The No. 22 University of Arizona baseball team (22-9, 8-4 Big 12) won a heated away Big 12 series game against rivals No. 24 ASU (21-10, 8-4 Big 12) at Phoenix Municipal Stadium in Phoenix from Friday, April 4, to Sunday, April 6. The Wildcats would secure the series victory early, with wins in the first two games. Despite dropping the last game, the Wildcats would get their first series win over a ranked opponent.
The Wildcats have shown their strength over ASU, having beaten the Sun Devils on March 11 in a narrow 3-2 victory. The Wildcats continue their Big 12 success, having won three of their last four conference series.
Game one: Arizona 8 – Arizona State 5
In front of a record-setting crowd at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, Arizona used timely hitting and shutdown bullpen work to erase an early deficit and defeat No. 24 ASU, 8-5, in the series opener of the Territorial Cup showdown on Friday night.
ASU jumped ahead early, capitalizing on a shaky start from Arizona’s Collin McKinney to build a 4-1 lead through four innings. Arizona responded with a massive momentum shift in the top of the fifth, scoring 4 two-out runs to take control of the game. The Wildcats went on to outscore ASU 7-1 over the final five innings, backed by a dominant bullpen and clutch hitting.
The scoring began early when Arizona center fielder Aaron Walton launched a solo home run in the top of the first inning, giving the Wildcats a brief 1-0 lead. ASU answered quickly and forcefully, scoring 4 runs across the first four innings, including an RBI double.
Arizona’s comeback began in the fifth. After two quick outs, the Sun Devils seemed closer to putting the inning away. However, the Wildcats sparked a two-out rally when ASU allowed a walk and hit a batter. Arizona strung together four consecutive singles, including RBI hits by Maddox Mihalakis, Tommy Splaine and Mathis Meurant. When the dust settled, Arizona had scored 4 runs and gained a 5-4 lead.
ASU briefly responded in the bottom of the fifth, as the Sun Devils delivered with back-to-back two-out doubles to tie the game at 5-5. But in the seventh, the Wildcats struck again. Mihalakis came through with the biggest swing of the game, crushing a 2-run home run to give Arizona a 7-5 lead. Gunner Geile followed with a two-out RBI triple to cap the 3-run inning, stretching the Wildcats’ advantage to 8-5.
The Sun Devils had opportunities to rally, especially in the bottom of the seventh when the first two batters reached on walks. However, two quick groundouts ended the threat. Arizona’s bullpen made sure there would be no late comeback. Relievers Casey Hintz and Garrett Hicks combined to throw 5.2 innings of near-flawless relief. Hintz earned the win with 3.2 strong innings, while Hicks shut the door with two perfect frames, striking out three to earn his second save of the season.
Game two: Arizona 5 – Arizona State 3
The Wildcats beat ASU in the second game 5-3, powered by a dominant performance from starting pitcher Owen Kramkowski and early home run support.
Kramkowski was efficient and poised in his 8.2 innings of work, allowing just 3 runs on nine hits while striking out five. He walked only one and needed just 104 pitches to tame the Sun Devils’ bats. He fell just one out shy of a complete game, exiting in the ninth after surrendering a pair of runs. Tony Pluta came on in relief with the tying runs on base and struck out the final Sun Devils’ batter to secure the win.
Arizona’s offense struck early, with second baseman Garen Caulfield launching a leadoff home run on the third pitch of the game to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. The Wildcats added another long ball from left fielder Andrew Cain in the fifth inning and used a decisive 3-run sixth inning to break the game open. Shortstop Mason White delivered the big blow with a 2-run triple just over the reach of ASU’s right fielder. Adonys Guzman would ice the game by scoring an RBI single in the sixth inning, giving the Wildcats a 5-0 advantage.
Sun Devils’ starter Jack Martinez struck out a career-high 12 batters in seven innings but a 3-run sixth was his undoing. ASU mounted a ninth-inning rally, scoring twice but falling short in bringing the winning run to the plate.
Cain finished 1-for-3 with a homer and RBI, while White added 2 RBIs and Caulfield contributed the early momentum with his solo homer. Arizona claimed its first road series win over ASU since 2021 and extended its win streak over the Sun Devils to five games, its longest since 2017–2018.
Game three: Arizona State 8 – Arizona 4
In the final game of the series, ASU came back from a 4-run deficit to defeat Arizona 8-4.
Arizona took control in the top of the fourth inning after three quiet frames from both sides. Guzman led off the inning with a double into the left-center gap, followed by a single from Mihalakis that put runners at the corners. After a groundout moved Mihalakis to second, Cain stepped up and delivered the biggest hit of the night. Cain launched a 3-run home run just inside the right field foul pole, giving the Wildcats a 4-0 lead. It was his third career home run at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
On the mound, Arizona starter Smith Bailey gave the Wildcats a solid effort. The sophomore right-hander worked five full innings, allowing just two runs on six hits while striking out three. He exited with the Wildcats still in the lead, so he would not factor into the decision.
ASU broke through in the bottom of the fifth when they hit a 2-run home run, trimming Arizona’s lead to 4-2. That swing sparked a momentum shift that carried through the rest of the game.
In the sixth inning, the Sun Devils sent nine batters to the plate, scoring 4 runs to take their first lead of the night. With the bases loaded and one out, Arizona would surrender a hit batter and a 2-run single to right-center that gave ASU a 6-4 advantage.
From there, the Sun Devils turned the game over to reliever Cole Carlon, who completely silenced Arizona’s offense. The sophomore right-hander was nearly flawless out of the bullpen, retiring all 13 batters he faced across 4.1 innings. Carlon struck out 10 of those 13 batters, including seven in a row at one point and did not allow a single Wildcat to reach base after Cain’s home run.
ASU added 2 insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth and Arizona was unable to mount a comeback.
Despite the loss, Arizona secured the weekend series win over its in-state rival, taking two of three games and clinching a key Territorial Cup point. The Wildcats have now won five of their last six series and continue to sit near the top of the Big 12 standings.
Looking Ahead:
Arizona now returns home to face New Mexico State University on Tuesday, April 8, at 6 p.m. This one-off outing serves as preparation for the Wildcats as they host Oklahoma State University in a three-game homestand from Friday, April 11, to Sunday, April 13.
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