Ethan Long sure does like berms in the Utah Utes’ Smith’s Ballpark.
After hitting the game-winning home run on Friday night, the freshman designated hitter hit two more dingers on Saturday to propel Arizona State Baseball to a 10-6 victory and the series win over Utah.
After only hitting two home runs so far this season, Long now has three home runs in his past two games.
Saturday was an all-out clinic for the Sun Devils’ offense. Their 10 runs came off a season-high 17 hits and featured three players going 4-5 on the day.
One of those players was redshirt freshman second baseman Sean McLain, who got ASU rolling early. McLain hit a two-run homer to left center field in the first inning and followed it up with a RBI single in the second that made the score 4-0 ASU.
Even though the Utes were being out-hit 9-2, they miraculously tied the game at four by the fourth inning. After redshirt freshman second baseman Kayler Yates knotted it up with an RBI double down the left field line, ASU redshirt junior left-hander Justin Fall was pulled for freshman right-hander Jared Glenn.
Then, in the fifth inning, Long delivered a two-run shot into the left field berm that looked awfully similar to his previous home run. Just like Friday also tied at four, Long’s shot put the Sun Devils in a winning position with a 6-4 lead. Once more, he slowly jogged around the bases before displaying his signature emphatic stomp at home plate.
The long ball would make a return in the seventh inning, as ASU padded its lead to 8-4 with big flies from redshirt junior left-fielder Hunter Jump – who extended his on-base streak to a team-high 20 games – and Long yet again, this time to right field.
Meanwhile, Glenn lasted for three strong innings, allowing just two hits and one run to earn his fourth win of the season.
Utah tried to make a late push in the seventh inning. Redshirt sophomore catcher Jayden Kiernan hit an RBI single to left field to cut the deficit to three. The Utes looked to be threatening with runners at first and second base.
All of the sudden, ASU redshirt senior catcher Sam Ferri blocked the ball after a pitch from redshirt freshman right-hander Cam Dennie went in the dirt. Utah graduate center-fielder Jaylon McLaughlin, the runner at second, was halfway to third base when he saw the ball loose. But Ferri quickly snagged it at home plate and slinged it to second base before McLaughlin could get back, effectively ending the inning and a possible Utes comeback.
McLaughlin’s mental error on the basepaths would prove costly for Utah, as ASU tacked on two more runs in the eighth and ninth innings to put the game away at 10-5.
Redshirt junior shortstop Drew Swift hit his third single that scored Ferri in the eighth, while McLain laced another single to center field in the ninth to give him a team-high four RBI for the game.
In addition to the big performances from Long, McLain and Swift, freshman third baseman Hunter Haas and Jump both went 2-5 with a RBI apiece.
The Sun Devils will attempt to sweep Utah – which has the worst overall record in the Pac-12 Conference – on Sunday at 12 p.m MST.
