TUCSON, Ariz. — Designated hitter
Jacob Berry delivered the Arizona Wildcats (40-15) a 5-4 walk-off victory over the Dixie State Trailblazers (24-32) with a double off the wall in left field on Saturday night.
Berry's freshman record 36th extra-base hit of the year gave the Wildcats 40 wins in the regular season for the 13th time in program history, and the first since 2007.
Arizona's mounted a comeback to seal the series victory, as they have done numerous times this season. Down 4-1 after four innings, the Wildcats scored twice in the fifth and once in the sixth to tie the game and set up Berry's ninth-inning heroics.
The Wildcats bullpen was absolutely dominant, keeping Arizona in the game while the offense rallied. Right-handers
TJ Nichols and
Vince Vannelle combined to allow just two baserunners while striking out nine over 6.1 innings. Vannelle (5-2) earned the win, his fifth of the season.
Following the walk-off win, the Cats celebrated their outright Pac-12 Championship on the field with the 2,506 raucous Arizona fans that packed into Hi Corbett Field.
Arizona WildBATS
- CF Donta Williams: 2-for-4, 3 R, 3B, RBI, HBP
- 1B Branden Boissiere: 3-for-4, RBI
- 3B Tony Bullard: 2-for-4, R, 2B
- DH Jacob Berry: 1-for-5, 2B, RBI, walk-off hit
- C Daniel Susac: 1-for-4, RBI
- SS Nik McClaughry: 1-for-3, R, RBI
Bullpen Bullies
Number of the Night
- With Saturday's win, the Wildcats reached 40 wins in the regular season for just the 13th time in program history and the first time since 2007. Head coach Jay Johnson has now reached the 40-win mark in the regular season twice in his career.
Photos of the Night
Tweets of the Night
Up Next
Arizona will learn tomorrow evening at 5:30 p.m. MSTÂ whether they have been selected to host an NCAA Regional. They will then wait for the NCAA Selection show on Monday morning at 9:00 a.m. MST on ESPN2.
Â
