A few weeks from now Arizona and ASU will play a 3-game series in Phoenix that will count toward the standings of their shared new conference, the Big 12. Tuesday night was just for bragging rights.
The Wildcats held off the Sun Devils 3-2 before a crowd of 4,799 at Hi Corbett Field for their 12th win in the last 13 games, improving to 9-0 at home. It was their last nonconference game before opening their first season of Big 12 play Friday at home against Cincinnati.
“The Big 12 is gonna be a lot of fun, and that’s kind of the start of it for us,” UA coach Chip Hale said.
Arizona (12-4) took the lead three pitches into the bottom of the first and led 2-0 after one inning, sitting at 3-0 after six, before ASU (12-5) started to chip away in the later innings. The Wildcats have plenty of chances to pad the lead but went 1 for 13 with runners in scoring position and had two baserunners thrown out trying to advance on ground balls in the infield.
“Three runs should have been five or six,” Hale said. “Just on man at third, less than two outs, man at second, no outs, not getting them over. Those are things we have to do better. We wouldn’t get upset with them if we didn’t think they could. So those are things we will get better.”
Back-to-back doubles by Brendan Summerhill (first pitch) and Aaron Walton (second pitch) gave the UA a 1-0 lead, then three straight 2-out walks doubled it. The third run came in the bottom of the 6th on an RBI double from Tommy Splaine, who was 2 for 4 and also made several big plays in the field.
That ended up being just enough offense for another collective pitching outing. Raul Garayzar was the first of seven pitchers used, going the first three innings and allowing two baserunners. The senior from Rio Rico has a 1.86 ERA in 9.2 innings this season after struggling in 2024.
“All summer I was just pounding off-speed and trying to get that down because I knew I needed that,” he said.
Carson Johnson, Eric Orloff and Julian Tonghini combined for the next three innings, with Tonghini getting the win. Garrett Hicks and Hunter Alberini allowed 2-out runs in the 7th and 8th, respectively, before Tony Pluta came on for the 9th.
Pluta, who has yet to allow a run in 9.1 innings and picked up his third save, gave up a 1-out single before inducing a game-ending 4-6-3 double play. ASU challenged both Mason White’s stepping on second and Splaine’s stretch at first, with both upheld.
“We were confident, but definitely a bit nervous,” said Splaine, who also made a diving stop on a ball to his right to end the 5th when it was 2-0 and ASU had a runner in scoring position. “That honestly was my goal, was to keep it in front of me. I’d say that’s just more instinct, and I was just positioned well at that point, so just kind of one step and one dive. They had me in the perfect position.”
Arizona has four games left on its season-long 9-game homestand, the next three this weekend against Cincinnati to start Big 12 play. The Bearcats are 11-6 and have already played 11 road games.