Junior Koley Kolberg pitched six solid innings and senior third baseman Moises Duran was dominant at the plate and on the field as the Wildcat baseball team shut down TCU 5-2 last night at Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas.
Kolberg surrendered just two runs - one earned - on eight hits while striking out three. His only earned run came via a solo homer in the third.
Duran was 2-for-4 with an RBI for Arizona (10-6-1), and he matched a game high with four assists in the infield.
Freshman Mark Melancon pitched three scoreless innings for his first save of the season.
Tied 1-1, the Wildcats went for three runs in the third inning against the Horned Frogs. Junior second baseman John Hardy led off the inning with a solo shot to left field, and a pair of one-out singles plated sophomore left fielder Brad Boyer and shortstop Jason Donald to put the Wildcats up 4-1.
After TCU (8-8) got a run back in the top of the seventh, the Wildcats answered right back when a Duran single scored Hardy to conclude the game's scoring.
Arizona continues play today at 2 p.m. against Notre Dame.
The Wildcats might have a little added incentive when they play the Irish, as Notre Dame beat Arizona 13-5 in last year's NCAA Regional. The loss was one of two in a short playoff trip for the Wildcats a year ago.
None of the players said they have talked about the rematch with the Irish, but it is something that might be in the back of their minds.
"Nobody has really said anything about (the Notre Dame game)," Donald said, but added he expects older guys on the team to remember it when the game rolls around today.
Head coach Andy Lopez had a similar feeling.
He said he wasn't looking for revenge against Notre Dame, but rather the opportunity to see where his team stands against a top-20 opponent.
"I'm really just looking forward to playing another good opponent," Lopez said.
The Wildcats close out the Express Classic tomorrow night at 6 against Penn State.