Too many free passes by Arizona pitchers causes loss versus Utah

Arizona pitchers issued too many free passes to Utah as the Wildcats lost for the second consecutive game to the last place Utes.
Arizona Wildcats Chase Davis (5) reacts after Garen Caulfield (1) hit a two-run home run against the Oregon Ducks in the second inning during the Pac-12 Baseball Tournament at Scottsdale Stadium on May 25, 2022.
Arizona Wildcats Chase Davis (5) reacts after Garen Caulfield (1) hit a two-run home run against the Oregon Ducks in the second inning during the Pac-12 Baseball Tournament at Scottsdale Stadium on May 25, 2022. | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Three Arizona pitchers combined to walk 12 Utah batters and hit another four as the Wildcats lost for the second consecutive game, 13-4, to the last-place Utes. Utah scored its first four runs on one hit. Only one Utah run was scored without a walk or hit batter being involved.

Arizona dug itself too big of a hole with setting up Utah and was not able to recover. After Arizona cut the deficit to 5-3, Utah scored four runs in the eighth to extend the lead to 9-3. The last two Utah runs in the eighth inning scored on wild pitches by Julian Tonghini.

Arizona took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when a Tommy Splaine triple scored Andrew Cain. Utah answered with three runs in the top of the third inning. A hit batter with the bases loaded, a sacrifice fly and a squeeze bunt gave Utah a 3-1 lead in the top of the third inning.

Core Jackson scored on a wild pitch in the fifth inning and hit a home run in the seventh to extend the Utah lead to 5-1. Cain hit a two-run HR in the bottom of the seventh inning that scored Caulfield to cut the Arizona deficit to 5-3. Utah answered immediately with their four-run eighth.

An Austen Roellig double scored the first run for Utah in the top of the eighth, followed by a single by Digiorno that scored him to extend the lead to 7-3. Tonghini followed with the pair of wild pitches to score the final two runs of the inning for Utah to put the Utes in front 9-3.

Arizona had four hits and four walks. Two of the four Arizona hits were in the bottom of the eighth, but the Wildcats did not score. Brendan Summerhill hit a leadoff triple but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple. Two batters later, Mason While tripled, but he was stranded at third.

Utah scored four more runs in the ninth inning. Jackson hit a three-run HR, and Drake Digiorno drove in his third run of the night with a single. Every Utah batter got on base at least once on Saturday. Garen Caulfield hit a HR and Arizona scored on a Utah error in the bottom of the ninth to close the scoring.

Freshman Smith Bailey is the starting pitcher for Arizona on Sunday as the Wildcats attempt to end a four-game losing streak. Utah at Arizona will have the first pitch on Sunday at noon Mountain Standard Time, with the game on ESPN+.