What once looked like a game that could get out of hand for fifth-seeded Arizona quickly shifted the other direction thanks to a 417-foot home run from third baseman Tony Bullard. The sophomore has suddenly found his power late in the year, and his first-inning home run marked the start of a comeback for the Wildcats Friday night at Hi Corbett Field.
Bullard would later tie the game, 3-3, with his second home run of the night eventually sparking a 9-3 victory for the Wildcats in front of a record postseason crowd of 5,839 fans.
Freshman designated hitter Jacob Berry and center fielder Donta' Williams added home runs of their own as the UA offense guided the team to a series-opening victory over No. 12 seed Ole Miss.
Bullard's first home run came after a shaky start to the Tucson Super Regional for the Wildcats. The Rebels went up 3-0 in the fist inning, so a quick answer was needed for Arizona. Bullard has been the team's hottest hitter as of late, and he stepped up again when his team needed him most.
"I believe it was against Utah or USC there was a couple at-bats where it looked like he found something and like all that work had started to click," UA head coach Jay Johnson said of his sophomore third baseman. "Then he realized he's as good as I think he is. Now he carries himself that way, and takes those types of at-bats.
"I'm the least surprised person, probably, of anybody."
Arizona's offense can seemingly keep the team in any game, so there was not a lot of panic for the Wildcats when the Ole Miss took the early lead. What needed to be dialed in after the first inning to give UA a chance to pull out a victory was its pitching.
Chase Silseth again had the ball in his hand to open the weekend, but he struggled out of the gate as he surrendered a leadoff double before giving up another double and a single later in the first inning.
Ultimately the hard-throwing righty settled in and blanked the Rebels for the next three innings before he exited the game in the fifth. Silseth didn't earn the win Friday night, but his ability to bounce back from the rough start was key in his team's victory.
"Chase wanted to come out and really set a good tone," Johnson said of Silseth, who had six strikeouts in the game. "I actually thought he pitched pretty good to be honest with you. There was a couple mistakes. It never really got off the rails for him though, so I'm really proud of him."
As much as the offense and starting pitching have been vital to Arizona's postseason success this year, the bullpen has come in clutch through the first four games. So far UA relief pitchers have surrendered just five hits in just over 14 innings, and the group was again important Friday night.
It started with freshman Riley Cooper, who earned his third win Friday, as he entered the game for Silseth in the fifth inning with two runners on base. He was able to get Ole Miss center fielder TJ McCants to ground out to second base to escape the jam before throwing two more hitless innings.
Cooper turned the ball over to Dawson Netz for another hitless inning before senior Vince Vannelle closed out the game with just eight pitches in the ninth.
Cooper has quickly earned the trust of his coaching staff this season, and that was never more evident than the high-pressure situation he faced Friday night. UA had tied the game up 3-3 in the bottom half of the previous inning and was looking to build on that momentum.
For the freshman the mentality in that spot was a simple one.
"Just to play it like it's just another game," he said of the fifth-inning jam he stepped into. "Not try to put anything too much on it, and just go do what I'm supposed to do out there."
Cooper's ability to take up 2 1/3 innings was crucial Friday night as the Wildcats are going to be without two of their most reliable relievers this series. Left-handed pitchers Gil Luna and Randy Abshier were both suspended prior to the start of Friday's series opener and will not be available for the remainder of the weekend.
UA moved lefty Ian Churchill and freshman right-hander George Arias Jr. up to the active roster for the Super Regional matchup with Ole Miss.
The win Friday night means Arizona is just one win away from a return trip to Omaha and the College World Series. Game 2 of the series is set to begin at 7 p.m. MST on Saturday with Ole Miss ace Doug Nikhazy getting the start for the Rebels. The Wildcats have not yet announced their starter, but left-hander Garrett Irvin is expected to earn the nod coming off a complete-game shutout in his last start.
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