Arizona extends winning streak to seven games, sweeps second straight Pac-12 opponent

Streak: W7

— Arizona Baseball (@ArizonaBaseball) April 8, 2024

Arizona plays Pac-12 conference foe Stanford at Sunken Diamond on Monday, but it is considered a non-conference game because the teams meet for a three-game series at Hi Corbett Field next month.

That means the Wildcats’ 10-5 conference record — after a seven-game winning streak including sweeps of UCLA and Cal — will hold firm for more than week until they host Washington State from April 19-21.

With Sunday’s 7-3 win at Cal, the Wildcats have now swept back-to-back Pac-12 series for the first time under coach Chip Hale. The last time they achieved the feat was in 2021 against USC and Utah in Jay Johnson’s last season as Arizona’s coach.

The seven-game conference win streak (dating to a win at Oregon on March 24) is the longest since the 2021 team won eight straight.

Arizona is 10-5 at the midway point of Pac-12 play for the 2nd time in 3 years under Chip Hale

During Jay Johnson's 5 full seasons, his best midpoint league record was 9-6

— Brian Pedersen (@realBJP) April 7, 2024

Arizona (17-13 overall) is presently only a few percentage points behind Oregon State (26-4, 8-3 Pac-12) in the conference standings (see standings below).

The Beavers will host Stanford (13-16, 6-6) in a three-game conference series that starts Friday while Arizona will play Louisiana Tech at Hi Corbett in a non-conference series that also begins Friday.

Arizona completed its sweep of California (16-13, 5-10) on Sunday with a 7-3 victory.

The Wildcats took an early lead that they never lost.

Starting pitcher Clark Candiotti (3-1) worked five innings, allowing only two runs on six hits while striking out six without any walks.

Candiotti’s father, former major-leaguer Tom Candiotti, now a broadcaster with the Arizona Diamondbacks, attended the game Sunday and served as an analyst for Cal’s broadcast the last three innings. The elder Candiotti is from the Bay area and attended nearby St. Mary’s.

Arizona opened the scoring against Cal on Sunday in the first inning on a pair of RBI singles from Adonys Guzman and Maddox Mihalakis.

The Wildcats entered the eighth inning with a 5-3 lead.

An RBI single from Richie Morales and a bases-loaded walk by Brendan Summerhill pushed across two runs.

Former Ironwood Ridge standout Andrew Cain, who played at first base, went 2 for 4 with a run, double and two RBIs.

Salpointe graduate Mason White was 2 for 3 with a run.

After Clark Candiotti’s five innings on the mound, followed by an inning by Casey Hintz, relievers Jaeden Swanberg, Kyler Heyne and Tony Pluta were effective. They combined to allow two hits in three scoreless innings.

Heyne struck out the side in the eighth and a Pluta stuck out a batter in the ninth.

Arizona has held opponents to four runs or fewer in 12 of 15 conference games this season.

PAC-12 BASEBALL STANDINGS

Next Pac-12 series
Friday-Sunday
USC at Oregon
Cal at Washington State
Stanford at Oregon State
UCLA at Washington
Utah at Arizona State
Non-conference (Friday-Sunday):
Louisiana Tech at ARIZONA