Information from the Arizona media relations department contributed to this report:
Seventh-ranked Arizona dropped a tight pitchers’ duel to Oregon State on Saturday night, preventing the Wildcats from taking sole possession of the Pac-12 lead.
The Wildcats (37-14, 20-9 Pac-12) had a chance to take the conference lead over No. 6 Oregon in percentage points after the Ducks (35-12, 18-8) lost 6-5 earlier in the day to visiting Stanford.
The Ducks (.692) hold a slight advantage over Arizona (.690) in that important category that will determine the Pac-12 champion because of uneven scheduling due to COVID-19 protocols.
The Wildcats close their series with the Beavers — and their Pac-12 schedule — Sunday at noon at Goss Stadium in Corvallis, Ore.. They have a non-conference series scheduled against Dixie State next weekend at Hi Corbett.
Oregon plays its last regular season game at home today against No. 15 Stanford, before playing upstart Cal in Berkeley, Calif., next weekend. The Golden Bears are going for a sweep of No. 18 UCLA on Sunday at Los Angeles.
In Sunday’s loss to Oregon State, Arizona starting pitcher Garrett Irvin posted his third straight quality start to keep Arizona in the game. The southpaw worked 6 1/3 innings and allowed just three runs on nine hits while striking out five.
The Arizona bullpen was effective as the offense tried to keep the game close. Right-hander Dawson Netz and lefty Gil Luna combined to hold Oregon State (33-19, 15-11) hitless and struck out three over the final 1 2/3 innings.
The Wildcats managed just one run, a sixth-inning score on a delayed first-and-third steal that Kobe Kato and Donta’ Williams executed perfectly. The run extended Arizona’s Pac-12-best scoring streak to 160 games.
Arizona threatened in the top of the ninth, putting two runners in scoring position with no outs. Ultimately, the Wildcats were turned away, forcing a Sunday rubber game to decide the series.
Top Arizona batters:
- 2B Kobe Kato: 1-for-3, R, 2B
- DH Jacob Berry: 1-for-3, 2B, BB
Click here to access the box score.
Pac-12 Baseball Standings
As of Arizona's game on April 14| Team | Rec | Pct. | GB | Ovr | Pct. | Stk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 11-5 | .688 | -- | 24-10 | .706 | W2 |
| Oregon State | 10-5 | .667 | 0.5 | 24-7 | .774 | W4 |
| UCLA | 8-4 | .667 | 1.0 | 23-9 | .719 | W1 |
| Stanford | 9-6 | .600 | 1.5 | 18-10 | .643 | W4 |
| Oregon | 7-5 | .583 | 2 | 21-11 | .656 | W2 |
| California | 7-8 | .467 | 3.5 | 16-16 | .500 | W3 |
| Arizona State | 5-7 | .593 | 4 | 15-19 | .441 | W1 |
| Washington | 6-9 | .400 | 4.5 | 18-14-1 | .561 | W1 |
| Utah | 5-8 | .385 | 4.5 | 16-31 | .340 | L1 |
| USC | 4-8 | .333 | 5 | 18-12 | .600 | W1 |
| Washington State | 4-11 | .267 | 6.5 | 12-19 | .387 | L1 |
Saturday’s scores
- Oregon State 3, Arizona 1
- Stanford 6, Oregon 5
- USC 6, ASU 1
- Cal 4, UCLA 2
- Washington 2, Utah 1
Sunday’s games
- Arizona at Oregon State, noon
- Stanford at Oregon, noon
- ASU at USC, noon
- Utah at Washington, noon
- Cal at UCLA, 1 p.m.
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