Cardiac Cats: Arizona Baseball rallies to win game two of Super Regional, forces winner-take-all game three | News

TUCSON, Ariz. (KVOA) – Don’t count out the Cats yet!

Arizona Baseball beat No. 5 seed North Carolina 10-8 in game two of the Super Regionals to keep its season alive. The Wildcats and Tar Heels will play a winner-take-all game three Sunday for a spot in the College World Series.

Closer Tony Pluta earned the win (3-0) after throwing a career-high 52 pitches. He gave up just two hits in two and a third scoreless innings, striking out two. 

This was a back and forth battle, with the Wildcats overcoming multiple deficits in the game. 

Arizona opened up the scoring in the bottom of the frame. Aaron Walton and Mason White singled. Adonys Guzman hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Walton.

North Carolina responded with a two-run homer from Sam Angelo in the top of the second. That gave UNC its first lead of the game. Arizona tied it up at two off an Easton Breyfogle RBI ground out.

The Tar Heels retook the lead in the fourth with a Luke Stevenson RBI double and a Gavin Gallaher RBI ground out to make it 4-2. Tommy Splaine hit Arizona’s first home run of the Super Regional in the 4th to put the Wildcats back within a run. The Wildcats tied it up again at four off an infield single from Walton. 

Splaine put Arizona back on top with a RBI single in the fifth. Maddox Mihalakis extended the Cats lead to two with a RBI single in the sixth. The Wildcats led 6-4 after six. They’re now 32-0 on the season when leading after six innings. 

The 7th inning lasted a whopping 51 minutes, with the U of A and UNC combining for eight runs. With two runners on and two outs in the 7th, North Carolina’s Tyson Bass hit a home run to left to give the Tar Heels a 7-6 lead. Pluta came in for Arizona and gave up a walk to make it 8-6 UNC. He then struck out the next batter to end the inning.

Arizona rallied in the 7th to regain a two run lead. Brendan Summerhill scored Andrew Cain on a double down the left field line. Easton Breyfogle then scored on a wild pitch. Mihalakis made it 10-8 with a two-run single.

Arizona and North Carolina will play a winner-take-all game three Sunday at 9 a.m. MST.