Two weeks ago Tuesday, the No. 8 ASU baseball team traveled to Tucson for a non-conference game with defending national champion and rival UA.
The Sun Devils (28-12-1) took it to the Wildcats (28-14) for five and a half innings, compiling an 8-2 lead.
Then, things changed.
Redshirt junior starter Zak Miller was lifted in favor of struggling sophomore Adam McCreery, and the Wildcats looked like a completely different team at the plate.
The Wildcats scored eight runs in the final three innings, completed the comeback and knocked off the Sun Devils 10-9.
When the Sun Devils return to Tucson on Tuesday for a rematch, many things will remain the same. Miller (3-0, 2.70 ERA) will start again. He earned the nod after pitching 5.2 innings and allowing only two runs and striking out seven last Wednesday against UNLV. The lineup that smashed ten hits and scored nine runs against the Wildcats two weeks ago will remain the same.
The Sun Devils have upped their team batting average to .299, partially due to the productivity of freshmen R.J. Ybarra (.355) and Dalton DiNatale (.344).
In the first meeting between the teams, Ybarra was 2-5 with a run scored and DiNatale drew four walks.
What has changed for the Sun Devils is their bullpen efficiency.
Sophomore Darin Gillies, who picked up the loss in the first matchup, won his first game of the season Sunday against Utah.
Senior starter Alex Blackford didn't record an out on Sunday but the entire bullpen was effective all game, allowing only four runs in nine innings.
Both teams are coming off sweeps, the Sun Devils against the Utah and the Wildcats against Alabama State.
The Sun Devils are 6-1 since the loss to the Wildcats.
The game will count as a non-conference once again, but the teams will meet for a conference series from May 17 to May 19 in Tempe.
Reach the reporter at dsshapi1@asu.edu or follow on Twitter at @Danny__Shapiro
