Make no mistake: The Arizona Wildcats are a great baseball team

From the desk of Arizona fan Dan Price...

The Arizona Wildcats could have and should have hosted a Super Regional.

It was warranted. They won the Big 12 Regional in Arlington, Texas, a week ago and posted 40+ wins ahead of the craziness of what I refer to as Super Duper Showdown Week.

Instead, they are sent cross country to the Super Regional in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to face a sea of blue inside the confines of Cary C. Boshamer Stadium.

The Wildcats lost 18-2 to the Tar Heels in the opener of the best-of-three series. The winner, of course, heads to Omaha and the College World Series. 

With all that against them, what do the Wildcats do? The Wildcats battle for nine innings and beat the Tar Heels 10-8 today in a topsy-turvy affair that would have any Wildcat fan squirming in their seats, whether the fan was there in person in North Carolina or watching at home in their den in Tucson.

At the plate, Arizona (43-19) did its thing. Let me ex...Splaine. Tommy homered and ripped an RBI single to lead the way. Brendan Summerhill went 2 for 5, Aaron Walton went 3 for 5, Mason White 2 for 4, Adonys Guzman 1 for 2, 2 walks, Maddox Mihalakis went 2 for 5 with three RBI, Garen Caulfield 2 for 5, while Andrew Cain and Easton Breyfogle combined for two hits and three runs scored.

Tony Pluta finished the game, throwing an excruciating 2 1/3 innings to secure the win and improve to 3-0 on the season. He tossed a personal best 52 pitches, and this fan wouldn't be surprised to see him back on the mound late in the game tomorrow as the Wildcats now prepare for a third game, winner-take-all showdown.

Smith Bailey will start tomorrow for the Wildcats. The fun begins at 9:06 a.m., Arizona time.