PHOENIX – With No. 20 Arizona State entering the top of the ninth on Saturday and holding a seven-run lead over Utah, head coach Willie Bloomquist just needed the bullpen to retire the side to avoid three consecutive losses at Phoenix Municipal Stadium for the first time in 2026.

At first, Bloomquist entrusted the team’s closer, junior right-handed pitcher Dereck Schaefer, with the ball. 

However, the situation escalated after just five batters.

A barrage of four hits, including a home run by junior left fielder Jake Long, cut the Utes’ deficit to four runs.

Bloomquist saw enough and called in graduate right-handed pitcher Colby Guy, who recorded a single out while allowing another two runs to score. 

Having already used six pitchers, ASU turned to sophomore right-handed pitcher Eli Buxton to finish the job, needing one out.  

Yet Utah's fantasy comeback turned into reality once junior first baseman Cameron Gurney singled past sophomore third baseman Austen Roellig, driving in two runs and giving the Utes a 14-13 lead.

With the game and potentially the season slipping away, Bloomquist called the ninth inning atrocious.

“For me, personally, that was probably one of the most gut-wrenching things I’ve ever watched,” Bloomquist said.

ASU entered the bottom of the ninth in a similar position to its contest against UNLV on April 8: With its back against the wall and having no business being there.

But with the help of American author Mark Twain's quote, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes,” ASU avoided a detrimental loss, as junior shortstop PJ Moutzouridis homered to tie the game and graduate designated hitter Matt Polk singled to walk it off.

Polk said Saturday wasn’t the best individual day for him, but he was pleased to send the Sun Devil faithful home happy.

“It was an amazing feeling to come through for the boys,” Polk said. “I’ve been trying to establish myself the whole season and this was an amazing opportunity to take that moment and come through.”

Facing a gut-wrenching deficit, Bloomquist applauded his team for overcoming adversity. 

“A lesser team folds right there,” Bloomquist said. “That’s the positive I can take out of that inning.”

ASU (25-11, 8-6 Big 12) hit its way to a 14-13 win over Utah (17-14, 6-8 Big 12) on Saturday, April 11, overcoming an early 4-0 deficit and later escaping after surrendering an eight-run ninth inning. The Sun Devils hit five home runs and scored 12 runs across two innings, which provided a seven-run cushion for the bullpen that ultimately evaporated. 

With the bullpen's eight-run ninth, Bloomquist said he couldn’t relax until Polk’s game-winner. 

“There’s no sigh of relief at that point,” Bloomquist said. “The only sigh of relief I had was when the ball went past the third baseman.”

Despite Bloomquist’s relief occurring after the walk-off, sophomore center fielder Landon Hairston felt it the most after Moutzouridis’ tying home run.

“I can’t tell you how much of a sign of relief that was,” Hairston said.

Of the home runs, none stood out more than sophomore catcher Coen Niclai’s grand slam, which tied the game at four in the fourth inning. 

Yet, Niclai didn’t act alone in the fourth. 

Hairston continued his march toward the program’s first Golden Spikes award since 1991, hitting a three-run blast for his 21st home run. 

Hairston later homered in the eighth, raising his season total to 22, five shy of the school record. 

Bloomquist said he doesn't want people to make a “bigger deal” about Hairston’s performance, and he just wants him to stay focused and keep doing what he is doing.

“I’ve never seen anybody locked in for this amount of time,” Bloomquist said. “He’s having one of those incredible stretches that I don't want to talk about too much.”

While Bloomquist worried about fans pressuring Hairston, Utah junior right-handed pitcher Payton Riske challenged ASU's offense through the first three innings.

Riske allowed just a single hit and a walk in the opening third.

But once he trotted out in the bottom of the fourth, the Las Vegan encountered his fate.

Senior right fielder Dean Toigo opened the inning with a deep fly ball to center field, which junior center fielder Jet Gilliam hauled in at the warning track.

As Toigo rounded first and watched the ball disappear in Gilliam’s glove, he tilted his head back, looking to the sky in disbelief at the outcome.

Soon after Toigo’s out, two singles and a fielding error occurred, loading the bases for Niclai. The situation marked just the third time ASU had a runner in scoring position, and Niclai took advantage. 

Adding to his all-around performance, Bloomquist said, the catcher retired three Utes on the bases. 

“He has all the tools to be an extremely good player,” Bloomquist said. “When he contributes the way he did tonight, that’s huge.”

On the mound in front of Niclai, as the Sun Devil bullpen delivered solid outings leading up to the ninth inning, and sophomore right-handed pitcher Taylor Penn provided a respectable performance.

The right-hander exited Saturday pitching 2 ⅔ innings, allowing five hits, four earned runs and four walks.

Penn conceded a leadoff home run to Long and walked two Utes in the first, which immediately put him on the back foot. He allowed a run in each of his three innings pitched, blemishing the stat sheet.

Bloomquist said Penn’s “off” day pointed toward the uncharacteristic pitches he threw on Saturday.

“He’s usually a guy that pounds the strike zone continuously,” Bloomquist said. “Today he was up a lot, missing high in the zone and not making a whole lot of adjustments.”

Behind Penn, four Sun Devils took the mound and issued five hits, one earned run, two walks and eight strikeouts.

The capabilities of the bullpen arms are there, Bloomquist said, but the lack of consistency on a daily basis is frustrating.

“I’m being very difficult and tough on my pitching staff right now because I demand a lot out of them,” Bloomquist said. “It's just a matter of being consistent. That’s what we have to do a better job of.”

Despite the gut-wrenching ninth inning, Bloomquist said college games are ugly, and blown leads are going to happen to every team in a season.

“It’s one of those things where you just sit there, and it's a downhill snowball that's getting bigger and bigger, and you can’t stop it,” Bloomquist said. “But at the end of the day, we stuck together as a team. We rallied in the bottom of the ninth to win it, you don’t want to take the wind out of the sails after a win.”