(San Diego, CA) Two home runs and three RBI off the bat of designated hitter Blake Paughwere the only runs the Arizona Wildcats (5-2) needed to secure a 3-2 victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers (1-5) to close out the Tony Gwynn Legacy tournament on Sunday afternoon.
Paugh lifted a solo shot over the wall in left field to tie the game at 1-1 and followed it up with a two-run dinger to left-center in the top of the sixth to give Arizona the winning runs. It was the first career multi-home run game for Paugh, who entered the game with four career long balls.
Right-hander Chandler Murphy got the start for the Wildcats and went 5.1 innings allowing just one unearned run on two singles while striking out seven. He earned the win to move to 2-0 in his freshman campaign.
Southpaw Blake Peyton and right-hander Vince Vannelle worked out of the Arizona bullpen and combined to hold off Nebraska while striking out four. Over the course of the three-game weekend, the Wildcats bullpen surrendered just one run on four hits while piling up 19 strikeouts across 11.0 innings.
Arizona WildBATS
- DH Blake Paugh: 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI
- First career multi-HR game
- CF Donta Williams: 2-for-4, 1 R
Bullpen Bullies
- RHP Vince Vannelle: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K, SAVE
- First save of 2020 season
- LHP Blake Peyton: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 K
Number of the Day
- Arizona starting pitcher Chandler Murphy has opened his college career with 10.1 innings of work without allowing an earned run.
Up Next
The Wildcats return home for a midweek matchup against Central Michigan on Wednesday, Feb. 26at Hi Corbett Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. MST.
Press Release courtesy of Arizona Communication Services – Brett Gleason
