Wildcats Rip Lions 12-2

The UofA mens baseball team extended their home winning streak to four by beating the Loyola Marymount Lions 12-2 in front of a crowd of almost 800 on a hot Saturday night at Sancet Stadium under a full desert moon.

As quickly as Preston Guilmet put the Wildcats (23-23) in an early 1-0 hole, he and the Arizona bats, came to the rescue.

Guilmet (5-4) went seven strong innings giving up five hits combined with six strikeouts. Preston won his third straight game for the first time since the spring of 2007.

Loyola Marymount (29-22) pitcher Lee Childs spent this Saturday morning graduating with his class in Southern California. He and several other teammates arrived to Tucson by plane after commencements commenced. Childs (7-1) was delt his first loss of the season by a barrage of hitting from the usual, and even the unusual suspects.

Perennial Wildcat star (and defending Pac-10 POW) Dillion Baird went 4-5 with three runs batted in. Loyola High School alum Steve Selsky had 3 RBI’s in his first two at bats, including going yard for his fifth home run on the season in the bottom of the fifth inning. Kyle Stiner went 3-5 with three RBI and two runs scored from the ninth spot.

Roberts was replaced in the fifth inning after giving up eight runs on 12 hits with seven strikeouts. When Wheeler replaced Roberts, the Wildcat men were in the middle of a scoring spree. The Wildcats went wild for two runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings. Without missing a beat, Arizona scored three runs in the sixth and seventh inning.

The Lions were only able two score two runs (once in the first and once in the eighth) on six hits.

Bryce Bandilla and Joe Allison combined for two innings of scoreless relief for the streaking Wildcats.

Coach Andy Lopez, on the ‘Cats first baseman “you probably won’t see Dillion Baird in a Wildcat uniform next year. I am really happy for him.”

Arizona will play two more against LMU Sunday and Monday night at Sancet before closing out the season with seven must win Pac-10 games against Washington and Arizona State in Tucson and then hitting the road to face Oregon to close out the season.

It should also be noted, that Brad Glenn moved into ninth all time on Arizona’s most games played list (209) on a night when he went 1-5 with one RBI.