After a hot start to the season, Arizona State’s offense has cooled off over the past two weeks.
While the offense continued to struggle on Friday night, it showed up when it mattered most. With three runs in the final three innings, the Maroon and Gold (8-9, 2-2 in Pac-12) snapped a three-game losing streak, beating the Arizona Wildcats (7-9, 2-2 in Pac-12) 3-2 at Hi Corbett Field in Tucson.
Both starting pitchers had stellar outings. Arizona State’s freshman righty Thomas Burns was on the mound for seven innings and threw 108 pitches. Friday night marked the third consecutive outing in which his pitch count hit 100.
The Wisconsin native allowed five hits, one run and had three strikeouts.
On the other side, Arizona’s sophomore Jackson Kent spent 7.1 innings on the mound. He allowed four hits and one run on 87 pitches. Additionally, the lefty threw five strikeouts and retired 16 consecutive Sun Devils.
After a scoreless first inning, sophomore infielder Maddox Mihalakis broke the deadlock for the hosts with an RBI double down the right-field line. While the Wildcats applied pressure, the Sun Devils escaped a bases-loaded jam to only trail 1-0 at the end of the second inning.
The Maroon and Gold ended Kent’s hitless streak in the seventh inning with a double from outfielder Nick McLain. With two outs remaining, the redshirt sophomore reached home on a throwing error, equalizing the game.
However, the hosts would retake the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning. Arizona State junior infielder Jacob Tobias failed to pick off Arizona freshman outfielder Easton Breyfogle. This allowed senior Emilio Corona to score, giving the Wildcats a 2-1 edge.
The ninth inning started with Corona denying junior catcher Ryan Campos a base hit with a diving catch before McLain grounded out.
But the Sun Devils remained resilient on their final out. Tobias singled and senior catcher Josiah Cromwick doubled. Afterward, freshman infielder Ethan Mendoza hit a two-run single to give Arizona State a 3-2 lead.
With a Wildcat in scoring position, McLain swooped into shallow right field to grab a soft hit from junior infielder Garen Caulfield, sealing the road victory.
While the Sun Devils outhit the Wildcats 7-6, Arizona got more players on base. The hosts outwalked the visitors 6-1, with sophomore outfielder Brendan Summerhill getting on base three times despite going 0-for-2.
But, the Sun Devils stranded nine Wildcats, stifling the hosts’ momentum multiple times. On the other side, the team from Tempe left four runners on base.
Sophomore lefty Ben Jacobs, who entered the game after Burns’ departure, was credited as the winning pitcher. The reliever allowed one hit, one run, and one walk while throwing three strikeouts on 38 pitches.
Junior southpaw Eric Orloff was Friday night’s losing pitcher. He allowed three hits along with the tying and go-ahead run in the 18 pitches he threw in the ninth inning.
The Sun Devils return to action in Tucson on Saturday night at 6 p.m. MST, looking for their first series victory since beating Santa Clara to start the season. A win on Saturday would also mark the Maroon and Gold’s first Territorial Cup series victory in Tucson since 2016.
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