OMAHA, Neb. — Arizona is in a familiar spot, struggling in either the opening game of a series or the first matchup of a postseason round, heading into Sunday’s elimination bracket of the College World Series at Charles Schwab Field
The Wildcats (44-20) lost 7-4 to Coastal Carolina in the opening game of the CWS on Friday, putting them with their “backs against the wall,” as coach Chip Hale described it. Arizona will play either Louisville or Oregon State in an elimination game Sunday at 11 a.m.
Arizona won three Big 12 series after losing the first game (against Oklahoma State, BYU and Houston) and had the monumental rebound against North Carolina last week in the Chapel Hill (N.C.) Super Regional winning the last two games after getting routed 18-2 in the opening game.
The Wildcats also mustered only two hits in a 3-2 win over Cal Poly to start the Eugene (Ore.) Regional two weeks ago before scoring 28 runs on 32 hits (14 of them home runs) in a 14-4 win over Utah Valley and 14-0 triumph over Cal Poly to win the regional.
“It’s a familiar feeling being at the bottom, in a tough situation, tough spot,” Mason White said. “We’re going to have to play on Sunday. We’re going to play a really good team, whoever it is.
“We did it twice in North Carolina. We battled and then that’s what our whole season has been, battling back from tough things we had to face.”
Coastal Carolina (54-11) showed why it has now won 24 straight games, rallying for the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth with two outs.
Arizona reliever Garrett Hicks retired four straight batters before Wells Sykes hit a bloop double that barely landed fair down the right-field line to spark the game-winning rally.
After Caden Bodine, Coastal Carolina’s top batter, was intentionally walked, Sebastian Alexander hit a single to center field that scored Sykes to put the Chanticleers ahead 5-4.
After Tony Pluta relieved Hicks, Blake Barthol hit a double to the wall in right-center field, bringing home Bodine and Alexander to increase the lead to 7-4.
Hale said he discussed bringing in Pluta, Arizona’s heralded closer, with pitching coach Kevin Vance and they decided to summon Pluta to keep the game close.
“The guy (Pluta) is the closer the year in the country, and we just wanted to keep it at one run,” he said. “That (Barthol’s two-run double) doesn’t happen very often with Tony Pluta. Garrett was doing great. Don’t get me wrong. Two bloop hits beat him.
“Maybe that was a mistake, (but) Tony was ready. He was loose. He got behind (3-1 count). (Barthol) did a great job hitting it in the gap. That’s really what broke our back. I think one run we definitely could tie that sucker.”
In the top of the ninth, Ironwood Ridge graduate Andrew Cain led off with a double, forcing the exit of Cameron Flukey, a quality starter for Coastal Carolina who came in to pitch in the fifth inning. Left-handed reliever Dominick Carbone entered in relief.
Tommy Splaine then singled on a 0-2 count, moving Cain to third.
Hale played the percentages and inserted right-handed pinch-hitter Dom Rodriguez in place of Easton Breyfogle to face the lefty reliever. Rodriguez struck out swinging. Brendan Summerhill followed with a grounder to second base that resulted in the game-ending double play.
“I was very proud of them in the ninth,” Hale said. “We had the tying run at the plate. We pitch hit Dom. He had a tough at-bat. And Brendan hit the ball, a few feet the other way, it’s a base hit, and we keep it going. They keep fighting. They’re not going to stop fighting.”
The Wildcats had to rally from behind after Coastal Carolina took a 2-0 lead in the second inning.
Owen Kramkowski allowed the first two batters — Colby Thorndyke and Blagen Pado — to reach base on singles.
Ty Dooley then hit a bunt that went into the air and near the third-base line. Kramkowski came close to catching the ball on a dive attempt but the ball eluded him, allowing the bases to become loaded.
“I saw the ball was going to be up in the air for a while,” said Kramkowski, a Walden Grove graduate. “I didn’t see anyone near it. I knew I was going to have to make a play on it and went all out for it, I guess, just trying to make something happen.
“Ended up with a tough situation out of it. But a play I wish I could have made again, but it happens.”
Afer Kramkowski struck out the next batter, Sykes hit a single to left-center field that scored Thorndyke and Pado, giving Coastal Carolina the 2-0 lead.
Kramkowski managed to get the last two batters out of that inning.
“It didn’t look like (catcher) Adonys (Guzman) could see it,” Hale said of the bunt pop up. “He was looking behind him. And Maddox (Mihalakis) was at third. He didn’t get a good break in.
“Owen’s a great athlete. That’s a play he makes. He had it in his glove. I think when he hit the ground it just got jarred out. … That’s what we talked about before the game. Other than that bunt, we did a really good job of defending their bunts. It’s a big play for them, the hit batsmen and bunts. I thought we did a really good job.”
Arizona’s lineup awakened in the top of the fourth, thanks to a jolt provided by White’s opposite-field home run to left field with one out that cut the lead to 2-1.
The home run — White’s 20th this season and 49th of his Arizona career — enabled the Salpointe alum to break Dave Stegman’s extra-base hit record with the Wildcats. Stegman had 110 from 1973 to 1976. White’s home run gave him 111.
ARIZONA CAREER HOME RUN LEADERS
| Player | Years | HR |
|---|---|---|
| Shelley Duncan | 1999-2001 | 55 |
| Mason White | 2023-25 | 49 |
| Brad Glenn | 2006-09 | 43 |
| Chase Davis | 2021-23 | 39 |
| Kenny Corley | 1995-98 | 36 |
| Nick Quintana | 2017-19 | 35 |
| David Shermet | 1985-88 | 34 |
| Les Pearsey | 1975-78 | 33 |
| C.J. Zeigler | 2007-08 | 33 |
| Moises Duran | 2001-04 | 32 |
ARIZONA CAREER EXTRA-BASE LEADERS
| Player | Years | HR |
|---|---|---|
| Mason White | 2023-25 | 111 |
| Dave Stegman | 1973-76 | 110 |
| Brad Glenn | 2006-09 | 103 |
| Chip Hale | 1984-87 | 101 |
| Todd Trafton | 1983-86 | 100 |
Guzman followed White’s home run with a near-home run, also to the opposite field to right field. The ball hit off the wall and Guzman ran to second for the double. Mihalakis followed with a double that scored Guzman and tied the game at 2.
Coastal Carolina starter Riley Eikhoff did not return in the fifth inning, giving way to fellow starter Cameron Flukey out of the bullpen.
Coastal Carolina coach Kevin Schnall has the luxury of three quality starters — ace right-hander Jacob Morrison (11-0, 2.15) will pitch Sunday — to bring a starter in as a reliever in a tournament format such as this one.
“The strategy was Cameron Flukey is as good of a right-handed pitcher as there is in the entire country,” Schnall said. “To have Eikhoff lead it off, and he’s more of a sinker/slider guy and Flukey is more of a ride (fastball) guy, gives you two different looks, and ultimately it worked out today.”
Flukey (8-1) allowed two hits and two runs in four innings. He struck out three and walked one.
The Chanticleers took a 3-2 lead with two outs in the bottom of the fifth. Pado’s single up the middle scored Barthol, who singled, moved to second on Walker Mitchell’s single and advanced to third on a fly out before coming home.
Arizona chipped away and took the lead 4-3 in the top of the sixth fueled by three hit-by-pitches, a balk, bunt single and grounder’s choice.
After Aaron Walton was hit by a pitch and moved to second on a balk, White was hit by a pitch. Guzman followed with the bunt single to load the bases. Mihalakis was then hit by a pitch that forced Walton home to tie the game at 3. Garen Caulfield followed with a fielder’s choice grounder to second that scored White.
“It was a tough game,” Hale said. “Hard fought. Both teams, I thought, played their tails off. Some funky plays in there. Some hit batsmen. Some funky bunts.”
Coastal Carolina tied the game at 4 in the bottom of the sixth inning behind some short-ball execution of its own against Casey Hintz, who relieved Kramkowski to start the inning. Kramkowski allowed nine hits and three runs in his five innings while striking out seven and walking one.
After Dean Mihos hit a single to lead off Coastal Carolina’s sixth, he moved to second base on a wild pitch, advanced to third on a slow groundout to shortstop and then scored after another groundout to short.
Hicks, formerly of Pima Community College, relieved Hintz after Barthol hit a ground-rule double to lead off the bottom of the seventh and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt.
Hicks struck out the last two batters to keep the game tied at 4.
He then retired the first two batters of the eighth inning before Sykes’ double on an 0-2 count sparked Coastal Carolina’s game-winning rally.
“In the end, it came down to some great two-strike hitting by them,” Hale said. “Great pitch almost on the ground (in the strike zone). Guy dunks it into right for a double.”
Although Arizona does not play Saturday ahead of Sunday’s elimination game, it will certainly not be an off day for the Wildcats — not with the season on the line.
“I think the point that I try to make after the game was the zoo and everything that goes on with Omaha that’s really cool and really fun,” Hale said. “That’s over for us. It’s back to foxhole mentality, playing for each other and worrying about baseball.”
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon. He became an educator in 2016 and is presently a special education teacher at Sunnyside High School in the Sunnyside Unified School District.
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