Baseball takes 2 of 3 from Baylor in weekend road set


By From staff and wire reports
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Monday, March 1, 2004

The Arizona baseball team wrapped up a series win against Baylor a little sooner than expected this weekend.

The probability of rain yesterday in Waco, Texas, forced the No. 16 Wildcats to play a doubleheader Saturday against the No. 15 Bears.

Arizona (7-5-1) used three runs in the final two innings of the second game on Saturday to win the series.

The Wildcats beat the Bears 2-1 Friday, lost 10-2 in the first game Saturday and used a late-inning comeback to beat Baylor 5-3 in game two of the double-dip.

Arizona entered the ninth inning of the second game of the doubleheader tied 3-3 and scored two runs off Baylor closer Zane Carlson. The Wildcats got a perfect ninth inning from junior Derek Rodriguez to preserve the series win.

Sophomore outfielder Brad Boyer and junior first baseman Pat Reilly each hit RBI singles in the ninth to plate the two Arizona runs.

The Wildcats trailed the Bears 3-2 heading into their half of the eighth inning, when they got an infield single from sophomore outfielder Trevor Crowe, coupled with two Baylor errors, to tie the score at three.

With freshman shortstop Jason Donald on second base, Crowe hit a hard ground ball at Baylor second baseman Jared Clements, which bounced off his chest for an infield single. Clement picked up the ball and overthrew Carlson covering first base. The overthrow was picked up by Bears' second baseman Drew Sutton, who overthrew catcher Tyler Bullock at home. That allowed Donald to score and tie the game.

Freshman Mark Melancon (3-1) picked up the win for the Wildcats after throwing three hitless innings in relief of starter Kevin Guyette.

Rodriguez picked up his third save of the year with a perfect ninth inning.

The first game of the day was not as close. Baylor scored six runs in the fifth inning to pull away from the Wildcats in Saturday's early game.

Junior Luis Cortez picked up the loss for Arizona, giving up five runs in 4 1/3 innings.

Arizona snapped a five-game winless streak with a 2-1 win Friday over Baylor. Junior Koley Kolberg (1-1) picked up his first win of the year, giving up just one run in seven innings of work.

The Wildcats got a run in the second inning on a Crowe RBI single and scored another run on Donald's sacrifice fly in the third.

Arizona resumes play this weekend with a three-game series against Sacramento State at Sancet Stadium. Friday's first pitch will be at 3 p.m.