In starting the season 1-8, Arizona scored a mere 30 runs with more than two crossing the plate in a frame just three times. This weekend the Wildcats basically matched that offensive output, and in doing so pulled off their first sweep.
The UA put up season highs in runs and hits in a 14-4 win over Fresno State in 8 innings on Sunday afternoon at Hi Corbett. They outscored the Bulldogs 29-9 for the weekend, scoring three or more runs six times including including thrice on Sunday.
“We’re taking steps
forward,” said UA coach Chip Hale, whose team has won five of six and has registered at least 10 hits in five consecutive games for the first time since 2023.
As has been the case a lot this season, the youngsters were heavily involved in the offense on Sunday. Nate Novitske had his fifth 3-hit game in the last seven contests, including his first career home run, redshirt freshman Tony Lira was 4 for 4 with three runs scored and Jackson Forbes drove in three. But just as important, if not more so, was the contributions from older players who have struggled.
Senior Maddox Mihalakis was 2 for 5 with three RBI, giving him seven hits and seven RBI in the series. He entered the weekend 4 for 50 with four runs driven in.
“I just came out here and wanted to kind of take the same approach,” said Mihalakis, who more than doubled his batting average from .080 to .175. “Like a lot of the years, kind of been trusting the process and not trying to switch up too much, and then kind of let my mental side take the best of me and kind of just stick with it and do the same thing every day.”
Andrew Cain was 2 for 4 with his first homer of the season, driving in three and scoring three. He had missed three games with a sore hand before 4 for 7 the last two games.
“To win in this league you’re gonna have to have your veterans produce,” Hale said. “And for Maddox, for Cain to get healthy and have a day like he did today, those are super important. We can give all the kids experience, and people say you got great young players, but it’s really tough to win in the Big 12 without your guys who have a track record.”
Arizona (6-9) also got another quality start, as left-hander Luc Fladda allowed three earned runs over six innings. It’s the fifth consecutive start on a weekend of at least six innings with three or fewer earned runs allowed, though not nearly as crisp as Fladda’s last outing when he threw seven shutout frames in Las Vegas.
The hot, dry weather and an unusual wind pattern had something to do with that.
“These days don’t come around very often to Hi Corbett,” hale said. “You very rarely see the wind blowing out here. It usually blows in. I’m not sure if we thought (Fladda would) start on Sundays for us, he’s kind of won that position for us. He’s pitching great and I think the guys enjoy playing behind him.”
Big 12 Conference play is on the horizon, starting with a series next weekend at Utah, but first is one of two midweek trips to ASU on Tuesday night. The Sun Devils are 11-4 and crushing the ball, especially in their tiny home park, but the UA expects to have nearly every pitcher available other than the weekend starters.
It will be the first ASU experience for more than half the Wildcats’ roster.
“Obviously, what we talk about that a lot, but I think when they get up there to Muni and they see the way it’s going to be, it’ll be it’ll be fun,” Hale said. “It’ll be interesting to me, to sit in the corner of the dugout and watch their faces.”
