Arizona baseball wins Big 12 opener at Utah in extra innings

[ASFN Admin]

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The Big 12 schedule provided an opportunity for Arizona to start fresh after a rough preseason. But for much of their first league game, the Wildcats looked headed for more of the same.

Then came the 9th inning.

Arizona scored four times in the top of the 9th, tying the game on a 3-run home run from true freshman Caleb Danzeisen, then plated two in the 11th to win 8-6 at Utah on Friday night.

The Wildcats (7-10) trailed 6-1 at one point, with only two hits through the first eight innings, and they left the bases loaded in the 8th. But with one down in the 9th the tide turned, with Andrew Cain drawing a walk, Maddox Mihalakis singling and Beau Sylvester getting hit by a pitch.

That set the stage for Danzeisen, who earlier in the game was robbed of a homer. He didn’t miss on his second chance at the first longball of his college career.

CALEB IN THE CLUTCH

That's a three-run shot from @CalebDanzeisen and we're all tied up pic.twitter.com/bTbDIiTCNy

— Arizona Baseball (@ArizonaBaseball) March 14, 2026

The UA scored twice in the 11th on a wild pitch with the bases loaded and a sacrifice fly by Carson McEntire, whose solo homer in the 6th was Arizona’s first hit of the game. Garrett Hicks then closed it out with a 1-2-3 11th, his third inning of work.

Hicks walked three and hit a batter but stranded the winning run on 3rd base twice.

Starter Owen Kramkowski allowed six runs (four earned) in 5.1 innings. He gave up a leadoff homer to Utah’s Luke Jacobs before retiring 10 in a row, but in the 6th he gave up three hits and a walk and was taken out. Corey Kling then induced what could have been an inning-ending double play but shortstop Cash Brennan missed the throw from first baseman Tony Lira, bringing in a run, and another game home on a double steal.

Kling would throw clean innings in the 7th and 8th to keep Arizona in it.

Smith Bailey will start for Arizona on Saturday at 2 p.m. PT. He has allowed one run over 13 innings in his last two outings.

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