Brendan Summerhill’s two-run shot in the bottom of the 10th inning lifted Arizona baseball over UCLA 5-3 on Thursday night at Hi Corbett Field
It was the third straight hand with a home run for Summerhill to help the Wildcats (11-13) improve to 5-5 in Pac-12 play.
“To win these close games we have to want guys to want to be in a situation,” UA coach Chip Hale said. “It’s exciting, three in three games. He’s been a RBI machine.”
After UA didn’t allow any damage in the top of the tenth, Summerhill came up to bat with Richie Morales on first base. Summerhill hit a 2-run shot to right field that traveled 416 feet and had an exit velocity of 107 miles per hour.
The Bruins jumped out to a 3-0 lead after a sacrifice fly brought home the first run in the first inning and another two came home in the fourth.
Arizona started to cut into UCLA’s lead in the fourth after Emilio Corona hit a sac fly and a single by Tommy Splaine drove in another to make it 3-2.
In the bottom of the eighth, Garen Caulfield hit a solo shot to tie the game. Caufield has homered in two straight.
Jackson Kent made his seventh start of the season and went 5.2 innings, allowing six hits and two earned runs with seven strikeouts on 102 pitches.
UA had lost six games by one run and two games by two.
“I don’t think we’ve ever really doubted that we’re a great team because we lose a lot of close games,” Summerhill said. “But we’re always getting a guy over or getting one more guy in and getting one more guy on. That’s all it is. And I think today we did that and it’s a great team win.”
The quartet of Tony Pluta, Dawson Netz, Eric Orloff and Casey Hintz pitched a combined 4.1 innings of scoreless relief
“The reason why our bullpen has been so effective is because our starting pitchers have pitched so well,” Hale said. “And now they’re rested. They feel good about. They can pitch twice on the weekend. So, Jackson Kent set the tone. I thought all of them threw the ball well. Casey Hintz did a wonderful job of keeping us in a tie game and let us win the game.”
UA plays the second game of its three-game series with UCLA Friday at 7 p.m. MST.