-0 lead.
But Arizona's offense answered right back in the bottom half of the inning with a five-spot of its own. Wells led off the inning with a walk and scored right away on a double from Quintana.
Tony Bullard followed with a one-out single to score Quintana and make it 5-2.
Blake Paugh also singled to put two on for Dooney, who singled home Bullard. The next batter, Wylie, doubled to score Paugh and move Dooney to third. Dooney capped the scoring when he was brought home on an RBI groundout from
Donta Williams.
The Ducks then took advantage of two Arizona errors in the fourth inning and took a 6-5 lead. That remained the score all the way until the seventh inning when the Wildcats' bats came to life again and scored six runs. The Cats got run-scoring hits in the inning from Wells, Dooney and
Matthew Dyer, who extended his hitting streak to 19 games. Bullard also plated an RBI on a sacrifice bunt.
The Cats led 11-6 after seven and right back to work in the eighth. Dooney opened the inning with a walk and scored on an RBI double from Wylie. Wells scored Wylie on a double and Quintana lifted a sacrifice fly to center to score Williams, who had been hit by a pitch earlier in the inning.
After an RBI single from Cannon, freshman
Branden Boissiere hit his first home run of his career for a two-run shot to make it 17-6, which held up to be the final.
Dyer finished 1 for 5 and is hitting .393 with a 19-game hitting streak. Wells reached the 40-RBI mark for the season with three runs driven in on Friday. He's the first freshman to drive in 40 or more runs since eventual first-round pick Kevin Newman finished his rookie campaign in 2013 with 42 RBI.
The Cats will now go for the series win Saturday night. Right-hander
Quinn Flanagan is expected to start for Arizona and will be opposed by lefty Robert Ahistrom. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.