Persistence paid off for Arizona in game three of their four-game series with UConn as the Wildcats got their first win on the season beating UConn 5-4 in Hi Corbett on Saturday night.
“A better executed plan. But again, UConn’s been playing hard, been playing great defense against us, they go up and instead of the guys just sort of saying ‘here we go again’ they just said ‘no mas,’” Arizona coach Chip Hale said.
Arizona (1-6) will go for the series split with UConn (2-5) on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Prior to the start of Saturday’s game, Arizona paid tribute to James Farris, a pitcher on the 2012 national championship team who passed away from liver cancer in August at the age of 33.
The Farris family and members of the 2012 national championship team including coach Andy Lopez and CWS MVP Rob Refsnyder, of the Seattle Mariners, gathered in front of the pitchers mound as Arizona played a montage to Farris on the big screen in left field.
Farris’ young son Gatlin threw out the first pitch.
Arizona took the lead in the first inning without recording a hit.
Tyler Bickers and Cash Brennan were walked, Tony Lira was hit by a pitch loading the bases for the Wildcats.
Andrew Cain popped a sacrifice fly to center field that scored Bickers.
Roman Meyers reached on a fielder’s choice that brought Brennan across the plate.
The Wildcats would hold a 2-0 lead until the fifth inning when an Evan Menzel two-run double tied the game.
The tie would hold until the top of the eighth. UConn’s Chris Polemeni hit an RBI double giving the Huskies a 3-2 lead.
In the bottom of the eighth, Arizona put together a three-run comeback inning.
A Lira double and a Meyers single would plate two runs.
Carson McEntire singled to bring Meyers home.
In the top of the ninth, things got a bit interesting as UConn grabbed a run back but closer Evan Brandt was able to get the final strikeout to get the save and secure the win for the Wildcats.
Meyers, who was back in as the starting catcher after missing four games in concussion protocol, had one hit, one run, and two RBIs on four at-bats. He also threw out two runners at second base.
“I just want to give credit to my pitchers,” Meyers said. “They made the adjustment perfectly. They’ve given me plenty of time now to get those throws down.”
Despite being on a six-game skid to start the season, the team has stayed positive and patient while the coaching staff worked on a lineup that would get hits consistently.
“We’ve been playing a lot of different guys,” Hale said. “We’ll have a different lineup, too (Sunday), giving the guys opportunities.
“Our energy’s been great. That’s one thing with a young team and some new guys. I’m happy to see them staying in it for their teammates.”
Meyers added the team morale has remained high.
“I mean sometimes it just doesn’t work out your way,” Meyers added. “That’s just what baseball teaches you in life in general.”
Lira added the work put in has never changed.
“It’s been rough; this last week a lot of guys have put in the work, even the coaches,” Lira said. “A lot of us get in here early just trying to put in the work and try to do it for each other, for the fans, for the kids out here.”
“Every single one of us just believing ourselves and believing our coaches. We knew we had it in us. We know we’re a good team. It was just the confidence needed to come out today and I think we all just know who we are as a team. It just showed out here that we are a good team and we just need to believe in what we do, believe in the coaches and what they’re doing behind the scenes.”
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