After a series of high-intensity and pressure-filled moments, the Sun Devils looked to a veteran to steady the waters.
Senior right-hander Kole Klecker tossed seven innings, allowing only one run Sunday to propel No. 20 ASU to a 5-2 series-clinching victory over Utah at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
The ASU rotation needed more effective outings after the Sun Devils used 10 different pitchers in the first two games of the series.
"To get deep in the seventh inning was huge," Klecker said. "We were looking for some length with the amount of guys that threw to keep arms healthy."
Junior right-handed pitcher Jaden Alba rode the momentum, firing two shutout innings to slam the door and earn the save.
"Hairy Bonds," as Klecker likes to say, is what teammates call sophomore outfielder Landon Hairston, who has been leading the way for the offense all season long.
Hairston drove in three runs with a double and a home run on Sunday. His 23rd home run of the season puts him four away from tying the ASU single-season record.
"I'm not going to compare him to (Barry Bonds)," head coach Willie Bloomquist said. "It's not fair to do that. But right now, with what he's doing, the attention he's getting is warranted. He's the best hitter in the country right now."
READ MORE: Bred for the moment: Landon Hairston's meteoric rise to the top of college baseball
Game two unraveled into chaos late into the Tempe night.
A five-run eighth inning for ASU, two runs coming from Hairston's second home run of the night, his second of the night, looked like it would lock up a victory for the Sun Devils.
However, Utah would not quit. Going into the ninth inning down 12-5, the Utes put up eight runs to take the lead ahead of the bottom half.
In an inning that made outs feel like a luxury, Bloomquist found it to be "gut-wrenching." Three of the eight RBIs came with two outs, something he decided to call out his pitching staff for.
"The whole idea of pitching is just something that we have to get better at right now," Bloomquist said. "It's not acceptable on any level. We have to do a better job."
The Sun Devil offense would not be deterred after junior shortstop PJ Moutzouridis responded with a home run, before graduate outfielder Matt Polk hit a walk-off single to complete the comeback and secure a 14-13 victory.
Junior first baseman Dominic Smaldino went 5-5, sophomore catcher Coen Niclai launched a grand slam and Hairston did the bulk of the damage with five RBIs on the night.
"It's huge," Smaldino said. "We needed this, and it came at a great time. Came from the whole team."
Early tension in the series opener escalated quickly, with back-and-forth chirping resulting in three combined ejections.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, redshirt sophomore catcher Brody Briggs was first to get the boot after he responded to some mocking by Utah pitcher Colter McAnelly. A livid Bloomquist came out to dispute before he was ejected, and later the umpires met and ejected McAnelly as well.
Umpires issued warnings to both benches after apparent chirping following a home run from Utah catcher Jack Kleveno in the top half of the fifth.
"I don't mind kids competing, and I don't mind kids having a little trash talk here and there," Bloomquist said. "That's today's world; back in the day, we would have brawled over that stuff, but now we just like to chirp. Right, wrong or indifferent. I don't have a problem with it, but if there are warnings in place, then absolutely it shouldn't have come to our guy getting tossed first."
After the dust settled, Hairston knocked a three-run shot to make it a three-run game.
Even with Hairston's spark, the Sun Devils couldn't overcome an uncharacteristic outing from junior left-hander Cole Carlon, who gave up seven runs in 4.2 innings in a 10-4 loss.
Hairston drove 11 of ASU's 23 runs scored on the weekend as he continues his midseason case for the Golden Spikes award.
"For those that haven't seen him play, you need to," Bloomquist said. "It's fun to watch him."
ASU closes out the final game of five total matchups against rival Arizona on Monday before heading to Provo, Utah, to take on BYU next weekend in another crucial Big 12 series.
Alex Swift contributed to this reporting.
Edited by Niall Rosenberg, Senna James and Pippa Fung.
Reach the reporter at eapache3@asu.edu.
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