An 8-5 win yesterday against the Wyoming Cowboys brought the Wildcats' four-game losing streak to a halt.

The game marked the return of first baseman Brian Becker and designated hitter Kenny Corley. Neither player played Tuesday due to Wyoming's left-handed pitching and both hit home runs to celebrate the occasion. Becker's home run came in the fourth inning and gave the Wildcats (12-6) a four-run lead.

"I was struggling a little bit with my swing lately and (Wildcat assistant) coach (Jerry) Stitt tried to get me back to hitting line drives. Actually that ball was a line drive and the wind carried it out," Becker said.

The loss was the first of the year for the Cowboys after winning their first three.

The real story of the game was the solid performance of Arizona pitchers Rob Shabansky (1-0) and Tyler Haddix. Shabansky threw six strikeouts in the first five innings and allowed seven hits and two walks. Haddix relieved Shabansky in the sixth inning and proceeded to strike out three batters to retire the inning. Haddix had a total of seven strikeouts in the game and allowed three hits and one walk.

"Today was a good game, it was big and we had to win it," Haddix said. "Today I don't think I was on as much as I have been because I wasn't hitting the spots on my sinker near as good as I want to, but I have a pretty good curveball every day and so I use that."

The defense in yesterday's game improved dramatically over the previous game. The only errors in the game came from two pitch-outs and a tough ground ball to Jake Thrower. The Wildcats cost themselves Tuesday's game with three errors at crucial times.

"We played badly (Tuesday) and today was much better, but we still need to stay with the game for the full nine innings. Our focus was one pitch at a time," Kindall said. "We're not at a peak of confidence, but I'm still pleased with my guys."

Arizona gets a day off before welcoming Kindall's alma mater Minnesota to Sancet Field for a three-game weekend series.