Arizona baseball outlasts Rhode Island in high-scoring affair

After scoring just 19 runs in their previous six games, and winning only three, the Arizona Wildcats’ offense finally returned to the form we saw during the opening weekend and throughout last season.

Arizona (7-3) cranked out 15 hits and capitalized on 10 walks and three hit batters in a 19-10 win over the Rhode Island Rams on Saturday night at Hi Corbett Field.

The first six hitters in Arizona’s lineup were a combined 13 for 25 with six walks, 14 RBI and 15 runs scored, this coming a night after the bottom of the order carried the Wildcats in a 5-1 win over Central Michigan. Ryan Holgate was 2 for 3 with five RBI while Branden Boissiere and Michael Dyer had three RBIs each and both Boissiere and Austin Wells had three hits apiece.

An 8-run second inning broke it open for Arizona, with two-run singles by Dyer and Brandon Boissiere helping turned a 2-1 lead into a 10-1 advantage.

The Wildcats added three more in the third, highlighted by a 2-run double from Holgate, to lead 13-1, but then Rhode Island chased UA starter Quinn Flanagan during a 6-run top of the fifth in which the Rams scored on a bases loaded walk and then on a balk by reliever Randy Abshier.

Arizona made it 15-7 in the bottom of the third on RBI groundouts by Holgate and Tony Bullard, then after Rhode Island cut it to 15-10 in the top of the sixth the Wildcats added two more in the bottom of the frame via RBI hits from Donta Williams and Wells.

An RBI single from Kobe Kato in the seventh and a solo home run from Dyer in the eighth capped the scoring for Arizona.

Freshman Blake Peyton earned his first career win with two hitless innings of relief, allowing three walks but striking out four. Arizona pitchers struck out 11 Ram batters, striking out at least 11 for the 10^th straight game to start the season.

Arizona wraps up the weekend by facing Rhode Island Sunday at 12 p.m. MT at Hi Corbett.

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