Box Score
TUCSON, Ariz.- The Arizona baseball team atoned for its late inning mishaps on Saturday with a 5-4 come-from-behind win over Utah at Sancet Field Sunday afternoon. The Wildcats scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh and freshman Anthony Sulser held the Ute offense at bay to earn the series clinching victory. The Cats, who improved to 13-8 with the victory, have won eight of their last nine games and have won three series in a row.
Utah jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the second on Chris Swenson's sixth home run of the season, but would see the Wildcats pull even in the bottom of the inning on Matt Abram's two-out ground ball to short to score Erik Torres.
The Utes would pair runs in the top of the fifth, chasing UA starter Chris Goodman from the game. The freshman righty tossed 4.2 innings, surrendering five hits and three runs while walking one and striking out six. Arizona would counter in the home half of the inning with a lone run. Brad Hassey would score on Shelley Duncan's fielders choice ball to bring the Cats within one at 3-2.
Utah would extend its lead by a run in the seventh on back-to-back doubles by Mike Westfall and Nate Weese to make the score 4-2. Arizona, who has trailed in five of its last six games, would rally for three runs on four hits in the bottom half of the inning.
Erik Torres got things started for the Cats, lacing a one-out double into the left field corner and coming around to score on Ernie Durazo's single to center. Durazo, who went 2-for-3 on the afternoon, extended his hitting streak to 24 straight which is tied for the fourth longest in Arizona history.
After Shelley Duncan was plunked by Jon Lewis to put runners on first and second with one out, sophomore Matt Abram stepped up with a clutch single. Abram, who had been hitless in the series heading into the game, drove Lewis' 1-1 offering down the leftfield line to score Durazo, tying the game at four and advancing Duncan to third. Junior Kenny Huff then drove reliever Mitch Maio's 1-1 pitch deep enough to rightfield to plate Duncan on a sac fly to give the Cats the lead at 5-4.
From there on it was all Susler, as the frosh would strand the potential game-tying runners on second in both the eighth and ninth innings. Susler (2-0) struck out two in three innings of work. Jon Lewis took the loss for the Utes, who fell to 8-8 on the season.
The victory marks the end of Arizona's 18-game homestand as the Cats will take to the road next weekend as they head to Oxford, Miss., to participate in Ole Miss' spring tournament. The Cats will face Southern Miss on Friday with first pitch scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Tucson time.
