Arizona
6-run rally in bottom of 9th gives Arizona baseball 10th straight victory
In order to put together a long win streak, a lot of things have to go a team’s way. And when they suddenly don’t, that’s usually how it ends.
Or it all goes wrong for eight-plus innings and then you score six in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Arizona waited until the very end to maintain the longest active win streak in college baseball, rallying from five runs down in its final at-bat to beat Louisiana Tech 6-5 on Saturday night at Hi Corbett Field.
Only about 500 or so of the announced crowd of more than 3,700 were around to watch the UA (20-13) pull off its fourth walkoff victory during the streak … and actually kind of do it twice. Garen Caulfield’s single scored Maddox Mihalakis to end it, but only after it appeared that Mason White had ended the game with a 2-run double to left-center.
But the ball bounced over the red line on the outfield fall, resulting in a ground-rule double, and the umpires had to send the entire UA team—which was dousing White behind second base—back into the dugout and Mihalakis two third.
Two pitches later, Caulfield singled thru the left side and the previously interrupted celebration was able to resume.
“I’ve played a lot of baseball and I’ve never seen that,” said Caulfield, who began the inning with a walk. “Thank God I focused on my mental game and I was able to control my breath a little bit and be ready for that at-bat.”
The UA had managed just five hits and seven baserunners through the first eight innings, the last four of which it played without head coach Chip Hale. He had been ejected in the top of the fourth shortly after making a pitching change and while reliever Bradon Zastrow was warming up Hale’s chirping from the dugout got him tossed.
“It seemed like we couldn’t get a break,” said Hale, who watched the rest of the game via livestream in his office. “I was obviously reflecting it onto the umpires, which I shouldn’t have. They were doing a great job. It was just my frustration of struggling against another left-handed pitcher. A left-handed starter, we’ve really struggled against those guys.”
Louisiana Tech (26-11) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first against Clark Candiotti, who only lasted 3.2 innings and gave up three runs and seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts. His last home outing was a complete game, but immediately after that he contracted an illness that resulted in his start last weekend at Cal to be moved back a day and see him only go five innings.
“It probably took a little bit more out of him than we think,” Hale said. “He didn’t seem like he had the same energy level.”
Zastrow came in and threw two scoreless innings, then Kyler Heyne went 1.1 innings to lower his ERA to 0.64. Casey Hintz and Jaeden Swanberg—who ended up getting the win—each allowed an unearned run as Arizona committed five errors, its most since having seven in a 19-3 home loss to Grand Canyon in 2022 in Hale’s Hi Corbett debut.
“We can’t make five errors,” Hale said. “It should have been 3-0 going in (to the ninth).”
Down 5-0 with three outs left, Hale said his goal for the ninth was to force Louisiana Tech to use its closer. That happened when setup man Sam Brodersen walked Caulfield and Brendan Summerhill to start the inning and Ethan Bates came in from right field.
“And now I’m thinking, what am I’m gonna tell the team,” Hale said. “And then all of a sudden we start coming back.”
Adonys Guzman fisted a single to right, loading the bases for Emilio Corona, who singled to left to bring in Caulfield and get Arizona on the board. Easton Breyfogle—who appeared to hit a towering 2-run homer in the bottom of the first but it was called foul and upheld on review—followed with a single to score Summerhill and make it 5-2.
Tommy Splaine popped out, then Mihalakis singled home Guzman and Corona. A Richie Morales flyout had Arizona down to its last out, then after being down 0-2 White roped a ball into the deepest part of the stadium for the tying ground-rule double before Caulfield’s winning hit on a 1-1 pitch.
The UA had six hits and eight baserunners in the ninth after having five hits and seven men on base in the first eight.
“That happens by our players just keeping each other accountable,” said Corona, who was 3 for 4 and is 8 for 18 during a 5-game hitting streak. “You can fold and you can just swing at whatever you want. But I mean, the hard thing to do in that situation is stay disciplined to our plan and execute to the best of our abilities, which is what we do.”
Arizona can go for another sweep and its longest in-season win streak since 2012 in Sunday’s finale, which has a 10 a.m. PT start. Right-hander Cam Walty (5-1, 2.70) will be on the mound.
Arizona
2026 NFL draft: 3 potential trades back from No. 3 for Arizona Cardinals
Since the Arizona Cardinals want to trade back from the No. 3 picks, here are three deals that could work.
The Arizona Cardinals have the third pick in the 2026 NFL draft, which begins this week on Thursday. All the reports coming out are saying that they want to trade out of the pick to acquire more draft picks.
But what does a trade look like and who could be involved?
The Kansas City Chiefs are involved in talks at some level. ESPN’s Adam Schefter expects trade talks to heat up this week.
NFL teams use a variation of a trade value chart when it comes to draft picks. Now, what a team actually is willing to give up can be influenced by potential competition with other teams, but we can’t count on that.
Here is the general trade value chart teams use.
Here are some potential deals that could be done.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs have two first-round picks, which would be appealing to the Cardinals, who reportedly want to make a move for quarterback Ty Simpson, and the 29th pick might be just the spot to get him.
The third overall pick is worth 514 points.
The Chiefs’ picks at No. 9 (387 points) and No. 29 (202 points) together are worth 589.
To make up the difference, the Cardinals could give up No. 65 (78 points) for a total of 592 points.
One deal could be:
- Cardinals receive get No. 9 and No. 29 (589 points)
- Chiefs receive No. 3 and No. 65 (592 points)
Another could be:
- Cardinals receive No. 9, No. 29, No. 74 and 2027 third-round pick (653 points + value of future third-round pick, which is 36-78 points)
- Chiefs receive No. 3 and No. 34 (689 points)
The Cardinals keep their third-round pick and the Chiefs essentially move back five spots from No. 29.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys have the 12th and 20th picks but no pick in the second round.
Pick No. 12 is 347 points and No. 20 is 269 for a total of 616.
This deal is close:
- Cardinals receive No. 12, No. 20 (616 points)
- Cowboys receive No. 3, No. 65 (592 points)
New Orleans Saints
The Saints are perhaps a dark horse to move up, although they do not have two first-round picks. They have the No. 8 pick, worth 406 points. Their second-round pick, at No. 42, is worth 142 points.
This deal could work:
- Cardinals receive No. 8, No. 42 (548 points)
- Saints receive No. 3, No. 104 (547 points)
Then the Cardinals could use their two second-round picks to then move back into Round 1 to get Ty Simpson.
They could trade No. 34, No. 42 and No. 65 (395 points) for No. 28, No. 38 and No. 106 (398 total points).
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
Arizona
Dust returns to Phoenix area after hazy weekend – KTAR.com
PHOENIX — Breezy winds kicked up a blanket of dust across the Valley on Sunday, and forecasters say more is on the way this week.
Visibility in Phoenix became so bad on Sunday that Sky Harbor airport stopped flights for over an hour
The wind and dust peaked Sunday afternoon and gradually improved into the evening, said Michael Graves, an air quality meteorologist with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.
“You might’ve seen the mountains a bit obscured in the distance,” Graves told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Monday. “A lot of haze in the air.”
By Monday morning, skies had largely cleared and dust levels near the ground had dropped significantly.
Expect more gusty, dusty days this week
The relief may be short-lived.
ADEQ is watching for increased afternoon breezes Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, this time from the west and southwest. Though the winds are expected to be weaker than Sunday’s, Graves said forecasters cannot rule out dust.
“I wouldn’t say windstorm,” Graves said. “I would just say we’ve got some waves coming in. They’re going to increase our afternoon breeziness.”
It’s enough to kick up dry, exposed dirt, which could create pockets of dust. There is a slight chance of broader regional dust transport, Graves said.
It will impact people with asthma, COPD or respiratory conditions the most. Graves advised those with issues to monitor conditions and stay indoors during the dustiest hours.
“If you’re going to be outside, be outside during the times when it’s less dusty or hazy,” Graves said.
Graves noted that spring weather systems typically pass to the north of the Phoenix area, delivering wind and slight temperature drops but little to no rain, a pattern likely to continue.
KTAR News reporter Kellen Shover contributed to this report.
Arizona
Trying to beat the heat: Addressing rising temperatures in Southern Arizona
The University of Arizona and Tucson are known for yearlong warm weather, but when is it too much? With temperature reaching record highs in March, the city of Tucson has already reported increased temperatures for this year.
In the wake of the third annual Southern Arizona Heat Summit, integrating voices throughout the City of Tucson, community stakeholders and experts from UA gather to speak about possible solutions and policies to address rising temperatures and extreme heat.
The summit strives to ensure that the lived experiences of Southern Arizona residents are voiced. The first summit commenced in 2024, in response to the declaration of an extreme heat emergency in Arizona by Gov. Katie Hobbs, as part of a larger plan called Arizona’s Extreme Heat Response Plan.
With representation from organizations such as the American Red Cross, the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, Arizona Jobs with Justice, Tucson Indian Center and many more, the summit emphasized the importance of the perspective and concerns of stakeholder groups throughout the community.
The summit included a variety of UA experts, including faculty representing the School of Geography, Development and Environment; the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy; the Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and the College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture.
One particular project, led by Ladd Keith at the School of Landscape Architecture and Planning, is a part of the Southwest Urban Corridor Integrated Field Laboratory, which is funded by the United States’ Department of Energy to explore extreme heat throughout Arizona. SW-IFL works in collaboration with other national laboratories including those at ASU and NAU.
The team works to analyze extreme heat in the southwest and rural areas, and how communities deal with heat by conducting interviews. The team has also prescribed policy to Pima County and the City of Tucson regarding more effective strategies to combat rising temperatures, such as green stormwater infrastructure.
Anne-Lise Boyer, a post-doctoral researcher with the Climate Assessment for the Southwest, shared that the team particularly analyzed extreme heat in three parts: heat mitigation, heat management and heat governance.
Mitigation deals with prevention through strategies such as green infrastructure and planting trees, while management includes cooling sensors and heat warning systems. Governance allows these measures to be enacted through policy.
In Tucson, some of the most meaningful work the team has engaged in has been drafting the City of Tucson’s Heat Action Roadmap in 2024, which outlines goals to mitigate and mandate extreme heat and its impacts while prioritizing community voices.
The goals of the roadmap include informing and educating citizens of Tucson on the adverse effects of extreme heat and cooling people’s homes and neighborhoods by incorporating heat risk in regional planning. These steps are essential to practicing heat management, especially as the city of Tucson grows.
“I think the most interesting thing about being based in Tucson is that because the heat has been here for a long time, it’s like a laboratory in itself,” Boyer said. “We have all this research and all this collaboration happening with local actors because it’s a pressing issue in Arizona.”
As the annual heat summit recurs, new ideas and perspectives continue to be shared throughout the community. Boyer shared that this year, the Southern Arizona Heat Summit focused on the youth perspective, highlighting middle school and high school students and how heat impacts their everyday lives. Many students spoke about how heat shaped their lives at home, school and sports.
“That’s one of the goals, to have community members participate and give their input in how they wish the city will deal with the heat,” Boyer said.
Boyer and Kirsten Lake, a program coordinator for the SW-IFL team, also shared how the impacts of extreme heat impact some neighborhoods and communities in Tucson more than others, and that their research often evaluates these factors to determine where heat management efforts would make the greatest impact.
“Its important when you’re putting into effect some of these measures, that you make sure you put it where it’s going to make the biggest difference,” Lake said.
The work of the SW-IFL team is not just locally known. The Brookhaven National Lab based in New York deployed a specialized truck to Tucson to collect information on the atmosphere and rising temperatures. The SW-IFL team hosted the Brookhaven team.
Additionally, Keith’s work has led to a guidebook called “Planning for Urban Heat Resilience” which focuses on the adverse effects extreme heat poses to marginalized communities across the country.
“It is so different from place to place and neighborhood to neighborhood because you have to take the whole context into account,” Boyer said. “They recommend first to document the heat impacts in your communities.”
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