With the No. 10 Arizona baseball team down to its final out and its best base runner gunned out at second base on a questionable call, things looked bleak for the Wildcats.
Somebody forgot to tell Jordan Brown Arizona (7-0) was supposed to lose this heartbreaker.
Instead Brown, a junior first baseman, broke the hearts of No. 11 ASU (6-5) when he lined a two-run homerun on a fastball over the right field fence to send the Wildcats to a dramatic 7-6 victory over its in-state rivals in 14 innings last night at Sancet Stadium.
"I hadn't seen any fastballs the whole day, except for a couple of them," Brown said. "I was thinking 'OK, now I'm ahead of him.' Normally I would look for a curveball, but I guessed right, and I got my pitch. When I hit it I knew. I was thinking, 'Hey it's over.'"
After the Sun Devils scored a run on a bases loaded walk drawn by Joe Persichina in the top of the inning, junior outfielder Trevor Crowe singled to start the bottom half. After junior second baseman Brad Boyer struck out, Crowe was called out stealing second for the first time after 30 consecutive successful attempts on a questionable call.
With two outs and the bases empty, senior outfielder Jeff Van Houten sharply singled up the middle to set up Brown's dramatics.
"We had it last year, and it's the same group of guys," Brown said. "We fight hard. It's not over 'til it's over. I don't care if we get hosed on a call that could have gone either way. We've still got another out to give, so the game goes on."
Arizona never would have been in this situation if sophomore closer Mark Melancon had not shut the Devils down for 4.1 innings. In that stretch he allowed two hits and struck out four batters while keepings zeroes on the scoreboard for ASU.
"He pitched extremely well," UA head coach Andy Lopez said. "He's used to it. He's been a starter for a long time, and now he's a reliever for us. He did a great job out of the pen."
Even played as a non-conference game at the beginning of the season, this game had the intensity of an in-state rivalry. After Brown touched home plate while his teammates celebrated, Arizona and ASU players exchanged words.
"I think we were discussing where they were going to eat tonight," Lopez joked.
Lopez said the fire appears to be back in this rivalry which the Sun Devils had dominated of late, going 2-9 against Arizona in the past three years entering the game.
ASU looked to continue that trend when they jumped out to an early 5-1 lead, scoring in four of the first five innings. Arizona freshman starter Eric Berger allowed four runs in 3.2 innings before the bullpen came in and allowed only two more runs in 10.1 innings of work.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Wildcats came back when Van Houten hit a game-tying two-run home run over the center field wall, capping a three-run inning.
The score remained tied until the 14th inning as both bullpens dominated. ASU pitcher Pat Bresnehan shut out the Wildcats over 5.1 innings.
"The thing I shared with the club at the end of the ballgame is this was a good win, but it doesn't guarantee you getting into the College World Series," Lopez said. "It's a long marathon. Be thankful. We did a great job. We battled through some situations late in the game that a younger team maybe would have hung their heads a little bit, but we have a lot of work to do."
Lopez said a game like this, playing extra innings with a rival, will be beneficial later on in the season. From the numerous innings pitched by both clubs' closers to the passionate reactions of the players after making a big play, the game had a playoff atmosphere.
"I don't mind these kind of games at all early in the season," Lopez said. "They're very beneficial in April and May."
The Wildcats will not have long to enjoy this victory, as they play at Texas Pan-Am this weekend and will host another tough game against ASU Feb. 23.
While Brown said the team will enjoy this win, the team has more important plans on the horizon.
"It's big for our morale," he said. "It feels good to win a game like this in every meaning of the word, (but) it's all about Omaha. It's not beating your rival, which is great. To beat Arizona State, that doesn't get you to Omaha."