The Arizona Wildcats lost in extra innings on Friday to the USC Trojans by a score of 5-4, but there was really only one thing to take away from the game.
Tyler Krause, who has been in the starting lineup with the Scott Kingery injury, showed that he belongs on the field. In the bottom of the sixth, Bobby Stahel hit a double to left-center, but Krause almost threw him out at second base.
The very next batter, Stahel tried to score on a soft single through the left side, and Krause made sure to get him this time, gunning him down at home with a great toss to Riley Moore.
But Krause wasn't done there. Of course he led off the top of the 7th, and on a 2-1 pitch, launched the ball over the left field wall for his first-career college home run.
That home run tied the game up at 3. It was also just the second hit on the night for the Wildcats.
Kenny Meimerstorf followed it up with a single, and Joseph Maggi bunted him over to second. After a USC pitching change, Zach Gibbons picked up his first hit of the series, a single to right that scored Meimerstorf and gave Arizona the lead.
The game started off strange when Cody Hamlin took the mound wearing the number 17 on his back. Hamlin is normally number 26. Apparently he left his jersey at the hotel room on Friday.
Having a different number definitely hurt Hamlin, who had probably his worst start of the 2014 season. It wasn't horrible, but 10 hits and three earned runs in just 6 1/3 innings is definitely not typical of Hamlin.
In a pretty questionable move, Bobby Dalbec replaced Hamlin in the seventh with Arizona up 4-3. Dalbec never comes in that early, and it certainly didn't pay off. The freshman gave up two hits in the seventh, but luckily not a run.
The 8th was a different story though. USC got the lead-off man on base after a wild pitch got past Riley Moore on the third strike. Then Dalbec had a throwing error, putting runners on the corners.
The Trojans tied it up with a bunt back to Dalbec, scoring Stahel. That would be the last run Dalbec would give up until the 12th inning. That's right, the Arizona closer threw 5 1/3 innings and 73 pitches. Insane abuse of his arm at this point.
USC walked it off with a single through the left side by Omar Cotto Lozada with runners on second and third. But Arizona never deserved a win in this game anyway.
The Trojans have wrapped up the series, so the Wildcats are just looking to salvage a win on Saturday with Tyger Talley on the mound. The game will be at 7 PM MST on Pac-12 Networks.