Arizona hit eight home runs, three by Mason White and blew open a tight game with a six-run seventh inning in a 14-4 win over Utah Valley on Saturday to advance to the Eugene Regional Final on Sunday. Cal Poly and Utah Valley will play on Sunday at 3 PM Mountain Standard Time, with Arizona playing the winner.
Arizona scored two runs in the top of the first inning on a two-run HR by White. Utah Valley answered with a pair of two-run singles in the bottom of the first inning. Arizona regained the lead in the second inning on a play officially ruled an Easton Breyfogle sacrifice fly that was dropped by the Utah Valley centerfielder.
White homered in the third inning and he, Tommy Splaine and Brendan Summerhill hit long balls in a span of five at-bats to extend the Arizona lead to 7-2 in the fourth. Utah Valley scored a pair of runs on groundouts in the bottom of the fourth to get back into the game with a 7-4 deficit entering the fifth inning.
The score remained 7-4 until the six-run Arizona seventh inning. A Breyfogle single scored Andrew Cain. Summerhill grounded out to second base to score Splaine. Aaron Walton followed with a two-run HR to score Breyfogle. After a White double, Adonys Guzman homered, extending the Arizona lead to 13-4 after seven innings.
Garen Caulfield hit a solo home run in the top of the eighth inning to set the Arizona single-game record with eight long balls total in the same game. Raul Garayzar started and pitched three innings and allowed four runs, three earned. Casey Hintz pitched the middle three innings, retiring all nine batters he faced with two strikeouts.
Hintz got the win to improve to 7-4. Michael Hilker Jr. pitched the final three innings, holding Utah Valley scoreless on two hits with seven strikeouts. Expect freshman Smith Bailey to start for Arizona on Sunday as the Wildcats attempt to advance to their first Super Regional since qualifying for the 2021 College World Series.
Arizona will play the winner of Cal Poly and Utah Valley on Sunday night at 7 PM Mountain Standard Time on ESPN+. Potentially looking ahead, Arizona matches up with the Chapel Hill regional. North Carolina is 2-0 in Chapel Hill and will play the winner of Nebraska and Oklahoma in the regional final on Sunday.