Devils walk off UNLV in final Pac-12 regular season game

PHOENIX - The Sun Devils celebrated senior day Saturday in their final regular season game of the year. On top of that, it was also the last Pac-12 game ever played at Phoenix Municipal. The Devils entered the final game winners of five straight and looked to put UNLV at .500 to end the regular season.

All hope had seemed to be lost when the Devils entered the ninth inning down 13-8. Instead, the Devils pulled off a comeback for the ages and walked off the Rebels 14-13 on a game-winning single with the bases loaded from junior first baseman Jacob Tobias. This is the second time the Devils have come from behind to beat the Rebels after they put up four runs in the ninth inning against them on March 25 for a 10-9 win.

“This game kind of sums up our season in a lot of ways,” head coach Willie Bloomquist said. “It wasn’t pretty, but the guys kept battling and came out victorious … This is one of those emotional highs that you can’t get anywhere else unless it's on the athletic field. Those type of things are what sports and competition are about.”

Freshman righty Wyatt Halvorson started on the mound for the Devils. For the third consecutive game, ASU’s opponent scored three first-inning runs. The Devils started once again from behind and gained two runs back in the first off a two-run homer from sophomore outfielder Kien Vu.

Vu’s home run in the first gave the Devils 100 total homers on the year. This was the quickest the Devils reached 100 home runs in program history and the first time it happened since 1990.

“All the bats from top to bottom are swinging really well right now,” Bloomquist said. “At the time we need it the most, those guys have been carrying us … as long as the bats keep doing what they’re doing, we’re never out of the game.”

The Devils regained the lead in the second inning before surrendering six runs in the third. Halvorson let up a single and then walked three straight batters to tie the game at 4. The Devils brought in freshman lefty Cole Carlon to stop the bleeding.

Carlon forced a grounder to second, but freshman second baseman Ethan Mendoza bobbled the ball, and all runners reached safely to give the Rebels a 5-4 lead. UNLV blew the game open after senior first baseman Austin Kryszczuk emptied the bases with a grand slam to put UNLV up 9-4.

“We haven’t been pitching it very well for the past week or so,” Bloomquist said. “I’m confident we’ll get better, and we’ll need to if we’re going to make a run at this tournament … I would be lying if I said there wasn’t a little concern about the amount of free passes we’ve been putting up lately, but at this point, we’re going with the guys that got us here.”

The Devils walked 12 batters tonight, threw two wild pitches, and hit two batters as well. While the Devils are not shy about relying on their offense, a tough Pac-12 conference is a place that isn’t as easy to rely on offense so heavily.

“We need to throw the ball over the plate,” Bloomquist said. “We’re better than that, and everyone here knows that. We can’t walk 12 guys and expect to win. I don’t want to put a wet towel on an exciting night, but the pitching staff is better than that. There’s no excuse for walking that many guys, and they have to get better if we’re going to make any sort of run.”

The teams continued to trade blows, and the score was 13-6 heading into the seventh. Vu stepped up to the plate and hit his second two-run homer of the night to bring the Devils to within five runs with two innings remaining.

In the top of the eighth, freshman righty Brok Eddy made just his third appearance all year long. Eddy replaced junior righty Ryan Schiefer, who has been great for the Devis all year long, but gave up one run and walked four batters in just two innings pitched.

That decision turned out to be a game-saver. Eddy pitched the eighth and the ninth and allowed no runs and just one hit while striking out three batters.

“It feels really good getting back into the game,” Eddy said. “Just being a good teammate the whole year and staying ready helped me take advantage of my opportunity. It was good to get out there and help my guys get the win.”

In the eighth the Devils were knocking on the door with runners on the corner and two outs with Vu up to the plate once again. Unfortunately for Vu, this time, he went down on strikes, and the Devils were officially down to their last three outs.

ASU headed into the ninth down five runs and needed a huge rally to pull off a win. Two walks and an error at third loaded the bases with no one out, and Mendoza struck out for the first out.

Senior left fielder Harris Williams came up big with a two-run double to bring the Devils within three runs. From batting leadoff to being moved into more of a pinch-hitting role in the last couple of weeks of the season, the senior left fielder made his presence felt after he put the Devils in a prime position to win this game.

“Harris has contributed one way or another all year long and done a great job,” Bloomquist said. “His attitude has always been phenomenal, and I knew we were gonna have good players that weren’t going to play some games. Harris has continued to stay ready, and I’ve been trying to mix him in to stay sharp. He came through huge on senior night which is special for him.”

Sophomore Isaiah Jackson delivered at the plate with a pinch-hit single, and it was 13-11. Senior shortstop Steven Ondina drew a walk, and junior catcher Ryan Campos made it a one-run game with a sacrifice fly to bring the runner home from third. Sophomore right fielder Nick McLain hit a line drive straight to the pitcher that bounced off his glove, and everyone reached base safely.

With the game tied, Tobias stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth. He hit a line drive right over the head of the shortstop and won the game for the Devils in a storybook inning. The Devils ended the final Pac-12 regular season on a six-game winning streak.

“It’s been a dream come true,” Tobias said. “This is where I’ve always wanted to be, and to be able to put myself in the positions that I was in this week was amazing. I wouldn’t say my emotions went too crazy, but I just tried to stay consistent, do my thing, and it all worked out.”

The Devils end the regular season with 32 wins, tied for the most under Bloomquist when he did it his first year with the program. With Arizona clinching the Pac-12 regular season on a walk-off of their own earlier in the night, the Devils will face Stanford on Tuesday and Oregon State on Thursday in the Pac-12 tournament.

The Devils had very different results the last time they played the two teams, sweeping Stanford and getting swept by Oregon State.

“We’re going to play the best we can just like we have the last month or so,” Bloomquist said. “We’re hot right now. Anyone that’s been watching us knows that the table is set for us. We’re going to continue to play the way we’ve been playing, and then I’ll take my chances against anybody. I have confidence in our team and our guys.”