大象APP

Here are my top five takeaways from a game that got away and a season that portends positive things for Chip Hale鈥檚 program:

1. 8th was enough (again)

Just like Friday鈥檚 CWS opener vs. Coastal Carolina, everything turned in the eighth inning.

Arizona had been nearly flawless in late-inning situations this season. Before Friday, the Wildcats had been 36-0 when leading or tied after six innings. Before Sunday, they鈥檇 been 32-0 when leading after seven.

All their flaws were revealed amid a flurry of fundamental flubs and well-placed hits that found green grass.

Arizona led 3-2 entering the bottom of the eighth. Louisville鈥檚 Jake Munroe led off with a grounder to shortstop Mason White. Per second baseman Garen Caulfield鈥檚 retelling, the ball stayed low until the very last instant, when it skipped up and off the heel of White鈥檚 glove for an error.

Reliver Garrett Hicks then made a mistake, hanging a 1-2 breaking ball that Eddie King Jr. lined into center field for a single.

Just like Friday鈥檚 game, Arizona pulled Hicks for NCBWA Stopper of the Year Tony Pluta. The first batter he faced, Tague Davis, had a team-high 18 home runs. The Wildcats played him deep. Davis dropped a blooper into right-center. Right fielder Brendan Summerhill appeared to get a decent jump on it and dove for the ball, but it landed just beyond his glove. Bases loaded, nobody out.

Zion Rose then hit a bloop single down the right field line that was almost a carbon copy of the hit by Coastal Carolina鈥檚 Wells Sykes that sparked the Chanticleers鈥� rally Friday. It landed just a few feet inside the chalk. Two runs scored. Louisville had the lead.

After an out at the plate, the Wildcats lost their composure. A single to right made it 5-3. Third baseman Maddox Mihalakis and Pluta then mishandled a rundown 鈥� Mihalakis waiting too long to throw to Pluta covering the plate and Pluta dropping the late throw.

Louisville scored another run on a squeeze bunt and one more after Lucas Moore stole second while Pluta was checking his PitchCom device and came home on Matt Klein鈥檚 single to left.

That it was White and Pluta in the middle of it all was a cruel twist. They鈥檇 been Arizona鈥檚 most valuable players. They鈥檙e smart, hardworking, caring young men who bleed navy and red.

Baseball can be so ruthless.

2. Missed opportunities

The record will show that the game was lost in the eighth inning. But Arizona had multiple chances to build a bigger lead and didn鈥檛 take advantage of them.

The first happened in the first inning. Aaron Walton and White reached base with one out via hit-by-pitches. Adonys Guzman then lined a single to left field.

Walton scored easily. But White got caught between second and third despite the throw being in his line of sight and the ball being cut off. He was tagged out.

Mihalakis followed with a single that likely would have scored White. Caulfield then singled to score Guzman.

Arizona emerged with a 2-0 lead that could鈥檝e been 3-0 or maybe even more.

Fast-forward to the sixth. Mihalakis led off with a walk, then stole second. Caulfield followed with a walk of his own to put runners at first and second with no outs.

Hale called upon Andrew Cain to sacrifice them to second and third. If he鈥檇 succeeded, it would have been the first sacrifice bunt of Cain鈥檚 career. He did not. Cain popped out to the pitcher.

You never know how one outcome will affect another. But if Tommy Splaine had hit the same fly ball to left field with a runner at third, Arizona would have had another run.

To make matters worse, Mihalakis tried to advance to third on the flyout. He was thrown out easily to end the inning. Given that he already was in scoring position, it was a poor decision by Mihalakis to try to advance.

3. Good D, bad D

Arizona made two errors in the eighth inning. How unusual was that?

The Wildcats had committed one or fewer errors in their previous 16 games. They鈥檇 been guilty of just three in 10 postseason games. They last made two errors on May 6 at Grand Canyon.

Earlier Sunday, Arizona鈥檚 defense was stellar.

White prevented Louisville from tying the score and/or putting up a crooked number in the second inning when he smothered a grounder up the middle hit by Rose. White made a backhanded flip with his bare hand to Caulfield, who stretched toward center field to catch the ball and secure an out at second. One run scored on the play, but that was it.

Easton Breyfogle unquestionably saved a run in the bottom of the third when he made a diving catch on Klein鈥檚 sinking line drive to left-center. Louisville had a runner on second with two outs.

Breyfogle is used to managing a large left field; none is bigger than Hi Corbett鈥檚. He might move to center next season depending on what the rest of Arizona鈥檚 outfield looks like.

Those two plays were superb. Unfortunately, the Wildcats couldn鈥檛 play catch when they needed to the most.

鈥淲e just didn鈥檛 play fundamentally sound baseball today,鈥� Hale said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the frustrating thing as a coach and as an instructor of baseball. It got really ugly at the end there. I take the blame for that. I have to have the team better prepared.鈥�

4. 鈥楤ig Seeds鈥�

If anyone could hold their head high Sunday, it was UA starting pitcher Smith Bailey.

The rising sophomore delivered yet another quality start, allowing two earned runs in six-plus innings. It was Bailey鈥檚 fourth quality start (six-plus innings, three or fewer earned runs) in his past five outings. The other? One run allowed in 5鈪� frames vs. TCU in the Big 12 Tournament title game.

Bailey鈥檚 nickname, 鈥淏ig Seeds,鈥� has nothing to do with his poise under pressure 鈥� but maybe it should. He鈥檚 been utterly unfazed by every big-game situation he鈥檚 encountered. And there have been plenty over the last month.

Sunday marked Bailey鈥檚 fourth consecutive start in a clinching and/or elimination scenario. He treated it like any other game 鈥� which is way easier said than done (see the aforementioned eighth-inning meltdown).

The fourth and fifth innings were prime examples.

In the fourth, Louisville put runners on first and second with two outs via a walk (on a pitch that easily could have been called a strike) and a hit batsman. Bailey retired the next hitter on a routine flyout to center.

The Cardinals put runners on first and second with no outs in the fifth. The next three hitters? Strikeout, flyout, flyout.

Bailey got two of those outs with his curveball. He used his changeup more than I鈥檇 seen him all season. He has a four- or five-pitch mix. If he can add a little bit of oomph to his low-90s fastball 鈥� a realistic possibility with more time in the weight room 鈥� he can develop into a first-round pick.

Hopefully that happens in a UA uniform.

5. Extension time

Bailey has no reason to leave Arizona. But that could change if Hale loses pitching coach Kevin Vance.

Vance was nearly poached last offseason. I have no idea if he鈥檚 content where he is or looking to move up the career ladder. He鈥檚 been mentioned as a candidate for the San Diego State head-coaching job (Vance is from San Diego) and undoubtedly is on the radar of deep-pocketed programs seeking to upgrade their pitching performance.

It鈥檚 possible Vance will get an offer he can鈥檛 refuse. It鈥檚 up to UA athletic director Desire茅 Reed-Francois to make that decision as hard as possible.

Reed-Francois needs to work out a contract extension with Hale ASAP. It should have been done and announced this past week. Early this week would work too. Hale should not enter next season on the last year of his deal. That鈥檚 an unnecessary 鈥� and unacceptable 鈥� outcome.

As part of that extension, the assistant-coach pool needs to be boosted. Vance deserves a hefty raise. He needs to know that he鈥檚 wanted.

I mentioned this the other day, but it鈥檚 worth repeating: If Vance is back, Arizona could have one of the most talented rotations in the nation with Bailey, rising junior Owen Kramkowski and left-hander Mason Russell 鈥� who was even higher-rated recruit than Bailey.

That鈥檚 the foundation of another contender, even with expected losses throughout the lineup.

Hale has this program on the right track. Arizona baseball has momentum. There鈥檚 no reason to derail it by delaying a contract extension that should be a no-brainer.