PHOENIX — The Arizona Wildcats clinched the season series against rival Arizona State with a 3-1 victory Friday night.
They also ensured that this Sun Devils season will live in infamy.
The loss dropped Arizona State to 23-28. With four games to go, ASU is assured of its first losing since 1985 — the only other time the Sun Devils have finished below .500 in program history.
No. 17 Arizona (35-17, 14-12 Pac-12) continued its upward trajectory. Since being swept at Stanford in late April — giving them six losses in seven games — the Wildcats have won 8 of 10. The victory over ASU on Friday was Arizona’s fourth in a row.
“Adversity is going to hit you in Division I baseball, and it’s definitely going to hit you in the Pac-12,” UA coach Jay Johnson said. “You’ll be defined by how you respond to it. They’ve responded to it great.”
UA starter Cameron Ming played his prep ball about 28 miles up I-17 at Sandra Day O’Connor High. He seemed right at home pitching at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
The junior left-hander struck out only three Sun Devils but recorded his fifth quality start in as many appearances since joining the rotation April 21. Friday marked his second complete game in his past three outings.
Many of Ming’s friends and family members were among the announced crowd of 3,221. He tried his best to not let it distract him.
“There’s just more pressure,” Ming said. “I’ve got a lot of people here that don’t come to a lot of ballgames usually. You’re playing your hometown school. I grew up an ASU fan, having two parents graduating from ASU. More pressure, but I like the pressure. It’s fun. It’s really fun.”
Will Ming’s parents be mad at him that he helped secure ASU’s second-ever losing record?
“I don’t think so,” Ming said. “I think they’re over it. I think I can officially call them Wildcats now. At least while I’m here.”
With Ming on the mound, the Wildcats didn’t need a ton of offense. They produced just enough.
The bottom of the order started the rally that gave Arizona the lead in the top of the seventh. Senior Louis Boyd and junior Cal Stevenson led off the inning with singles, putting runners on the corners. They scored on groundouts by Jared Oliva and JJ Matijevic – the latter hustling down the first-base line to beat out a would-be inning-ending double play.
“Every run in a game like this is gold,” Johnson said. “It was huge. You can’t underestimate it.”
As this season has progressed, junior Ryan Haug has become a bigger part of Johnson’s plans — a versatile and athletic piece Johnson can deploy in multiple ways.
Haug has made 13 starts this season — four in a row and nine since April 22. He has become the right-handed portion of a platoon at catcher and started two straight games in left field before Friday. Haug also pinch-ran for fellow catcher Cesar Salazar in the ninth inning of Arizona’s May 7 game against Washington and scored the winning run in the Wildcats’ wild comeback.
Batting cleanup for the first time this season, Haug helped Arizona get on the board in the fourth inning. The transfer from Santa Rosa (Calif.) Junior College doubled over center fielder Gage Canning’s head to lead off the inning. Cory Voss followed with a single, advancing Haug to third. He scored when Nick Quintana grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to give Arizona a 1-0 lead.
Haug has reached base in four consecutive games and typically puts the ball in play; he had struck out only four times in 44 at-bats entering Friday. Playing regularly helps.
“Obviously, it’s fun to get out there — to physically do something to help the team win,” Haug said earlier in the week. “You’re seeing more live pitching, more live at-bats. You’re going to get into that groove.”
But Haug’s best asset is his powerful right arm. He showed it off in the second inning when he easily threw out Zach Cerbo trying to steal second base.
“He’s playing good, and he’s a really good competitor — a mature player,” Johnson said of Haug, whom he added to the roster after becoming UA coach in June 2015. “He understands our brand of baseball at a really high level.”
Inside pitch
- Oliva’s bloop double in the third inning was his 24th of the season. He and Matijevic became the first UA teammates to hit 24 or more doubles in the same season.
- Boyd had his first multihit game since April 9 against Washington State.
- ASU starter Eli Lingos threw several breaking balls that didn’t reach 70 mph on the stadium radar gun. A pitch to Matijevic in the fifth registered at 63 mph.
- The series finale, which is also Arizona’s final road game, is slated for 7 p.m. Saturday. Sophomore right-hander Cody Deason is likely to start for the Wildcats.
