Kyle Simon
The Arizona baseball team stayed alive in NCAA regional play Saturday behind some hot hitting and the shutout pitching of Kyle Simon.
Simon (11-3) allowed four hits, striking out six and walking one, as the Wildcats defeated Wright State 13-0 in College Station, Texas, in an elimination game
“Kyle did an outstanding job,” coach Andy Lopez said in the postgame press conference (transcript here). “He pretty much has done what weʼve needed in this kind of role all year. … It was good to see us swing the bats. Itʼs good to be alive, baseball-wise.”
Arizona will play the loser of Saturday’s Texas A&M-Seton Hall game Sunday at 10:35 a.m. Tucson time. If UA wins, it would play again Sunday night against the Texas A&M-Seton Hall winner.
If the Wildcats sweep two games Sunday, then a championship game in the double-elimination regional would be held Monday.
Lopez said he would start freshman Konner Wade (2-0, 3.62 ERA) on Sunday morning.
Arizona had 15 hits against Wright State and used a six-run fourth-inning to take a 7-0 lead. Simon pitched his fifth complete game and his first shutout of the season
“He had great movement on his fastball,” said Wright State infielder Sam Picchiotti.
“It really seemed like he was working off of that. Everything in the zone was down. It was tough to pick up both of his off speeds. His slider wasnʼt moving much, but it was tough to pick up and his change-up was a very good pitch.”