Sun Devils wrap up fall scrimmages with final Maroon and Gold bout

(Photo: Kaylee Wilkerson/WCSN)

PHOENIX– On a crisp fall Friday afternoon at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, Arizona State needed all the energy it could harness to finish the Maroon & Gold intra-squad scrimmage finale.

After a 10-7 win for Team Maroon last Wednesday, Team Gold caused some chaos on the field, winning 9-8 on a walk-off walk after being down 7-0 through five innings.
In the first inning, Team Maroon came out hot, as a leadoff home run out to right field by former Big 12 Player of the Year, third-year infielder Landon Hairston, would put them up 1-0 to start off the game.

The entertaining start didn’t end as they strung together high-pressure walks in the top of the fifth inning, adding two runners on base for second-year catcher Adolfo Pacheco, who blasted a three-run home run to extend the lead to 5-0.

“It’s one thing to go through the motions in a scrimmage,” head coach Willie Bloomquist said. “It’s another to strap it on and go after each other, and this is good for that.”

After a walk and a steal from Hairston, red-hot third-year outfielder Jackson Hotchkiss walked up to bat. He knew how to deliver. The Washington transfer sent a rocket home run over the right-field wall. The home run was Hotchkiss’ fourth in the two-game series.

As all good things came to an end, so did team Maroon’s thrilling five-inning run.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, when hopes were high from Maroon’s dugout, team Gold struck.

Stringing together stolen bases, capitalizing on errors, and finding gaps to hit through, Gold finally found themselves in a position to come back, trailing 8-4 in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Senior outfielder Preston Newberry found himself at the plate with two on and one out, knowing the limited outs left for a comeback. Newberry hit a triple to the center-field wall, scoring two and putting the pressure on Team Maroon, bringing the score to 8-6.

Newberry’s emotion after the hit sparked a new life for Team Gold, as he screamed to his dugout while pumping his chest.

It had almost felt as if Team Gold had felt a revival in the bottom of the sixth inning, as players who hadn’t contributed much offensively throughout the game came to life when Team Gold needed it most.

Third-year left-fielder Caden Sheridan brought all the intensity that Gold needed, pimping a game-tying home run out of center field to bring the score to 8-8.

“When you try to put pressure situations on guys who can rise up and can remember to do the little things in those situations, that’s what I wanted to see,” Bloomquist said.

Though you could credit Gold’s comeback to their offense in the five-run inning, they had one more weapon with their pitching, third-year RHP Taylor Penn to close out the game.

Penn ended the 25-26 season as the Sun Devils’ leader in ERA, ending with 3.46 through 78 innings. On top of that, Penn also kept a 6-0 record through the season. Given his experience, Penn appears slated to fight for a starting spot come spring.

Though this intensity may have boiled over, Penn left a mark on Hairston, hitting him in the chest on a pitch. As Hairston made his way to first, he had some words for his opponent, chirping at Penn and fourth-year catcher Brody Briggs.

Penn’s outstanding performance from last season didn’t stop during the scrimmage, as he struck out three batters to end the inning.

As the bottom of the seventh inning approached for team Gold, their excitement reached an all-time high. The players yelled out and trash talked the opposing dugout, hyping up their teammates as they went up to bat.

. The top of the order provided the offense late, loading the bases for Junior shortstop David Hogg II. As the three-ball pitch came in, Hogg watched it go by, ending the game on a walk–surely not the most exhilarating ending.

“I think the overall intensity was outstanding,” Bloomquist said. “The comeback from the Gold team being down a game, being down big in this one, fighting back to win, and then coming back to win the series, it’s a testament to them.”

This scrimmage brings the Sun Devils closer to their overall goal, being able to come together as a team and be prepared for the spring, where they will look to progress toward returning to their third-straight postseason.
“There’s just all kinds of things that we got to keep sharpening up on and keep working on, but the effort level is outstanding,” Bloomquist said.