TUCSON, Ariz. – Arizona broke through with a seven-run seventh inning to knot up its weekend series against No. 25 Arizona State, which dropped its first contest to its in-state rival this season, 7-4 on Friday night.
Junior left-hander Cole Carlon took the bump for his eighth start of the season and turned in his best outing in the Maroon and Gold. Through six scoreless innings, Carlon tossed a career high 12 strikeouts on a career high 103 pitches.
“We had our ace on the mound dealing and doing what he’s supposed to do,” ASU coach Willie Bloomquist said. “He gave us a great six innings, and we didn’t have the killer instinct that we needed to finish the job.”
After six shutout frames from Carlon, Bloomquist made the call to bring in graduate student right-hander Colby Guy in relief. After just 19 pitches, Guy’s outing was done, after he allowed a run on two walks and a hit, opening the floodgates for the Wildcats.
Two batters later, with the bases juiced and the Sun Devils captain and senior left-hander Sean Fitzpatrick on the bump, Arizona’s bats came up clutch. Junior left fielder Andrew Cain smoked a two-RBI single to center field to tie the game in the seventh.
Arizona’s bats stayed hot as senior designated hitter Maddox Mihalakis singled to right field to send Hi Corbett Field into a frenzy as the Wildcats took the lead, which their bullpen ran with.
The Wildcats bullpen combined to toss four scoreless innings. allowing just three hits and one walk, while striking out four ASU hitters. On the flip side, Sparky’s bullpen crumbled after a gem from Carlon and surrendered seven runs on three hits and four walks.
“Fitzy (Fitzpatrick) wasn’t able to get us out of the jam unscathed, and that’s unfortunate, but he’s done it plenty of times in the past,” Bloomquist said. “We have to be better and try not to get in those situations.”
A fix for Sparky may not need to come from the pitching staff, but instead from the batter’s box. ASU left nine runners on base, including a missed bases-loaded opportunity with one out in the fourth, and its heart of the lineup due up.
Sophomore left fielder Landon Hairston continued to tear the cover of the baseball as he ripped his 11th extra base hit in seven games and started the night with his 57th base hit of the season.
Hairston came all the way around to score in the first as the Sun Devils plated an early two runs in the top of the first.
Junior first basemen Dominic Smaldino added to the Sun Devils’ lead in the top of the fourth, as he brought home junior shortstop PJ Moutzouridis after a blunder in the outfield by the Wildcats. Sparky’s scoring concluded after a Moutzouridis RBI single in the fifth, which was the only ASU hit with runners in scoring position.
“That was a game that was sitting on a platter for us,” Bloomquist said. “We had chances to put it away, and we did an absolutely atrocious job of hitting with runners in scoring position. It was a lack of concentration, a lack of focus, and a lack of finishing the job.”
The Sun Devils ended the night hitting just 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
Luckily for ASU, Saturday brings another opportunity to take the series from the Wildcats. First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m. MST and will be nationally televised.
“I can’t just flush this one,” Bloomquist said. “This one stings, and they better learn from it, and we discussed that in detail after the game. This was unacceptable.”
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