Arizona

Pac-12 Baseball Tournament: Arizona rallies to walk off USC, take conference’s final title

Published

4 weeks ago

May 26, 2024

Pac-12 Baseball Tournament: Arizona rallies to walk off USC, take conference’s final title

SCOTTSDALE—If this happened to be the first time all season you watched Arizona baseball—perhaps because you didn’t get the Pac-12 Network?—you’re in luck: this is how it’s been all year.

Tommy Splaine’s single to left scored Emilio Corona from 2^nd base in the bottom of the 9^th inning, giving the Wildcats a 4-3 win over USC in the Pac-12 Tournament championship game at Scottsdale Stadium.

“We did it again,” Corona said after the UA’s eighth walkoff victory this season.

Seven of those have come against conference opponents, including last week’s 4-3 win over Oregon State to clinch the regular season title. Arizona is now 10-9 in 1-run games this season.

“My heart can’t take too many of these more, but that’s how this team has been,” coach Chip Hale said. “We’ve kind of scrapped, found ways to win, found ways to score runs late.”

Arizona (36-21) was down 3-0 entering the bottom of the 7^th, but that only told half the story. The Wildcats were getting no-hit through six by USC sophomore Caden Aoki, who despite pitching on three days’ rest had the UA offense completely overmatched. He struck out eight of the first 18 batters he faced, the only baserunner reaching on a fielding error.

All that changed in the 7^th when, with 1 out, Mason White broke up the no-no with a solid single, then Maddox Mihalakis worked a 10-pitch walk to chase Aoki. The last pitch got away from the USC catcher, allowing White to go to 3^rd, and he scored on a Blake McDonald sacrifice fly to get the UA on the board.

Arizona tied it in the bottom of the 8^th on an RBI single from Brendan Summerhill and a sacrifice fly by Garen Caulfield. That rally began with a single by Splaine, the only player in the game with two hits, and for the tourney he was 5 for 15 after coming in hitting .228.

“It’s funny because Tommy can have some at-bats where there are strikeouts and he’s not doing much,” Hale said. “But it seems like when the the game’s on the line he has his best at-bats.”

Arizona having a chance to win the game wasn’t possible without senior right-hander Cam Walty, who a week after going 8.1 innings in the regular season finale against OSU tossed eight against USC. He allowed three runs and five hits, three of which could have been caught had UA outfielders not misplayed balls in the wind earlier in the game.

Anthony ‘Tonko’ Susac came in for the ninth and got three groundouts, setting the stage for the walkoff.

McDonald singled with 1 out and was run for by Corona, who has been unable to hit or play the field since taking a pitch on his right hand on May 16. The team’s leading base stealer swiped 2^nd on the first pitch to Andrew Cain.

“We had the one out, got him on, and basically just said, hey, if you get a jump, go,” Hale said. “He’s an elite baserunner.”

After Cain was intentionally walked, Splaine then deposited a 2-1 pitch into left and Corona never broke stride rounding third before sliding headfirst across home plate just ahead of the throw.

“I just really wanted to pull through for our team,” Splaine said. “I didn’t have a great two first at-bats. I was just sitting off speed there.”

USC (31-28) built its 3-0 lead by taking advantage of shaky defense from Arizona. The first run came in the 3^rdon a double to deep center that turned Summerhill around and went over his head, and in the 4^th got back-to-back triples on balls right fielder Easton Breyfogle misplayed before a legit RBI double.

“This was really scary early,” Hale said. “The at-bats were not great, the defense was not great and we stuck with it. And again, it’s all predicated on our starting pitching. When those guys keep us in the game we’ll have a chance.”

Arizona earns the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, which will be its fourth consecutive trip, which was last accomplished in the 1960s. The 64-team tourney field will be announced Monday morning, but Sunday at 5:30 p.m. the NCAA will begin tweeting out the 16 regional host sites.

With an RPI of 31, the UA’s chances of being one of those are slim. The selection committee has traditionally given those to teams in the top 16, or within a spot or two.

“That’s obviously not my decision, and whatever they want to do with us is perfectly fine with us,” Corona said. “We just want to keep playing ball and keep playing with this group. This is a special group and I don’t think anyone wants it to be done anytime soon.”

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Arizona

Ranking Cardinals Extension Candidates

Published

4 hours ago

June 23, 2024

Press Room

ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals approach 2024 as a year with potential to continue their well-documented rebuild under the guidance of general manager Monti Ossenfort, a process that began with a 4-13 mark after the dust settled in 2023.

Several big names have departed and tough decisions have been made across the board to set Arizona up for future success. Those evaluations and conversations will continue into training camp, preseason and eventual regular season play for the Cardinals – who now have a healthy Kyler Murray at the helm.

There’s a handful of big names set to depart from Arizona after 2024, and it’ll be quite interesting to see how the Cardinals handle those respective players and storylines that follow possible extensions.

Here’s our list of top extension candidates for Ossenfort to mull over as we approach the dog days of summer

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Arizona

Arizona Lottery Powerball, The Pick results for June 22, 2024

Published

12 hours ago

June 23, 2024

Press Room

Arizona Lottery Powerball, The Pick results for June 22, 2024

The Arizona Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Arizona offers Powerball, Mega Millions, The Pick, Triple Twist, Fantasy 5 and Pick 3 as well as Scratchers, Quick Draw and Fast Play.

Lottery players have seen enormous jackpots recently, with previous winners of both the Powerball and Mega Millions breaking into the top 10 largest jackpots in U.S. lottery history. Money raised from Arizona lottery games goes toward funding higher education, health and human services, environmental conservation and economic and business development in the state.

Here’s a look at June 22, 2024, results for each game:

Powerball

04-05-15-32-62, Powerball: 21, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

The Pick

06-14-18-21-40-43

Check The Pick payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 3

6-1-4

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Fantasy 5

09-19-22-32-40

Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Triple Twist

11-13-16-18-38-42

Check Triple Twist payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Arizona Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $100 and may redeem winnings up to $599. For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Arizona Lottery offices. By mail, send a winner claim form, winning lottery ticket and a copy of a government-issued ID to P.O. Box 2913, Phoenix, AZ 85062.

To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a winner claim form and deliver the form, along with the ticket and government-issued ID to any of these locations:

Phoenix Arizona Lottery Office: 4740 E. University Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85034, 480-921-4400. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Tucson Arizona Lottery Office: 2955 E. Grant Road, Tucson, AZ 85716, 520-628-5107. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Phoenix Sky Harbor Lottery Office: Terminal 4 Baggage Claim, 3400 E. Sky Harbor Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85034, 480-921-4424. Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes up to $49,999.

Kingman Arizona Lottery Office: Inside Walmart, 3396 Stockton Hill Road, Kingman, AZ 86409, 928-753-8808. Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes up to $49,999.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://www.arizonalottery.com/.

Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network.

Where can you buy Arizona lottery tickets?

Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.

You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Texas, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.

Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. Must be 18+, 21+ in AZ and 19+ in NE. Not affiliated with any State Lottery. Gambling Problem? Call 1-877-8-HOPE-NY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY); 1-800-327-5050 (MA); 1-877-MYLIMIT (OR); 1-800-981-0023 (PR); 1-800-GAMBLER (all others). Visit jackpocket.com/tos for full terms.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Arizona Republic editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Arizona assistant Riccardo Fois joining Sacramento Kings coaching staff

Published

19 hours ago

June 22, 2024

Press Room

Arizona assistant Riccardo Fois joining Sacramento Kings coaching staff

Arizona men’s basketball assistant Riccardo Fois is leaving the program for a job in the NBA.

Fois is joining the Sacramento Kings coaching staff, according to Italian basketball coach Gianmarco Pozzecco, who announced the move Saturday at a team press conference. Fois serves as an assistant for the Italian national team.

Gianmarco Pozzecco just revealed that Riccardo Fois, assistant coach of the Italian national team, will join the Sacramento Kings’ coaching staff next year.
The 37-year-old Italian tactical expert has been working previously with Pepperdine, Arizona, Gonzaga, and Phoenix. pic.twitter.com/cBYFI01rEz
— Cesare Milanti (@cesaremilanti) June 22, 2024
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Fois joined Tommy Lloyd’s Arizona staff in 2021 after spending the previous two years with the Phoenix Suns organization. Before that, Fois worked as director of analytics for Gonzaga from 2014 to 2019. Fois began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Pepperdine.

The Olbia, Italy native is highly regarded in the sport. At Arizona he was credited with developing future pros Bennedict Mathurin, Dalen Terry, Christian Koloko and Azuolas Tubelis.

Fois is the first full-time assistant under Lloyd to leave for another job.

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