Well, hello again, Cam Walty.
After struggling in limited action this season while recovering from injury, the transfer pitcher from Nevada was oh so dominant in a 14-2 Arizona non-conference win over New Mexico State on Tuesday night, giving up just one hit and one walk while striking out seven in five shutout innings of work in his first start since becoming a Wildcat.
Hi Corbett Field once again proved the site for a dominant Walty outing, but this time he was in the Wildcats’ cardinal and navy threads rather than shutting down Arizona batters in visitor’s garb.
While Walty came into action this week with an ERA over 10 in just four appearances this season, it was last year coming out of the opposite dugout that he first turned heads in Tucson. While with Nevada, Walty threw a complete game, three-hit shutout for the Wolfpack at Hi Corbett back in April, roughly two months before announcing that he’d transfer to coach Chip Hale’s Wildcat roster.
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Cam Walty, pictured pitching in 2021 against Air Force while enrolled at Nevada, transferred to Arizona ahead of the 2023 season. Walty should feel right at home at Hi Corbett Field. His best career start — a three-hit, complete-game shutout at Arizona — came on April 30, 2022.
It wasn’t just Walty’s performance on the mound that stood out for Arizona in its one-game, midweek break from Pac-12 play against the Aggies. Chase Davis, Kiko Romero and Brandon Summerhill all hit home runs for Arizona (17-13, 5-10 Pac-12). Mac Bingham, Nik McLaughry, Davis, Romero, Mason White and Summerhill all had multi-hit games as Arizona put up an eight-spot in the second inning before tacking on three in the fourth, two in the fifth and one in the seventh.
Romero collected five RBIs, with his Pac-12-leading total now at 42 on the season in 30 games; he’s now in the top 10 nationally in RBIs. Four other Wildcats — White, Summerhilll and Garen Caulfield — finished with two RBIs apiece.
Davis’ 12 home runs now sit one behind Washington’s Will Simpson for the Pac-12 lead, while Romero is at 10 on the season.
Walty was at 68 total pitches — 43 of them strikes — when he gave way on the hill after five innings to Anthony Susac to start the sixth inning. Susac gave up two earned runs, walking two and allowing two hits while throwing a pair of wild pitches in one inning of work to let New Mexico State (6-22, 4-11 WAC) on the board.
The rest of Arizona’s hurlers were on, with Eric Orloff, Trevor Long, Dawson Netz and Chris Barraza collectively allowing one hit while striking out two over three innings to close out the game.
NMSU second baseman Romeo Ballesteros, a Salpointe Catholic HS alum who also played previously at Pima College, had the Aggies’ only extra-base hit of the night when he hit a double off Susac in that sixth inning. Nick Gore and Keith Jones II had an RBI each that inning, while Tyler Hoeft took the loss on the mound, giving up six earned on six hits in 1 1/3 innings for New Mexico State.
Other Southern Arizona products to see action for the Aggies Tuesday: pitcher Saul Soto (Rio Rico HS; one inning pitched, no hits, no runs allowed); pitcher Noah Estrella (Flowing Wells HS; two-thirds of an inning pitched, no hits, no runs allowed); designated hitter Kevin Jimenez (Nogales HS; 0 for 3 with a run scored).
Arizona has now won three straight — the Wildcats took two of three from Washington at home last weekend — after dropping 10 of 12.
Tuesday’s win gives way to Arizona hitting the road to face Washington State beginning Friday at 3 p.m before taking on the Cougars Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at noon — all at Bailey-Brayton Field in Pullman, Washington, and all televised (and live-streamed) via Pac-12 Washington.
