Arizona baseball drops middle game at West Virginia to snap 10-game win streak

Arizona will not be going unbeaten in its first season in the Big 12 Conference.

The Wildcats dropped their first league game on Saturday afternoon, falling 11-3 at West Virginia to snap a 10-game win streak.

A 7-run bottom of the 4^th sealed the game for the Mountaineers (19-2, 2-1 Big 12), which chased UA starter Owen Kramkowski after 3.1 innings. The Wildcats (17-5, 4-1) were hoping he could go long after using seven pitchers in Friday night’s 16-inning win at West Virginia, a game that saw them record a school-record 29 strikeouts.

Kramkowski allowed eight runs, six earned, with the last three coming in after Raul Garayzar came on with the bases loaded and allowed a 3-run double. Garayzar gave up back-to-back run-scoring hits before retiring eight in a row, then Eric Orloff allowed two runs in the 7^th.

West Virginia’s starter only lasted 3.2 innings but it only needed one reliever, as Reese Bassinger went the final 5.1 innings and allowed only one hit and one walk with eight strikeouts.

Arizona scored once each in the first two innings, on an RBI double by Mason White and a run-scoring single from Brendan Summerhill, who had two of the Wildcats’ seven hits. Tommy Splaine —who also had two hits—led off the top of the 4^th with a solo home run to put the Wildcats up 3-2 but after that it was all West Virginia.

The rubber match of the series is set for 9 a.m. PT Sunday, with freshman RHP Smith Bailey set to start for Arizona.