The Arizona baseball team earned an important 6-0 win over BYU at Hi Corbett Field in the first game of a three-game series Thursday evening.
Arizona (16-24, 7-12 Big 12) is trying to become eligible for the Big 12 tournament that will feature the league’s top 12 teams starting May 19 at Surprise.
The Wildcats are presently alone in 12th place, leading Texas Tech (22-19, 6-12) by a half-game.
BYU (20-20, 9-10) is in ninth place, two games ahead of the Wildcats.
Arizona has 11 conference games remaining.
The Wildcats were able to put up all six scores between the fourth and sixth inning against BYU, providing enough support for starter Luc Fladda (3-1).
Fladda accounted for 11 strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings of work while Corey Kling added two of his own strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings of one-hit ball.
“My change-up was really working for me and they couldn’t see it, so it was perfect,” Fladda said about his success.
“I think he got better and better as the game went on,” coach Chip Hale said about Fladda. “They were kind of on him early and he made some adjustments and he was tough to hit.”
Fladda gave up six hits only, allowing two after the third inning.
Offensively, Arizona started slow but heated up in the middle of the game with Beau Sylvester and TJ Adams having two hits and RBIs apiece.
“It sounds cliché, it’s taking it pitch by pitch – bat to at bat,” Sylvester said on what’s been working for him since Big 12 play started. “I would say sometimes I get used to dwelling on at-bats or looking too far ahead, so it’s just taking pitch to pitch.”
Both pitchers started the game barely allowing baserunners before Sylvester opened the scoring with a single that got Caleb Danzeisen and Andrew Cain home in the fourth.
Arizona kept rallying in the fifth, scoring two more times following a leadoff double by Carson McEntire then Cash Brennan getting hit by a pitch to get on base.
Both runners advanced on a throwing error by Wayland Crane to second before Danzeisen lined a single to right field to bring in McEntire and move Brennan to third before an RBI ground out by Nate Novitske got Brennan home.
The offense continued into the sixth for the Wildcats with a single by Sylvester and a fielder’s choice that allowed Brennan to reach first.
Brennan then stole second before Adams hit a single to left field, scoring both but was caught stealing second to end the inning.
“This team (BYU) is a way better hitting team than they hit tonight,” Hale said about the challenges of the last two games of the series. “Part of that was Fladda, part of it was getting used to the lights and hitting in our ballpark. They’re going to come with a vengeance tomorrow (Friday), so we got to be ready.”
The second game of the series will start at 6 p.m. Friday night at Hi Corbett Field.
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