Daniel Susac, right, celebrates with Chase Davis, center, and Tanner O’Tremba after Susac’s two-run homer in the first inning Sunday at Hi Corbett Field. UA went on to win 14-4.

 Rebecca Sasnett, Arizona Daily Star

Arizona desperately needed a vintage #Gary performance Sunday. Garrett Irvin delivered.

The veteran left-hander gave the Wildcats a quality start — their first since his outing on April 9. It was the ideal tone-setter on a sunny, series-deciding afternoon.

Behind Irvin’s pitching and ample production from the Cats’ best hitters, Arizona defeated Arizona State 14-4 at Hi Corbett Field to win the weekend series.

The Wildcats, who had dropped their previous two Pac-12 series, improved to 28-13 overall, 13-8 in conference play. The Sun Devils fell to 20-21, 9-9.

“From breakfast on, they were outstanding,” UA coach Chip Hale said of his team. “They were all talking about different stuff, about how they could win this game, approach this pitcher, get into the bullpen. They knew what was at stake.”

Hale wasn’t around to see the back half of it. He was ejected in the bottom of the fifth inning by home plate umpire Jeffrey Macias.

Macias had ruled that UA batter Chase Davis allowed himself to intentionally get hit by a pitch. NCAA rules permit hitters to “freeze” in the batter’s box if a pitch is headed toward them, and it appeared that that’s what Davis did as Jacob Walker’s offering plunked him in the thigh.

Macias called Davis back to the plate. Davis began arguing with Macias. Hale then came out of the dugout. After about a minute of increasingly heated discourse, Hale was tossed from a game for the first time as Arizona’s coach.

Garrett Irvin gave UA a much-needed quality start, allowing three runs in six innings, all coming on a three-run homer with two outs in the sixth.

“He had to throw me out because ... I was arguing basically balls and strikes,” Hale said. “I just didn’t feel like he moved his knee at all. He didn’t give up the box. When guys get hit in the back and they don’t try to get out of the way, why don’t they go back?

“It’s just frustrating. I knew when I stayed out there that he was gonna throw me out. I apologized to him after the game because you start losing it after that. He knows the rules better than I do at this level.”

Hale watched the rest of the game from the video room in the clubhouse. His staff divided in-game responsibilities. His team got fired up.

“Obviously, you don’t want your coach gone,” UA catcher Daniel Susac said. “But I think it motivates a team sometimes. We had a pretty good lead at the time; it was 6-0. We tacked on more. It just gets some energy in the dugout.”

That Irvin was still in the game at that point was noteworthy.

Arizona’s starters — including Irvin — had struggled in a variety of ways in recent outings. Some simply pitched poorly. Some — including Irvin — have been dealing with arm soreness.

TJ Nichols and Chandler Murphy combined to allow seven runs in 7 2/3 innings in the first two games of the series. Those outings put undue pressure on the Wildcats’ offense and taxed their bullpen, continuing a weeks-long trend.

Irvin put an end to it. He allowed three runs in six innings, all coming on a three-run homer with two outs in the sixth. He surrendered six hits and one walk and struck out two batters.

“One pitch sometimes can maybe make a stat line not look as good as he did. I think he carved tonight,” Susac said. “He did a really good job living low, mixed up his pitches well.”

Irvin changed speeds and threw strikes (53 of 80 pitches). It was a big change from his outing last week at Utah, where he needed 69 pitches to get through three innings and never could get loose.

Irvin said a combination of cool weather and being sick contributed to his arm not feeling right in Salt Lake City. He got an extra day of rest this week — two, actually, since he started on Friday last week — and that helped him bounce back.

Despite being ejected in the fifth inning, it was a good day for UA coach Chip Hale. "From breakfast on, they were outstanding,” Hale said of his team in the 14-4 win.

“Physically, I felt great,” said Irvin, who improved to 4-2. “My arm has never felt better than it has this week.”

Irvin doesn’t usually pitch on Sundays, so he faced a different set of circumstances. Was the outcome of the series on his mind when he took the mound?

“Any other team, I would probably think in that way,” Irvin said. “That’s what helps me on Saturdays, because series are still up in the air. But obviously against ASU, even if we won the first two games, I’d still have the same mindset on Sunday, just because sweeping ASU would have been nice. That’s always the goal.”

Unburdened by having to match the other team’s offense, Arizona’s lineup exploded for double-digit runs. Susac started it with a two-run home run in the first inning, his eighth of the season. The Wildcats scored four in the third and seven in the seventh.

No. 2 hitter Tanner O’Tremba went 3 for 5 with three runs and three RBIs. Susac, who batted third, went 2 for 3 with three runs, three RBIs and two walks. No. 5 hitter Mac Bingham went 2 for 4 with two runs and three RBIs.

Susac gave the credit to Irvin.

“I don’t want to say it takes off pressure; there’s always pressure to put up runs. But it makes it easier when you’re not chasing a couple,” Susac said. “It (took) the most pressure off our bullpen. They’ve been carrying us a little bit recently.”

Chris Barraza pitched a scoreless seventh inning when the score was 7-3. By the time Javyn Pimental entered in the eighth, the lead had swelled to 14-3. Quinn Flanagan finished the game with a scoreless ninth that required only seven pitches.

Hale happily emerged from the clubhouse after the final out. He was thankful that the Wildcats had defeated the Sun Devils in his first series against them as head coach. He also was thankful that Irvin was available and ready.

“He’s almost a Friday-night pitcher in this league. He’s proven to be that good,” Hale said. “You know if he’s healthy and he’s throwing like he can that you have a huge advantage.”

Inside pitch

O’Tremba went 9 for 15 in the series with a home run, two doubles, two stolen bases, five runs and seven RBIs. He raised his average to a team-best .380.

Bingham extended his on-base streak to 28 games. Bingham was hitting .196 on March 6. He’s now batting .288, including .376 in Pac-12 play.

Arizona scored 10-plus runs for the first time since March 21 and the ninth time in 41 games. The Wildcats had 10 or more runs in 26 of 63 games last season.

Right-hander Dawson Netz, who has pitched only once since March 27 because of an arm issue, played catch with a trainer before the game. “His MRI was good,” Hale said. He’s on some meds that should work for him. But he’s not gonna get on the rubber, off the mound, for a week or so. So it’s gonna be a while.”

Arizona visits New Mexico State on Tuesday before hosting Nevada in a four-game series Thursday-Sunday. The Wildcats resume Pac-12 play the following weekend at USC.

Become a #ThisIsTucson member! Your contribution helps our team bring you stories that keep you connected to the community. Become a member today.

Contact sports reporter Michael Lev at 573-4148 or mlev@tucson.com. On Twitter @michaeljlev