Arizona baseball loses at GCU in walkoff fashion
Arizona Athletics PHOENIX – In a season where very little has gone right for Arizona baseball, the Wildcats’ Tuesday night loss at GCU serves as a microcosm for the past two months. Arizona overcame a sluggish start offensively to take a 4-run lead into the bottom of the ninth inning, only to watch its lead dissolve into a 9-8 walkoff loss to the Antelopes at Brazell Field at GCU Park. Arizona (16-27) dropped to 3-6 in midweek games and 1-2 against GCU this season.
“We don’t know how to win,” Arizona coach Chip Hale said. “This team has been very poor at finishing games and winning games and it’s too bad. ” Arizona’s night got off to a cold start, as the Wildcats bats couldn’t get much going off GCU starter Cody Kiemele .
The Antelopes scored three runs in the second off Arizona freshman Jack Lafflam , who was making his first appearance in nearly a month. Lafflam went 1. 2 innings, allowing five hits on two strikeouts.
Two of his runs were earned. Arizona’s began to wake up in the seventh, when Caleb Danzeisen brought in a pair of runs on a fielding error by the Antelopes to tie the game at 3-3. Arizona took the lead in the eighth on a three-run triple by Carson McEntire .
After GCU added a run back in the bottom of the frame, the Wildcats added two more runs in the ninth on an Tony Lira RBI triple and an Andrew Cain sac fly. Arizona reliever Garrett Hicks recorded the first out of the bottom of the ninth, then conceded a double, home run, double and double as GCU cut the deficit to 8-7. With a runner on second and one out, Arizona turned to Matthew Martinez .