Sun Devils dominate Utah 18-6 for weekend series sweep

I hope you brought your broom with you, because the Sun Devils just swept the Utes.

Arizona State came into the final game of their weekend series against Utah having already won the series, thanks to a 7-3 victory the night before, but getting a sweep meant something to them. It marked their first Big 12 series sweep ever, even though it came against a former Pac 12 foe.

Jaden Alba got the start for the Sun Devils and he got back to his usual style of play. He had a lead from the very beginning, thanks to a sacrifice fly from Nu'u Contrades that brought Kyle Walker home in the top of the first. Alba then navigated his way out of a tough first frame that saw two batters reach on fielder's choices with one run plating, but struck out the final batter to prevent further damage.

Alba struggled again in the second, giving up a run that put Utah up by one. But the Sun Devil bats supported their starter, immediately reclaiming the lead in the third inning. A double from Walker was followed up with Landon Hairston getting hit by a pitch, setting up a two-run RBI double from Jacob Tobias.

A single from Brandon Compton right after that brought Tobias home for another run, putting Arizona State up 4-2.

That's when Alba settled into a groove, retiring the side on just seven pitches. The Sun Devils added some cushion in the fourth with a solo RBI single from Hairston. Some leaky fielding in the fourth helped put two Utes on base early, and Alba was unable to get out of the jam, giving up two runs before being pulled for Easton Barrett.

Both offenses went dry from there, with the Sun Devils nursing a slim 5-4 lead. Barrett pitched 1.1 no-hit innings before Will Koger finished out the sixth, putting two batters down on just four pitches. Across both the fifth and sixth innings, though, the two teams combined for just two hits.

Arizona State broke through first, with Matt King hitting a single down the right field line to bring Tobias home from second. Koger, who easily had his best outing of the season, pitched a full shutout inning in the seventh.

That led to a wildly productive eighth inning for the Sun Devils. They blew things wide open with seven runs, all of which came with two outs left in the inning. The rally was so surprising that the Sun Devil baseball social media admin didn't know what to do with themselves.

By the time Utah finally stopped the bleeding, they had given up eight hits and seven runs and a tight 6-4 game had suddenly devolved into a 13-4 blowout. The Sun Devils got RBI's from Contrades, Tobias, King, Isaiah Jackson, Jax Ryan, and Brody Briggs in that frame alone.

The Utes staged a bit of a response of their own, getting two across home plate in the bottom of the eighth thanks to a bases-loaded single followed by a bases-loaded fielder's choice, but Arizona State escaped before things got out of hand.

Their offense picked right back up where it left off, though. Hairston led off the ninth with a walk, and Contrades brought him home with a double. A sacrifice fly from Compton brought Contrades home and, later, Jackson blasted a triple to bring two more runs across. Ryan then brought Jackson home, rounding out a five-run ninth inning and upping their monstrous lead to 18-6.

Out came Derek Schaefer to finish things off in the bottom of the ninth, but Utah still had some fight left in them. A walk was followed up by a double, putting two runners in scoring position. But the rally was cut well short with consecutive strikeouts to seal the victory.

The series sweep offers a jolt of energy for Arizona State after a demoralizing collapse late in Tuesday's game with UNLV. The Sun Devils needed this win, a combination of electric offense and air tight relief pitching.

They have a Tuesday night bout with Cal State Fullerton before a series against ranked Arizona, which will be pivotal in the Big 12 race.