After scoring four runs in the top of the ninth inning to take a 6-4 lead, Arizona State Baseball faltered down the stretch on Sunday, losing the final game of its series with Utah 7-6 in walk-off fashion.
Trailing 4-2 with one out in the final frame, the Sun Devils rattled off four consecutive hits to turn a two-run deficit into a one-run lead. Freshman infielder Hunter Haas, who extended his hit streak to 15 games, doubled down the right field line to score redshirt junior pinch-runners Allbry Major and redshirt freshman pinch-runner Seth Nager, giving ASU a 5-4 lead.
Redshirt freshman outfielder Kai Murphy came into the game defensively in the bottom of the eighth, but contributed an RBI single off the first base bag to score Haas which extend the Sun Devils’ lead to 6-4.
Redshirt sophomore right-handed pitcher Will Levine was brought on to close things out but did not have his best stuff. On Levine’s first pitch, Utah freshman infielder Kai Roberts singled to lead off the inning. The very next pitch was sent over the center field wall by redshirt junior catcher Christopher Rowan Jr. for a game-tying, two-run shot to knot things up at six apiece.
Levine’s struggles continued after recording an out, as he allowed a single to Utah redshirt junior infielder Rykker Tom. He moved up to second base on a wild pitch, and redshirt junior infielder Shea Kramer then sent Utah home happy with the game-winning single.
Redshirt freshman right-handed pitcher Christian Bodlovich got the start for ASU and was rather sharp outside of the first inning, giving the Sun Devils 3.1 innings of work while allowing three hits, one run and two walks with two strikeouts.
Utah jumped ahead in the first inning on an RBI single by redshirt sophomore catcher Jayden Kiernan, scoring graduate outfielder Jaylon McLaughlin after he walked to lead off the game and stole second base.
Utah got the most out of its starting pitcher David Watson. Through 6.2 innings, the redshirt sophomore right-hander allowed just four hits, two runs and two walks while striking out eight.
The Utes tacked on two runs in the fifth on Kiernan’s second run-scoring hit of the afternoon to take a 2-0 lead. Two pitches later, Roberts tripled into left-center field, scoring McLaughlin to extend Utah’s lead to 3-0.
After recording just one hit through the first five innings, ASU’s offense slowly began to come around against Watson in the sixth. Redshirt senior catcher Nick Cheema was hit by a pitch and advanced to second base on a groundout by redshirt junior infielder Drew Swift. Redshirt junior outfielder Hunter Jump then singled Cheema home to get the Sun Devils on the board.
The Sun Devils kept chipping away after freshman infielder Jack Moss doubled with two outs in the seventh inning. Haas brought him around to score, and Moss barely snuck in ahead of the tag to make it a 3-2 game.
The Utes got that run back with the bases loaded. A wild pitch by ASU redshirt freshman right-hander Cam Dennie scored Rudy to push the Utah lead back up to two.
ASU finishes up its road trip north with a game at 10 a.m. Monday morning at BYU.
