When Grand Canyon and Arizona State come together on the diamond, you can always expect a dramatic finish.
Last season, the Sun Devils rallied from behind with a nine-run eighth inning to win 13-10. On Tuesday, ASU came up clutch late in a midweek tilt for a 9-8 victory over the crosstown rival Antelopes.
Senior outfielder Harris Williams, who entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the seventh, split the gap in right-center in the ninth with the bases loaded to send Phoenix Municipal Stadium into a frenzy.
“There’s really not another experience like it,” Williams said. “The rush that you get when you come from behind and you win it in the bottom of the ninth. That’s what every little kid dreams of when they’re playing Little League with their dad or playing wiffle ball. It’s the walk-off ninth-inning hit.”
After Grand Canyon jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead, the Sun Devils erupted for a five-run third inning. A leadoff walk by senior shortstop Steven Ondina sparked the offense, as freshman second baseman Ethan Mendoza drove in the first run of the night with a single up the middle.
Sophomore center fielder Kien Vu and senior designated hitter Josiah Cromwick both drove in a pair of runs in the inning with a single and double, respectively.
ASU manager Willie Bloomquist acknowledged the shakeup in the lineup as necessary to keep everyone ready for the rest of the season.
“Those are good players that we got to keep sharp somehow,” Bloomquist said. “It’s tough because every game is kind of a must-win game, and it’s tough to take out some of your starters and put these guys in. But the facts are we need to do that. I need to do that more often and shake things up, not only to keep them sharp but also to remind our starters, ‘Hey, don’t get too soft and complacent, because these guys can take your job and play as well.’”
The Sun Devils utilized eight pitchers in the win while managing their pitch counts to be ready for an all-important weekend series in Corvallis.
“I think we didn’t over-tax anybody,” Bloomquist said. “Adam Behrens was the only guy to throw a number of pitches that might not allow him to be available Friday. [He] threw 51 pitches, everyone else was under 25. So they’ve got three days off before Friday, so everybody should be hot and ready to go on Friday.”
In the seventh inning, the Lopes flipped the game on its head. With Arizona State leading 6-4, freshman reliever Cole Carlon and senior reliever Hunter Omlid loaded the bases for Grand Canyon senior second baseman Dustin Crenshaw, who unloaded a grand slam to dead center to take an 8-6 lead.
Sophomore reliever Ben Jacobs pitched a scoreless ninth inning for the Sun Devils, though Crenshaw threatened again by barreling another ball off the top of the wall in right-center field. But, a relay from centerfield by Vu and Ondina to senior third baseman Mario Demera nabbed Crenshaw at third. The play was reviewed as a potential home run that would have given GCU a two-run lead, but the call on the field stood.
In the final frame, Vu got things started with a bloop single to left. Walks by senior designated hitter Brandon Compton and Demera followed to load the bases for Williams. On a 1-1 pitch, Williams found the gap and was mobbed by the Sun Devil bench on the field.
Despite leaving eight runners on base throughout the game, Arizona State got the big hit they were looking for when they needed it the most.
“Baseball’s crazy like that,” Bloomquist said. “It gets contagious, I think. When somebody breaks the ice and finally comes through with the big hit and then the weight comes off everyone’s shoulders, and they just relax and go play and get back to being the confident group that they are.”
The victory extends ASU’s win streak to a season-high five games and over .500 for the first time in nearly a month after sweeping their homestand. Now, the Sun Devils will put their hot streak to the test on the road in Corvallis against No. 5 Oregon State starting Friday.
“They’re good,” Bloomquist said bluntly. “They’ve got good pitching, they’ve got good hitting. Their leadoff hitter is Babe Ruth right now. If you throw him a strike, he’s hitting a homer. We already know that. We know what they’re capable of doing, but we also know what we’re capable of doing. We stick to our guns and play our game, I like our chances.”
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