TEMPE, Ariz.- No. 20 Arizona State (25-11 overall, 8-6 Big 12) took down Utah (17-14, 6-8) in a game defined by constant back-and-forth waves.
Uncertain about who was going to come out on top, both teams played their hearts out.
Penn struggles in second start
The struggles on the mound were evident in the first game of the Utah series for the Sun Devils. Sophomore right-hander and Western Kentucky transfer Taylor Penn was given his second start of the season.
With Western Kentucky, Penn played 14 games and made four starts on the mound; he finished with a 3.48 ERA and a 3-1 record.
Penn struggled off the bat when Utah’s junior outfielder Luke Jacobs was sent first to bat for the Utes, where he hit the first home run of the game. Penn was replaced at the top of the third after three additional runs were added to the board, pushing the Utes’ lead to four.
“I really don’t have anything positive to say about that,” ASU head coach Willie Bloomquist said.
Problems weren’t only caused by pitching; little momentum wasn’t in place for the Sun Devils offensively.
Junior right-hander Alex Overbay was brought into the game in place of Penn. Overbay’s first full inning resulted in zero runs for the Utes; there was light for the turnaround.
Offense comes alive
In the bottom of the fourth, sophomore catcher Coen Niclai hit his second game-tying grand slam of the week, tying the game at four. The inning wasn’t finished, as sophomore outfielder Landon Hairston hit his 21st homer of the season, sending a 405-foot hit straight down center field.
By the time the dust settled, ASU had launched into a 7-4 lead.
“All I have to keep doing is staying consistent and let it all fall into place,” Hairston said.
Overbay didn’t allow any runs through the fifth, but the Utes were eventually able to send a runner to home plate to finish the sixth.
The game became more intense as time went on. At the top of the eighth, junior right-hander Derek Schaefer was able to strike out Utah with bases fully loaded.
Hairston continued to pile on his impressive batting stats, as in the bottom of the eighth, he hit a 429-foot bomb out of the park. When the ball landed, Hairston became the nation’s new leader in home runs.
Quickly followed by redshirt junior infielder Nu’u Contrades, who hit a homer to seemingly ice the cake for ASU, going into the ninth inning up by seven.
Roller coaster ending
Disaster struck in the ninth inning for the Sun Devils. They gave up seven runs, allowing Utah to take the lead. Just as ASU thought they won, there was a change of plans.
“That was one of the most gut-wrenching things I have ever had to watch,” Bloomquist said.
Junior infielder PJ Moutzouridis was first to bat in the bottom of the ninth, hitting a solo-shot to tie it up. Finally, maroon and gold found themselves with bases loaded and ready to score. The clutch hit that won the game came from graduate outfielder Matt Polk.
