Zach Gibbons and J.J. Matijevic collected three hits apiece as Arizona stayed alive in the College World Series with a 9-3 victory over Oklahoma State on Friday afternoon in Omaha, Neb.
Oklahoma State had defeated Arizona 1-0 on Monday in this double-elimination tournament, so Oklahoma State and Arizona will meet again on Saturday, with the winner of that game advancing to the championship series against Coastal Carolina or TCU.
Unlike Monday's game, when Arizona managed just three hits and no runs against the Cowboys, the Wildcats pounded out 14 hits against six Oklahoma State pitching on Friday.
Oklahoma State freshman starter Jensen Elliott lasted only two innings, giving up three runs and five hits before being replaced.
Arizona starter Nathan Bannister pitched 2 2/3 innings of hitless baseball but left the game in the third inning with an apparent arm injury. He had five strikeouts and allowed one walk. Bannister was relieved by right-hander Kevin Ginkel, who wound up getting the win.
Matijevic's two-out RBI single in the first inning gave Arizona a 1-0 lead, and back-to-back doubles by Cesar Salazar and Louis Boyd helped the Wildcats score twice in the second for a 3-0 lead.
Arizona increased its lead to 4-0 in the fourth on Gibbons' sacrifice fly before Oklahoma scored twice in the bottom of the inning, with Conor Costello's triple being the key hit.
But the Wildcats provided themselves with some breathing room by scoring two unearned runs in the eighth inning.
