(Photo: Reece Andrews/WCSN)
Arizona State Baseball was in a jam with the game knotted up in the top of the eighth inning on Friday night.
Two Utah runners were on first and second base as a shallow hit to right field seemed destined to open the game in the Utes’ favor.
That’s when ASU redshirt sophomore outfielder Kai Murphy would intervene.
Murphy scooped the ball as the Utes’ baserunner crossed third. The ASU sophomore began his windup and whipped the ball with his entire body weight to home plate for freshman catcher Ryan Campos, who tagged the runner out and saved the game for the Sun Devils.
“I was just like, ‘Don’t miss the ground ball, secure the ball first,'” Murphy said. “Once I did that, I let it go, and [Campos] made a great tag.”
The momentum from the play would carry onto the next side as, after a slow night for both team’s bats, ASU sprung into action, scoring three late runs to seal a 6-3 victory and the series win over the Utes.
“They’re not going to give in,” head coach Willie Bloomquist of the Sun Devils’ effort late. “That’s attributed to their character and what kind of effort that they put into the season, how much they care regardless of the record, they care.”
Saturday’s matchup between ASU and Utah was projected to be a high-octane series of two explosive offenses – on Friday they combined for 26 runs. However, there were fewer fireworks off the bat on Saturday, and more rockets from the mound as impressive performances from both bullpens efficiently carved out the two offenses.
Great performances from both starting pitchers made runs hard to come by, and the early defensive miscues from Utah dug them an early deficit.
Tough plays for the Utes’ infielders caused the Sun Devils to strike in the first. ASU had a runner on first base as Campos stepped to the plate and smoked the ball straight through Utah’s shortstop’s glove into the outfield. Quickness from ASU redshirt sophomore infielder Sean McLain allowed him to sprint from first base to home plate to give the Sun Devils a 1-0 lead.
“Oh, yeah, I was thinking scoring the whole time,” McLain said on intentions after contact. “I was actually really excited to score there because I thought [ASU assistant coach Mike Goff] wasn’t going to send me.”
The errors for Utah would continue, as a missed play on the bounce by its third baseman saw the ball sail into left field. Campos as a result slid into home, extending the ASU lead to 2-0.
The miscues by the Utes defense would be a common theme for a majority of the Sun Devils’ early offensive success.
Utah wouldn’t wait long to respond, as the next side saw the team come out of the gates swinging. A few lapses of control by ASU redshirt junior right-hander Kyle Luckham allowed runners on first and second base for Utah redshirt freshman outfielder Dakota Duffalo, who slammed a two-RBI triple to right field.
His teammate, sophomore outfielder Kai Roberts, was not to be outdone, as he slashed his own triple to right field to give Utah its first lead at 3-2. Luckham escaped the frame, but not before allowing three runs and knowing that he needed to adjust.
“I kind of just needed to find the groove a little bit with my mechanics,” Luckham said. “I was a little out of sync there early. I tried to leave it there at three. That’s all I was doing.”
The lead wouldn’t last long, as the bottom of the frame – similar to the first – would be plagued with Utes’ mental mistakes. Utah freshman right-hander starter Jaden Harris would be in the spotlight for the wrong reasons, with a single turning into a runner on third thanks to a balk and wild pitch back-to-back. That would be enough for an RBI groundout to even the game back at three through two innings.
Luckham, through the next couple of innings, would face significant jams with multiple runners on. Nevertheless, excellent interior defense by the Sun Devils and proper adjustments by the junior righty led to eight Utes’ runners on left base through five frames to keep the game tied.
“I was throwing a lot of sinkers early,” Luckham said. “I just didn’t have control of it, couldn’t really find the zone. I switched to my four-seam and worked a little more glove side, worked some sliders, kind of got a groove in there.”
Luckham continues to be the Sun Devils’ most consistent and resilient arm in 2022, fending off any opposing momentum with confidence. His masterful seven-inning Saturday start consisted of eight hits, three runs, three walks and six strikeouts on 110 pitches. On a high pitch count early, the Fullerton transfer extended his outing by fanning past Utes’ batters late, retiring the final eight.
“I was done,” Luckham said on continuing after the seventh. “That was about all I had. I gave it all. I thought the sixth was going to be kind of it, [but] it went quick there and knew I was going to get a chance with the seventh and gave it all I had.”
Down the stretch, ASU continued to struggle to bring people home. The Sun Devils had runners on the corners in the sixth inning with McLain up to bat, but a close strike three call on a full count shattered those hopes to take the lead. The punchout motivated McLain to get revenge late in the game, and he didn’t want the conversational third strike call to faze him.
“[Utah] threw a questionable pitch inside, but it is what it is,” McLain said.
Luckham’s departure meant Bloomquist needed to depend on a shaky ASU bullpen that would almost live up to its reputation.
After two quick walks, the Sun Devils had their back against the wall in the top of the eighth. That was until the magical outfield assist by Murphy that saved the leading run from crossing home.
“It sparked the game,” Bloomquist said of Murphy’s throw. “It really ignited things from an emotional standpoint.”
The home crowd at Phoenix Municipal Stadium erupted, and Sun Devils’ faithful inserted new life into ASU in the bottom of the inning.
Freshman outfielder Will Rogers would come in to pinch-hit for a double, and that was the start of a three-run frame that seemed to be game-long frustration being expressed.
McLain would get his revenge and Campos as well, as both added to their RBI total by hitting back-to-back singles to cap off a three-run eighth, bringing the game to its final score of 6-3.
Campos has seemed to find his rhythm, personified on Saturday with a three-RBI performance, and has only gotten better. Bloomquist noted that even at his young age, Campos is one of the most crucial parts of the squad with his roles as the three-hole hitter and the everyday catcher.
“More often than not, he gives you a professional at-bat,” Bloomquist said. “You don’t see him get fooled too often, he stays within himself, and for a freshman to do that, and I’ve put a lot on his plate, he’s responded tremendously.”
The series finale is at 12 p.m. MST on Mother’s Day Sunday and will give ASU a chance to secure a crucial sweep late in the year. Bloomquist took a moment to highlight the importance of the game but also the upcoming holiday as his wife and four children sat in the press room.
“I would say this if she wasn’t here, but I have a champ back there that is pretty special to put up with the hours that this job entails,” Bloomquist chuckled. “We have four kids at home running around, every which direction. I don’t know how she pulls it off, but she does. It’s important when I took this job that I wouldn’t have done it without her undivided support and my family’s support. I can’t say enough about the job she does at home.”
