Sophomore right-hander Smith Bailey allowed only three hits in six innings and Arizona’s lineup rallied for four runs in the sixth inning to pull out a 5-1 victory over Vanderbilt in the second day of the Live Like Lou Las Vegas College Baseball Classic at Las Vegas Ballpark.
Arizona (2-8) plays its final game in the event Sunday at 4 p.m. against UC Irvine (8-3). The Anteaters have defeated Vanderbilt and Oregon in the first two days while Arizona lost to Oregon on Friday.
Vanderbilt (7-4) rallied for a run on an RBI double by Chris Maldonado, but that was the only damage off Bailey, who is 1-0 after no-decisions against Oregon State and UConn.
A D1 Baseball Freshman All-American last season, Bailey has an ERA of 2.65 following the three starts that included 17 innings of work. He has allowed 11 hits with 16 strikeouts and eight walks.
Arizona’s game-turning four-run sixth inning was ignited when Ironwood Ridge graduate Andrew Cain led off the inning with a double.
Maddox Mihalakis followed with an RBI triple that tied the game at 1.
After Roman Meyers walked, Jackson Forbes then laid down a sacrifice bunt that advanced Meyers to second and scored Mihalakis from third.
Carson McEntire walked, which prompted a pitching change for Vanderbilt.
A wild pitch advanced Meyers to third and McEntire to second.
After Cash Brennan struck out, Caleb Danzeisen was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Nate Novitske followed with single that scored Meyers and McEntire, giving Arizona a 4-1.
Meyers added an insurance run with one out in the seventh with a 391-foot solo shot, his second home run of the season.
Patrick Morris, Evan Brandt and Garrett Hicks combined for three innings of scoreless relief for Arizona. Hicks closed the game in the ninth with two strikeouts and a walk.
Novitske finished 3 for 5 with two RBIs and Meyers was 2 for 4 with two runs and the RBI from his solo home run.
Much like last season, when the Wildcats struck out many times in games, they overcame their 12 strikeouts against Vanderbilt.
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