Baseball in March usually brings beautiful sunsets and warm spring temperatures to High Corbett Field.
On Friday, that wasn’t what Mother Nature had in store for the second game of the four-game series with Pepperdine.
At first pitch, the temperature was 51 degrees with cloudy skies and a threat of rain.
Arizona (9-4) was able to overcome the chilly weather to win 3-1 and extend its home winning streak to six games.
The two teams were scoreless through the first five innings with Arizona’s starter Collin McKinney and Pepperdine starter Tommy Scavone locked in a pitchers’ duel.
“This is the first time I’ve pitched in the cold in a while but I just got warm and stayed warm and just executed my pitches,” McKinney said.
McKinney, who pitched six innings, executed his pitches well. He faced 21 batters, threw 77 pitches with 48 strikes allowing three hits, a run, two walks while striking out seven.
Arizona brought in reliever Casey Hintz to finished off the game the last three innings and earn the win.
HIntz faced 11 batters and threw 35 pitches, finding the strike zone 28 times.
For the fourth Friday, Arizona used just two pitchers. Those pitchers in all four games? McKinney and Hintz.
“I guess that’s what our Friday nights are gonna look like,” Arizona coach Chip Hale said.
“I said in the weekly media (press conference), we’d like to use Casey more than once but, this isn’t bad, now we have everybody else for the next two days.”
Pepperdine got on the board first in the top of the sixth inning after Joe Cardinale was walked and Julian Nunez singled to center field. A throwing error by Arizona center fielder Aaron Walton allowed Cardinale to score.
Arizona tied it up in the bottom of the sixth off a Walton double down the left field line, a Mason White single to right field and a Garen Caulfield sacrifice fly to left center that brought Walton home.
The Wildcats grabbed the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning off of a bases-loaded single by Caulfield that scored Brendan Summerhill.
A sacrifice fly to center by Adonys Guzman sent Walton running toward home. The throw was short and Walton was safe, putting Arizona up 3-1.
Pepperdine put in a challenge that the runner left third early, but the call was upheld and the run stayed on the board.
Caulfield had two RBIs on the night for the Wildcats.
“We’re a resilient bunch. I’m sure you guys saw that last year. It’s good that we are continuing that cuz we’re gonna need that when it matters,” Caulfield said about getting the win over the Waves on a night when the offense was struggling.
Game three of the series is Saturday at 6 p.m. at Hi Corbett Field.
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