Kurt Heyer tossed his third consecutive complete game Friday night and 13th-ranked Arizona rapped out 11 base hits as the Wildcats rolled to a 10-2 series-opening victory over host Washington.
Arizona (25-12, 11-5 Pac-12) jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the third and never looked back. Another run in the fourth, two in the fifth and a six-run explosion in the seventh gave the Wildcats a commanding 10-0 lead.
That was more than enough run support for Heyer, as the junior scattered seven hits, struck out five and walked two in another strong performance.
Heyer's complete game was his fourth of the season and seventh of his career. He improved to 7-1 on the season and lowered his earned run average to 1.96. The right-hander carried a shutout bid into the ninth inning, but a leadoff catcher’s interference call and back-to-back one-out hits plated two runs for the Huskies. Just one run was earned on Heyer’s line.
The top of the order provided the punch for the Wildcats, as the No. 1-4 hitters – Joey Rickard, Johnny Field, Alex Mejia and Robert Refsnyder – combined to go 9 for 16 with five extra-base hits, seven runs scored and six runs batted in.
Rickard broke out of a mini-slump with a three-hit day – all doubles – that also included three runs scored and two runs batted in. Refsnyder added his fourth homer of the season and Mejia had three hits, a run scored and an RBI.
For Washington (19-16, 5-8 Pac-12), starter Aaron West was charged with the loss after surrendering four runs on five hits and four walks over 5 2/3 innings. He fell to 4-4 on the season. Relievers Adam Cimber, Mac Acker and Kim Dae Yang threw the final 3 1/3 innings. Cimber gave up five runs – three earned – and Acker yielded one run in the six-run seventh.
Arizona struck first with a run in the top of the third. Rickard drew a two-out walk and stole second base before Johnny Field singled to center to plate the game’s first run. An inning later, Refsnyder hit a solo shot to left-center that extended UA’s lead to 2-0.
The Wildcats added a pair of runs in the fifth. With two outs, Rickard doubled to left-center, Field walked and Mejia reached on an infield single to load the bases. Rickard scored on a wild pitch, and the Huskies then elected to intentionally walk Refsnyder to reload the bases. Seth Mejias-Brean followed and worked a full-count walk to force in another run to give UA a 4-0 lead before a flyout by Bobby Brown stranded three.
Arizona broke the game open in the seventh, scoring six runs on six hits, including four doubles. Rickard led off with a double and, one out later, scored on Mejia’s RBI double. Refsnyder followed with a run-scoring single, and one out later, Brown added an RBI double.
Riley Moore then reached on an error, and after Acker replaced Cimber, Trent Gilbert singled to knock in Brown. Brandon Dixon was then hit by a pitch that loaded the bases, and Rickard followed with his second double of the inning, driving in two more runs to push the lead to 10-0.
In the ninth, Washington pinch-hitter Robert Pehl reached on catcher’s inference after apparently flying out to open the bottom of frame. After Heyer struck out Branden Berry, Andrew Ely singled and Ryan Wiggins hit a two-run double to put the Huskies on the board.
Heyer finished the game by getting a groundout and a strikeout. Pehl’s run was unearned.
