ASU junior catcher Josiah Cromwick stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, representing the winning run. With one swing of the bat, he could complete No. 24 Arizona State’s comeback from a 5-0 deficit to fierce in-state rival Arizona on Saturday night at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
On the verge of throwing a “Maddux” complete game (under 100 pitches) and down to its last out, the Sun Devils knocked out the Wildcats’ starter, sophomore right-handed pitcher Owen Kramkowski, as the tying run sat on first base. The once comfortable Wildcat 5-0 lead now sat at 5-3.
However, the magic did not last long. Junior right-handed relief pitcher Tony Pluta came in and slammed the door, striking out Cromwick to end the game. Arizona escaped with a 5-3 victory, capturing the three-game weekend set and the overall season series.
The Sun Devils failed to overcome a pedestrian night on offense, as Arizona’s pitching dominated.
“We were overly aggressive on pitches in zones we were not hunting,” ASU hitting coach Jason Ellison said on facing Kramkowski. “Our left-handed hitters were getting eaten up by that slider.”
Kramkowski shut down the No. 3 offense in the Big 12, nearly going the distance and allowing just three runs while punching out five over 8 ⅔ innings.
“He threw strikes, he mixed well, he used all of his pitches,” ASU pitching coach Jeremy Accardo said.
Kramkowski’s fastball reached as high as 99 miles an hour, proving difficult to square up.
From the jump, Arizona took command on a leadoff home run by senior second baseman Garen Caulfield. Still, instead of folding early, ASU starter, senior right-handed pitcher Jack Martinez, remained confident.
“I think he’s one of the better students of the game,” Accardo said. “He pays attention, he uses his misses, he knows what his stuff does.”
Martinez began his night allowing just two runs through five innings and striking out eight, but the wheels fell off the bus in the sixth, as Martinez allowed three runs while being knocked around all over the field.
“He would probably take five or six of those pitches back,” Accardo said as much of the damage came ahead in the count.
Martinez pitched seven innings, striking out a career-high 12 Wildcats while throwing just 95 pitches. It marked an improvement from his previous outing against Utah, where Martinez threw 112 pitches and walked five in just 4 ⅔ innings. The first-time starter’s season ERA sits at a respectable 4.76.
“He’s a damm good pitcher, and we’re lucky to have him,” Accardo said.
Outside of a ninth-inning rally that fell short, the Devils’ offense mustered just a single run on a groundout to first base from sophomore infielder Brandon Compton, which cashed in a leadoff double by junior third-baseman Nu’u Contrades.
Seven Sun Devils recorded a hit on a night comprised of few offensive positives. One of those hits came from junior second baseman Kyle Walker, who, after a slow start to the season, extended his hit streak to 19 games.
“I think he came out trying to do too much,” Ellison said. “Once he settled in, things started falling in place.”
Walker’s hit came in his first at-bat, but one of two Sun Devil double plays quickly erased what little momentum the offense sparked Saturday night.
ASU looks to salvage the series Sunday night in front of a national audience on linear ESPN. Sunday’s game remains vital not only for the national rankings but also to prevent a sweep at the hands of Sparky’s in-state rival from down south.
“It’s a great chance for us to go back and answer and show them that nobody pushes us around,” Accardo said on the opportunity for revenge.
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