The 14th-ranked Arizona baseball team scored three first-inning runs Saturday and then rode the arm of Konner Wade, who threw a complete-game three-hitter en route to a 4-1 series-clinching victory over California.
The right-handed Wade improved to 7-1 on the season. He surrendered just three hits but did walk four, though he registered seven strikeouts and did not yield a hit with runner in scoring position.
The complete game was Wade’s third of the season and the Wildcats’ 10th of the year. Kurt Heyer threw his fifth of the year yesterday in UA's win Friday night.
Arizona (32-15, 15-8 Pac-12) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Joey Rickard led off the game with his first home run of the season to left field, and Johnny Field and Robert Refsnyder each singled before Bobby Brown delivered a two-out, two-run single to center.
After giving up the three first-inning runs, California starter Matt Flemer (7-4) kept the Wildcats scoreless over the next six innings. He finished with just the three runs allowed on eight hits and one walk to go with four strikeouts in seven innings of work.
Cal (25-21, 9-14) was held hitless by Wade over the first three innings, but Andrew Knapp snapped that string with a leadoff double in the bottom of the fourth. Tony Renda then drew a walk before Mitch Delfino struck out on a failed bunt attempt for the first out. A soft fly ball and a groundout ended the inning and left the two runners stranded.
Knapp’s double remained California’s only hit of the game until the sixth, when Renda hit a two-out solo home run over the left-field fence to cut UA’s lead to 3-1.
Joey Donofrio entered to pitch the eighth inning for the Golden Bears and surrendered a leadoff homer to Refsnyder, who picked up his second round-tripper in as many games and his sixth of the season to set the score at its eventual final of 4-1.
Cal threatened in the ninth inning and brought the tying run to the plate with two out. After Wade picked up two quick outs, Chad Bunting reached on a popup single that landed in shallow right field. Wade then hit Mike Reuvekamp with a pitch to bring pinch-hitter Jacob Wark to the plate as the tying run. After falling behind in the count 3-1, Wade battled back to record his seventh and final strikeout of the game to preserve the victory.
California finished the game 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position.
The Wildcats rapped out 10 hits in the game, led by two-hit performances from Field, Refsnyder, Brown and Gilbert.
