Konner Wade hurled a complete game six-hitter and the No. 13 Arizona baseball team overcame an early one-run deficit en route to a 4-1 series-clinching victory over Washington on Saturday at Husky Ballpark.
Wade (5-1) was brilliant most of the day, surrendering just one run, which came on two hits in the first inning. The sophomore right-hander allowed just four more hits and one walk the rest of the way. He finished with seven strikeouts in the nine-inning effort.
Washington (19-17, 5-9 Pac-12) struck first with a run in the bottom of the opening frame. Jayce Ray led off with an infield single and was bunted to second by Joe Meggs, and Jacob Lamb followed with a run-scoring single to center to spot the Huskies their first lead of the series.
Arizona (26-12, 12-5 Pac-12) was held scoreless over the first four innings by UW starter Tyler Davis, but the right-hander pitched himself into a jam in the fifth. With one out, he walked Joey Rickard and then hit Johnny Field with a pitch before being lifted from the game.
Tyler Kane entered in relief and gave up an RBI single to Alex Mejia that tied the score before skirting further damage with an inning-ending double play off the bat of Robert Refsnyder.
The Wildcats claimed their first lead of the game in the sixth off Kane, who took the loss and fell to 2-1. Seth Mejias-Brean smoked a double to left-center to open the inning, then moved to third on Bobby Brown’s sacrifice bunt. Moore followed with a sharp single up the middle past the drawn-in infield to score Mejias-Brean and give UA a 2-1 lead.
Arizona padded its leads in top of the seventh. Rickard reached on an infield single and stole second to open the inning. Field then roped a double down the right-field line that drove in Rickard, and Mejia advanced Field to third with a groundout. Refsnyder followed with an RBI double to left-center to bring in Field and give UA a 4-1 advantage.
That was plenty of suport for Wade, who did not issue a walk until the ninth inning. Even then, the righty induced a double play and a flyout to wrap up the Wildcats’ eighth complete game thrown this season.
Five of Arizona’s six hits in the game were doubles, and the top seven hitters in the Wildcats’ order each collected at least one base hit in the game. Rickard scored two of UA’s runs, while Refsnyder and Mejias-Brean had two hits apiece.
On the heels of Kurt Heyer’s third consecutive complete game in a 10-2 victory Friday night, the Wildcats’ win Saturday win moved them into sole possession of first place in the Pac-12. No. 8 Oregon and No. 11 UCLA, co-leaders with Arizona entering the day, dropped games to Washington State and Oregon State, respectively.
