The University of Arizona baseball team was batted around by Arizona State when the teams played earlier this year, but the Wildcats on Wednesday had their archrival on what is evidently friendly turf.

Arizona utilized opportunistic offense and timely pitching to win the second annual Challenge at Chase, 6-5, against a Sun Devils squad that plated 22 runs in a contest in Tucson last month.

“It was a little embarrassing last time,” said Arizona right fielder Jon Gaston, who went 2-for-3 with three RBIs Wednesday. “But we strapped it on this time and got it done.”

The Wildcats (22-6) won for the second time in as many meetings at Chase Field, having won last year’s Challenge, a non-Pac-10 game whose proceeds benefit the Diamondbacks Foundation’s youth field-building program. Attendance was 4,296, about 1,000 below last year’s total.

ASU (21-9) left 12 runners on base — loading the bases in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, with nothing to show for it — and coach Pat Murphy lamented what he felt was “improper focus” from his team.

“We acted like a very average ballclub,” Murphy said. “I want to be a great ballclub. I’m not really happy with our guys right now. I don’t think our killer instinct was out there at all.”

The fifth inning was an especially frustrating missed opportunity, as the Sun Devils filled the bases with no outs, only to see Wildcats reliever Jason Stoffel strike out Ike Davis, Matt Spencer and Kiel Roling to end the threat.

“I think that has to be the first time that has happened to us in all my years here, having the side struck out after loading the bases,” said Murphy, who is in his 13th season at ASU.

Brett Wallace, the runaway early favorite for Pac-10 player of the year, made perhaps the two most crucial miscues of the game.

Playing at third base for the first time this season due to Matt Hall’s broken nose, Wallace’s fourth-inning error led to three unearned runs. In the seventh, he committed a baseball cardinal sin, costing ASU a chance to tie the score.

The Sun Devils had closed the gap to 6-3 when second baseman Eric Sogard laced a two-out, two-run single to right. Wallace was thrown out attempting to advance across the diamond — making the third out at third base.

Despite those plays, Murphy praised the overall effort of Wallace, who went 2-for-4.

“I might keep him at third base, even when Hall comes back,” Murphy said.

Pitcher Brian Flores was a somewhat surprising choice as the starter, considering he is part of ASU’s weekend rotation. Murphy extended the junior left-hander, as he fired 105 pitches in 5 1/3 innings.

Flores allowed eight hits and six runs (three earned).

“A typical line for him,” Murphy said. “He always seems to give up a few unearned runs.”

Arizona improved to 7-0 in one-run games this year. Left-handed reliever Daniel Schlereth got the last six outs for his 11th consecutive save, dating back to 2006.