Arizona Baseball Defeats Fresno State Behind Bailey's Dominant Outing

Sophomore pitcher Smith Bailey throws 7 scoreless innings with a career-high 9 strikeouts

Published on Mar. 8, 2026

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The University of Arizona baseball team clinched a series win over Fresno State on Saturday night, defeating the Bulldogs 9-5 behind a strong pitching performance from sophomore Smith Bailey. Bailey threw 7 scoreless innings, striking out a career-high 9 batters, to lead the Wildcats to victory. Arizona's offense also came alive late, scoring 4 runs in the 7th inning and 3 more in the 8th to pull away.

Why it matters

This win marks the first time this season that Arizona will head into a Sunday game knowing they have already secured the weekend series. After a slow 1-8 start, the Wildcats have now won 4 of their last 5 games, showing signs of turning their season around.

The details

Bailey, a sophomore right-hander, surpassed his previous career-best strikeout total by 3, fanning 9 Fresno State batters. He pitched into the 7th inning for the first time in his 22 career starts, throwing 100 pitches but only needing 28 in the final 3 innings after laboring early. The Wildcats only led 1-0 after 5 innings, but broke the game open with a 4-run 7th inning and 3-run 8th. Fresno State did score 5 runs in the 8th to make it close, but Arizona's offense responded to secure the victory.

  • The game was played on Saturday, March 8, 2026.

The players

Smith Bailey

A sophomore right-handed pitcher for the University of Arizona baseball team who threw 7 scoreless innings with a career-high 9 strikeouts in the win over Fresno State.

TJ Adams

An Arizona player who reached base 3 times with a walk, hit-by-pitch, and a bunt single for his first hit of the season.

Maddox Mihalakis

An Arizona player who had a 2-run single in the 7th inning and finished the game 3-for-5 with 3 RBIs.

Zach Plasschaert

A former Arizona outfielder who is now playing for Fresno State and had a 2-run double in the 8th inning to make the score 6-5.

Garrett Hicks

An Arizona relief pitcher who came in to end Fresno State's 5-run rally in the 8th inning.

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What they’re saying

“I think I just get kind of more energy. I do think it's a little bit of feeling it out, getting dialed in with my pitches, and then at the end emptying my tank with every throw.”

— Smith Bailey (Yahoo Sports)

“It's been fun because like whatever's asked of me I just do my job. It was nice to get that bunt down.”

— TJ Adams (Yahoo Sports)

What’s next

The Wildcats will go for the series sweep on Sunday at 12 p.m. PT, with left-hander Luc Fladda scheduled to start on the mound.

The takeaway

After a slow start to the season, Arizona's baseball team is starting to turn things around, clinching a series win over Fresno State behind a dominant pitching performance from sophomore Smith Bailey. The Wildcats' offense also came alive late to secure the victory, showing they have the potential to compete in the Pac-12 this year.