May 10, 2008
TUCSON, Arizona - First baseman C.J. Ziegler hit three home runs and drove in four runs as No. 19 Arizona topped Utah Valley 10-4 on Friday night in the opening game of a three-game series. Wolverine senior Matt Ratliff picked up the first two hits of his Division I career in the loss that dropped UV to 0-6 all-time against the Pac-10 team.
The Wolverines (14-32-1) jumped out to a 1-0 lead with an Adam Openshaw RBI single in the top of the first, but seven consecutive runs gave the Wildcats (32-15) control and had UV playing catch-up the rest of the way.
Arizona tied it in the second and then broke through with a five-run third in which three different players homered including Ziegler, who followed Jon Gaston's solo shot with one of his own. Two batters later, Mike Weldon wrapped a home run around the left field pole.
Leading 6-1 in the fourth with one out, Ziegler had his at-bat prolonged after a dropped foul ball and made the Wolverines pay with his 14th long ball of the year.
Utah Valley wouldn't go away though, with two runs in the fifth and another in the sixth.
Ratliff picked up both his first hit and RBI with two-out in the fifth when he lined a single to center that scored Jake Rickenbach. After Ryan Jones singled, Jace Brinkerhoff singled to left to score Ratliff.
In the sixth, Scott Croshaw led off with a double and then scored on Kevin Arendse's single up the middle to trim the UA deficit to 7-4. Josh Hinckley then doubled to right, putting runners at second and third with no outs.
That's when the Wildcat bullpen went to work though. Ryan Perry came in to strike out Rickenbach and Tyler Garretson before getting Ratliff to ground out, stranding both runners.
Perry worked a perfect seventh and Mark Schlereth struck out two Wolverines in throwing perfect eighth before Jason Stoffel got the final three outs. The only base runner allowed by the Wildcat relievers was Ratliff when he reached on an infield single with two out in the ninth.
Ziegler's third home run, his 15th of the year, came as part of a three-run eighth that gave Arizona some insurance heading into the ninth.
Utah Valley managed two earn runs (four total) on 10 hits off of Wildcat starter Preston Guilmet, who moved to 6-3 with the win. Dan Christensen (1-7) suffered the loss for the Wolverines after giving up four earned runs in two and 2/3 innings.
The series continues on Saturday night at 7 p.m. MT.
