Ben Jacobs bounced back from his throwing blunder and stranded the tying run in scoring position in the ninth to secure his first collegiate victory.
The Friday night pitcher’s duel was highlighted by a career-high 7.0 innings from Sun Devil ace Thomas Burns, allowing just one run while scattering five hits and working around five walks and stranding seven Wildcat baserunners as he went toe to toe with Arizona ace Jackson Kent, who went 7.1 innings with no earned runs allowed and just four hits. It was the lowest-scoring Friday night tilt in the rivalry since the 2014 season.
Jacobs sealed the deal with 2.0 innings without an earned run and three strikeouts. Tobias recorded the only multi-hit game for the Sun Devils while five others contributed hits.
TURNING POINT
In the bottom of the seventh after ASU had just tied the game at one was highlighted by a two-out walk followed by a hit-and-run from the Wildcats. A single to center with the runner in motion preceded an aggressive send to wave him home where Ryan Campos made an incredible backhanded stab at a low–and-away relay throw to his right side before diving back across the bag to get the tag and the final out of the frame to keep the game at 1-1. Despite those theatrics, the game looked to have turned for the worse in the bottom of the eighth as, with two outs and runners on the corners and the batter facing a 1-2 count, ASU attempted an ill-advised pickoff move that sailed into foul territory and allowed Arizona to score the go-ahead run. Things appeared as they just weren’t meant to be for ASU as Ryan Campos laced what looked like a sure-fire leadoff extra base line drive into the gap in right center in the ninth that was snagged on an incredible leaping dive from the Arizona right fielder. A groundout left ASU with just one out left to rally, but Jacob Tobias kickstarted that with a 1-0 bloop single over the shortstop’s head to keep the game alive for ASU.
BIG MOMENT
After Kien Vu entered to pinch run, Josiah Cromwick laced a first pitch double into left field to move Vu to third and Cromwick to second and bring up true freshman Ethan Mendoza. The youngster responded with his second consecutive Friday night go-ahead RBI in the ninth inning, looping one over the second baseman’s head to plate both runners and give ASU its first lead of the game at 3-2.
FINAL STRAW
The Sun Devils were certainly not out of the woods after a leadoff single in the bottom of the ninth moved into scoring position on a sac bunt that also turned things to the top of the Arizona order. But Jacobs, who shook over his throwing blunder in the previous frame, got a huge strikeout against the leadoff batter before issuing a flyout to right that was run down by the speed of Nick McLain to seal the opening game of the series.
INNING BY INNING
First Inning
The Sun Devils couldn’t get out of their own way in the first, beating out an infield chopper for a leadoff single from Williams before a bad read led to him being thrown out at second. Campos singled immediately after and successfully stole second and moved to third on an error, but a batter’s interference on a strikeout on the play led to a double play. Burns worked around a two-out walk with three infield popouts.
Second Inning
Tobias led off the second with ASU’s third single of the game but a strikeout and two flyouts stranded him there. A leadoff single and a one-out RBI double put the Wildcats on the board first. A single and walk would load the bases but Burns was able to escape the jam with a flyout to short to limit the damage to a run.
Third Inning
The Sun Devils went down in order in the third, despite hard-struck balls to the outfield from Demera and Williams. Burns stranded a two-out walk at third with a flyout to right.
Fourth Inning
The Sun Devils again went down in order in the fourth.
Fifth Inning
It was another 1-2-3 frame for the Sun Devils. After a leadoff walk, Ryan Campos hosed the runner at second for his fourth caught stealing in as many games. A one-out double would remain stuck there after a lineout and strikeout.
Sixth Inning
The Sun Devil bats continued to struggle, going down in order again. Burns had a 1-2-3 inning of his own to make it through a career-best 6.0 innings of work and keep it 1-0.
Seventh Inning
A one-out double from McLain ended a streak of 16 straight retired batters by the Arizona starter. Putting the ball into play ended up making a difference as a two-out fielding error on a slow grounder from Cromwick would allow McLain to tie the game at 1-1. A two-out walk led to a hit-and-run attempt from the Wildcats, with a single to center and an aggressive send on the runner to wave him home where Ryan Campos made an incredible stab at a low–and-away relay throw before diving back across the bag to get the tag and the final out of the frame to keep the game at 1-1.
Eighth Inning
Isaiah Jackson worked a leadoff walk and took second on a sac bunt from Demera to put the go-ahead run in scoring position and chase the Arizona starter. A Compton ground out would move Jackson to third with two outs but a strikeout would leave him stranded there. A one-out walk and hit by pitch in the bottom of the inning would lead to runners on the corners with two outs after a deep flyout. With a left-on-left matchup and leading the count 1-2, Jacobs attempted a pickoff move to first that soared in the foul territory and allowed the go-ahead run to score and the runner to move the third, giving the Wildcats a 2-1 advantage. Jacobs stranded that runner at third with a strikeout.
Ninth Inning
It appeared as it just wouldn’t be the Sun Devils’ night as Campos laced a leadoff ball in the gap in right center that looked like sure extra bases that was snagged by an incredible leaping catch by the Arizona right fielder for the first out. A McLain full-count groundout quickly put ASU’s back against the wall. But Tobias looped a 1-0 single into right to start the rally, followed by Cromwick’s first pitch double to left to put a pair of runners into scoring position. Ethan Mendoza then blooped another single over the second-baseman’s head to plate both runs and give ASU a 3-2 lead. A leadoff single from the Wildcats put the tying run on the basepath and into scoring position with a sac bunt. But Jacobs rallied from his mistake in the previous frame with a strikeout and flyout to right to seal the opener for the Sun Devils.
ON DECK
ASU will look to secure the series win on Saturday evening with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. AZT. The games this weekend will be available on Pac-12 Arizona and over the airwaves on KDUS 1060 AM.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Jeremy Hawkes
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