Arizona is sitting in a great spot when it comes to the postseason and has an automatic bid already in hand, but Dixie State didn't care about any of that to open a three-game series Thursday night at Hi Corbett Field.
The visiting team jumped on the sixth-ranked Wildcats with an early 2-0 lead in the second inning. UA (39-14) chipped away and eventually earned a 4-2 victory over the Trailblazers.
Center fielder Donta' Williams singled up the middle in the sixth inning with the game tied 2-2. An error on the play allowed outfielder Tanner O'Tremba to score giving the Wildcats the go-ahead run.
The error that allowed the Wildcats to earn the victory was one of four on the day for the Trailblazers.
"I'm proud of them for winning the game tonight," UA head coach Jay Johnson said after Thursday's victory. "That team had won eight in a row, and a lot of left-handed hitters in the lineup. Competed really hard. I thought both pitchers for them threw the ball well, so it's a good win."
Thursday's game challenged Arizona in the early going as starting pitcher Chandler Murphy found himself in a difficult spot after committing a throwing error in the second inning. The mistake eventually led to the Trailblazers scoring two runs.
Murphy eventually settled in nicely the remainder of his time on the mound as he retired nine consecutive batters at on point. The freshman turned the ball over to the bullpen after five innings.
"Mentally I knew what I did wrong," Murphy said about how he was able to rebound from his throwing error. "It was a pretty simple play, and you just gotta move on to the next pitch. You can't hang onto it too long."
Arizona's relievers performed well down the stretch with left-handers Randy Abshier and Gil Luna combining to allow just one hit over the final three innings. The performance allowed Abshier to win his fourth game of the season while Luna earned his first save.
It was another strong sign for the UA bullpen as it gets closer to the start of the postseason.
"When we're as good as we are on offense and you're in a close game and the bullpen is pitching that well, that's gonna tip the scales in our favor in close games," Johnson said. "So, it's really, really important and I'm really pleased with the job those guys are doing. We have a lot of depth, we have a lot of ways we can match up favorably. I think you saw that tonight.
"I think that will be key to our success moving forward."
The Dixie State pitching staff did a nice job of keeping the Arizona bats quiet for most of the night, but the Wildcats were able to string together enough strong at-bats to pull out the victory. Johnson said he felt his team looked a bit tired during its 53rd game of the season, but the group was able to score enough to inch closer to 40 victories.
First baseman Branden Boissiere was one of the bright spots at the plate for UA in Thursday's game as he led the team with two hits in the win. His RBI single in the eighth inning gave the Wildcats some breathing room en route to the victory.
"It was great for me and my confidence," said Boissiere, who recently hit a rough patch at the plate. "I've been really working on my mental mindset. What I do when I get in the box I'm just trying to provide for the team and help us win any way that I can.
"So, it felt really good tonight to finally get some good hard hits."
The Wildcats will go for win No. 40 on the season Friday night as they again host Dixie State in the second game of the series. UA will have to keep an eye on the score in Berkeley as Oregon continues to chase the Wildcats for a share of the Pac-12 title in its series against Cal. The Ducks beat Cal 11-5 on Thursday keeping them in the hunt.
If Oregon loses any of the two remaining games this weekend Arizona will win its first outright conference title since 1992. The Wildcats have already secured at least a share of the crown plus hold the league's automatic bid after beating Oregon State last week.
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