The Arizona baseball team swept Cincinnati in a three-game series, winning the third game 11-1 on Sunday afternoon at Hi Corbett Field.
The game ended by mercy rule in the top of the seventh inning when Arizona pitcher Julian Tonghini got Cincinnati third baseman Kerrington Cross to fly out.
Arizona (15-4, 3-0) will next host Kansas on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in a non-conference game although both teams are in the Big 12.
“Every day we’re getting a little better,” said Arizona coach Chip Hale, whose Wildcats improved to 12-0 at home this season. “We’ve had all different types of games against everybody and I think in the end that helps us.”
Arizona starter Smith Bailey tossed five innings against Cincinnati (11-9, 0-3). He did not allow a run and struck out five.
“It wasn’t easy for (Smith) today,” Hale said. “He fell behind a bunch and made big pitches in big spots.”
Bailey (1-1) now has an ERA of 1.80.
Arizona jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning when second baseman Garen Caulfield hit an RBI groundout off Cincinnati starter Joel Pineiro that scored outfielder Brendan Summerhill.
The lead was doubled in the third inning when Summerhill hit an RBI single that scored outfielder TJ Adams.
Adams, a sophomore, was starting for the injured Easton Breyfogle, who suffered a quad injury during last week’s game against Arizona State. Hale said the team would be lucky to get Breyfogle back for next weekend’s road series against West Virginia.
Outfielder Aaron Walton gave the Wildcats a 3-0 lead when he drove home Summerhill on an RBI single, before scoring on a double play. Arizona led 4-0 after three innings.
The lead was extended to 7-0 with three more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning highlighted by a RBI triple from Caulfield.
After a home run by Cincinnati’s Tommy O’Connor, Arizona shortstop Mason White, a Salpointe grad, put the game out of reach with a three-run triple.
White then scored after Caulfield hit an RBI single to make it 11-1, leading to Tonghini coming in to get the final three outs.
White, a junior, is now batting .351 after the three-hit day.
“I’m always messing with things,” White said on his approach.
He was 0 for 4 with four strikeouts against ASU on Tuesday before delivering six hits against Cincinnati.
Hale has not determined who will start on the mound against Kansas on Tuesday.
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