TUCSON, Ariz. — Pinch hitter
Tyler Casagrande lifted the Arizona Wildcats (25-20) to victory with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth on Sunday afternoon, securing a series win over the visiting Air Force Falcons (23-26).
Casagrande's winning plate appearance was set up by an RBI double from
Mason White to tie the game, an intentional walk to
Tony Bullard, and an infield single legged out by
Garen Caulfield that loaded the bases. On the afternoon the Wildcats fought back from deficits of 7-3 and 10-6 to earn the victory.
The offensive heroics were set up by a spectacular effort from the back end of the Wildcats bullpen. Left-hander
Jackson Kent, along with righties
Dawson Netz and
Chris Barraza, held the Falcons scoreless over the final 3.2 innings while allowing just one hit. Barraza (2-2) earned the win, his second of the year, after posting a scoreless top of the ninth.
Bullard, White,
Mac Bingham,
Nik McClaughry,
Emilio Corona, and
Garen Caulfield all picked up multiple hits in the Wildcats 18-hit onslaught. After the weekend Arizona is now hitting .318 on the year, the best mark in the Pac-12.
Arizona WildBATS
- 2B Mason White: 4-for-5, 2 R, 2 2B, 3B, 2 RBI
- LF Chase Davis: 3-for-5, 2 R, 3 2B, 2 RBI
- 3B Tony Bullard: 1-for-4, R, HR, 3 RBI, BB
- RF Emilio Corona: 2-for-5, 2 R, 2B, RBI
- SS Nik McClaughry: 3-for-5, R
- CF Mac Bingham: 2-for-5, R
Bullpen Bullies
- LHP Eric Orloff: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R
- LHP Jackson Kent: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K
- RHP Dawson Netz: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K
- RHP Chris Barraza: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K, Win (2)
Numbers of the Day
- With his performance on Sunday, Bullard has now set career-high marks with eight home runs and 32 RBI.
- Casagrande's walk-off was his 22nd RBI of the season, matching his four-year career total coming into this season.
Photo of the Day
Social Media Coverage
Next Up
Arizona hosts Nevada for the final contest of their four-game homestand this Wednesday, May 10 at 6:00 p.m. MST. Tickets are available for purchase and can be secured by visiting
ArizonaWildcats.com/BSB or by calling 520-621-CATS.
