Bizarre win keeps baseball team undefeated

Wildcat File Photo Arizona Daily Wildcat Junior catcher Dennis Anderson (26) hustles to tag out a UNLV runner at the plate. The Wildcats won 6-5, improving their record to a perfect 10-0.

After freshman starting pitcher Ben Diggins walked in the bottom of the seventh with the score tied at five, he was pinch run for by freshman Kelsey Osburn.

Osburn, who according to UA head coach Jerry Stitt is, "the fastest guy on the team," was probably put in to try and get into scoring position.

UNLV pitcher Mike Lopez decided to check Osburn at first base by attempting to pick him off. He overthrew the first baseman and the ball went into the UA bullpen.

Rebel right fielder Ryan Ludwick was playing shallow and to the left and didn't get to the ball until Osburn was at third base.

Osburn came in to score all the way from first base and that proved to be the winning run as sophomore pitcher Mike Meyer came in to pitch the final two innings to secure the win and pick up his second save.

"When I saw (third base) Coach (Vic) Solis waving his arms I just kept on running," Osburn said. "It was very weird. It was the first time I have ever seen anything like that."

The Wildcats got on the scoreboard early in the bottom of the first when freshman right fielder Shelley Duncan blasted his fourth home run of the season off the screen in center field, giving the Wildcats a 3-0 lead.

"It is one of those things that you see a lot of times," Stitt said. "A guy takes a good swing and fouls it off, which he did and then the pitcher thinks he set him up. He then gets the different pitch and sticks with it and hits it hard to center."

UNLV then got on the board in the second and third innings, scoring two earned runs in each inning off Diggins.

After giving up a fifth run in the top of the fifth, Diggins was taken out and replaced by the eventual winning pitcher, sophomore Wesley Zlotoff (1-0).

"He (Diggins) was struggling with control of all his pitches today," Stitt said. "He threw hard at times, but he just didn't have command. It was also the first time in a game that he was throwing sliders. But, that is what these early games are for."

UA tied the game in the bottom of the sixth after sophomore Erik Torres singled, Duncan walked and freshman Kenny Huff came up and drove a single to right field, driving in Torres.

Zlotoff then pitched the seventh and after Osburn scored in the bottom half of the inning, Meyer came in to finish the job.

"That is my role, to come in and close in tough situations," Meyer said. "You have to be mentally prepared. You have to go out there and not be afraid to lose."

Meyer's mentality seems to have rubbed off on his teammates, Stitt said.

"The guys just kept on battling. They got a couple of runs here and a couple of runs there and stayed close," he said.

Arizona will finish the two-game series with UNLV today at 3 when junior Mike Crawford (2-0, 1.00 ERA) takes the hill at Frank Sancet Field to try and keep the Wildcats undefeated.