7-run 7th inning propels Arizona baseball past ASU to even series
It was “Strangers Things” Night at Hi Corbett Field, and Arizona sent ASU to the upside down with one wild inning to even the rivalry series. The Wildcats scored seven times in the bottom of the 7th to beat the Sun Devils 7-4 on Friday. “It’s a great win against our arch rival,” said head coach Chip Hale .
“Even with the losses, we’re going to keep moving forward. Something will turn for us, but the problem is people think, ‘Well, it’s gonna turn,’ well you have to make a turn and tonight we made it turn. ” ASU pitcher Cole Carlon kept the Wildcats (10-20, 3-8 Big 12) at bay for a majority of the game.
Pitching six innings, he struck out 12 Wildcat batters and left seven runners on base. “He definitely had our number, and when we got him out of there, I think our guys got a lot of confidence and took advantage of it,” said Hale. The ferocious comeback started in the 7th inning when Arizona finally found the scoreboard as the ASU bullpen.
Carson McEntire singled to left field to get a runner on for the Wildcats and was advanced on a fly out by Mathis Meurant . Nate Novitske was able to reach first base after a fielding error by the Sun Devils, which gave McEntire enough time to come home. Caleb Danzeisen was walked, then both he and Novitske advanced on a wild pitch by ASU.
The bases were then loaded when Tony Lira was walked. The deficit was cut in half when Roman Meyers was also walked to bring in Novitske. With the bases still loaded, Andrew Cain singled to center field bringing home both Danzeisen and Lira to tie the game.