ARLINGTON, Texas — The Arizona Wildcats (38-18), powered by herculean efforts by
Mason White and
Raul Garayzar, dismantled the West Virginia Mountaineers (41-14) for a 12-1 victory in the Big 12 Championship semifinals on Friday evening.
With the win Arizona advances to their third consecutive conference tournament championship, where they will face either the 2-seed Kansas Jayhawks or 3-seed TCU Horned Frogs on Saturday night at Globe Life Field. The game will be televised on ESPNU and ESPN+ with a first pitch time set for 4:00 p.m. MST.
White posted one of the most dominant performances of his storied career at the plate, going 4-for-4 with four runs scored, one double, two home runs, six RBI, and a pair of walks. Catcher
Adonys Guzman (3-for-5) and center fielder
Aaron Walton (2-for-5) also contributed heavily, combining for five RBI. The top four batters in the Wildcats lineup totaled 11 hits and 11 runs scored.
Garayzar earned the start on the mound and posted six scoreless innings for Arizona. The right-hander allowed just six hits, all singles, and struck out three to earn the win and improve to 2-0 on the year.
White opened the scoring with a solo home run in the top of the first and broke the game open with a three-run homer in the fifth inning. The Tucson native plated one more on a single in the seventh and collected his sixth RBI of the night on a double in the ninth.
Right-handed relievers
Julian Tonghini and
Collin McKinney allowed just one run while striking out four over the final three frames, with the latter posting a pair of scoreless innings to close out the win.
Arizona WildBATS
- SS Mason White: 4-for-4, 4 R, 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB
- CF Aaron Walton: 2-for-5, 3 R, 2B, 2 RBI
- RF Brendan Summerhill: 2-for-4, 3 R, 2 BB
- C Adonys Guzman: 3-for-5, 3 RBI
- 2B Garen Caulfield: 2-for-5, RBI
Bullpen Bullies
Numbers of the Day
- Arizona has now advanced to three consecutive conference tournament championship games.
- Friday was the third multi-HR game of the year for White, who now boasts 45 career home runs, the second most in program history.
- White is hitting .857 (6-for-7) with six runs scored, five extra-base hits, and seven RBI at the Big 12 Championship.
Photo of the Day
Social Media Coverage
Next Up
The Wildcats will face either 2-seed Kansas or 3-seed TCU in the Big 12 Championship title game on Saturday night. First pitch on ESPNU and ESPN+ is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. MST.
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