Sun Devils battle back again, win fourth straight Pac-12 series

(Photo: Xavier Littman/WCSN)

PHOENIX — When sophomore infielder Elijah Hainline drew a bases-loaded walk put Washington State up 2-0 in the fifth, it almost felt like déjà vu.

24 hours earlier, the Cougars kicked off the series opener with a three-run frame that seemingly set the tone of the game. An inning later, freshman infielder Luke Hill would respond with a three-run shot over the left-center field wall, drawing Arizona State even with a single swing. The Sun Devils would go on to win 6-5, once again showing they are almost never out of a game and capable of quickly erasing deficits.

The offense responded even faster than it did the night before. During the same inning, freshman center fielder Isaiah Jackson launched the game-tying homer to dead center, driving in two of ASU’s (22-9, 9-2 Pac-12) six unanswered runs in a series-clinching 6-2 victory over WSU (18-11, 5-8 Pac-12). The win is the Sun Devils’ 16th in their last 18 games and keeps them alongside Stanford at the top of the Conference of Champions.

ASU has won its first four conference series for the first time since 2015 and the sixth since the turn of the century. Entering Friday night, the Sun Devils reached the NCAA Regionals every time it achieved this feat, making it all the way to the College World Series in 2007 and 2009.

“No, not really,” Bloomquist said when asked if the accolade meant anything to him. “We’re just trying to win games and not be complacent, not be satisfied. We’ve got a chance to sweep tomorrow, and I expect our guys ready to play again.”

Much like game one of this series, one big play was all it took for ASU’s offense to get going. Sophomore catcher Ryan Campos led off the sixth inning with what would become the game-winning solo shot. During his previous six plate appearances leading up to that pivotal moment, the Pac-12’s leader in on-base percentage had one walk, a rare stretch for one of the Sun Devils’ most reliable hitters.

But Campos wasn’t finished making an impact on the game. Still up by a run in the eighth, the Sun Devils were looking for some insurance with the top of the Cougars’ order due up. Campos drew a leadoff walk and scored the first of ASU’s three runs during the half-inning, showing his previous 0-5 stretch was merely a rough patch.

“I’m not overly concerned with Campy, he’s still putting together good at-bats,” Bloomquist said. “We get spoiled with the type of at-bats he puts together every day… He’s in a good spot.”

Friday’s game got off to a much different start than the series opener, as neither team was able to score in the first four innings. A big reason for this was a productive start from junior Ross Dunn, who dished out a season-high nine strikeouts in 4.2 innings of work. It wasn’t always smooth sailing — the right-hander continued to fall victim to lapses in command, issuing five walks and two wild pitches. Dunn also conceded five hits and two earned runs but ultimately played well enough to keep the game within reach for the Sun Devils.

“I really felt like there was different stuff working every inning, which was a little annoying to work with,” Dunn said. “But I was just able to attack with the stuff that I had working tonight… Other than that it was just getting ahead with heaters and attacking the zone.”

ASU’s next four pitchers were also up to the task. Senior right-hander Nolan Lebamoff, junior right-hander Matt Tieding and sophomore righty Blake Pivaroff collectively allowed four baserunners and no earned runs in 3.1 innings — setting the tone for junior pitcher Owen Stevenson to bring his team across the finish line.

Stevenson dished out five strikeouts and relinquished a single hit in the final two frames. Stevenson was efficient when the Sun Devils needed him to be, with 21 of his 32 total pitches landing inside the zone. Earning his team-leading third save of the season, Stevenson once again exemplified his versatility and willingness to play at any stage of the game.

“I think I can pitch in any role,” Stevenson said. “I’ve been a starter for most of my life, but I’d say in the last year or so I’ve jumped up in velocity a little bit. Coming in [during] that back end, I could really come in and let it eat… I think they have confidence in me doing that. So as long as we keep winning, I’ll do whatever.”