Sun Devil Athletics makes a much-needed return to your screen in two mid-week takeovers on Pac-12 Network this month. On Wednesday, May 13, a collection of Arizona State 'Campus Classics' will air starting at 5 p.m. PT. The Sun Devils return for a second takeover after Memorial Day Weekend on Thursday, May 28.
This Wednesday just got a whole lot better thanks to the weekday action that starts with women's basketball upsetting No. 2 Oregon in the desert followed by the 2019 Pac-12 Women's Golf Championship. Softball airs third in the lineup with a game you have to see to believe and hockey rings last call with an overtime thriller - puck drop is at 9 p.m. PT.
Wednesday, May 13 - Arizona State 'Campus Classics' (5 p.m. PT - 11 p.m. PT) on Pac-12 Network 5 p.m. PT - Women's Basketball: 2020 Oregon at Arizona State (recap) 6:30 p.m. PT - Women's Golf: 2019 Pac-12 Championships 7:30 p.m. PT - Softball: Utah at Arizona State (3/24/19) (recap) 9:00 p.m. PT - Ice Hockey: 2018 Minnesota State at Arizona State (recap)
Thursday, May 28 - Arizona State 'Campus Classics' (5 p.m. PT - 11 p.m. PT) on Pac-12 Network 5 p.m. PT - Baseball: UCLA at Arizona State (5/5/19) (recap) 6:30 p.m. PT - Softball: Utah at Arizona State (3/24/19) (recap) 8 p.m. PT - Women's Basketball: 2020 Oregon at Arizona State (recap) 10 p.m. PT - Football in 60: 2018 Arizona State at Arizona (recap)
SOCIAL MEDIA SNEAK PEEKS
Wednesday, May 13
Women's Basketball: Sure, Ducks ranked No. 2 in the country and boast one of the best college athletes of all time. That's nothing for Charli's Devils. Tip-off at 5 p.m. PT.
Women's Golf: Hint: A classic Sun Devil comeback. See you on the green at 6:30 p.m. PT this Wednesday.
Softball: Down six runs in the bottom of the 5th... but SURPRISE! We win this game. Watch Pac-12 Network on Wednesday, May 13 at 7:30 p.m. PT to see how it happens.
Ice Hockey: David and Goliath on ice. And we know who wins with the slingshot. Watch the showdown this Wednesday at 9 p.m. PT.
Thursday, May 28
Baseball: It's Cinco de Mayo and the Sun Devils are here to party and serve a SWEEP to the top team in the country. Opening pitch against the Bruins at 5 p.m. PT.
Softball: We're staying on the diamond for another re-run against Utah. #HomeRunU on full display at 6:30 p.m. PT.
Women's Basketball: This is so good, we're showing it twice. Catch it again at 8 p.m. PT.
Football: One of the all-time biggest football comebacks since 1966. Even better, it's against the team down south. Life is sweet sometimes. Kickoff at 10 p.m. PT.
CAN'T WAIT? HERE'S HOW IT ALL WENT DOWN
2020 WBB Oregon vs. ASU:
The Oregon Ducks thoroughly and consistently dominated their 2019-2020 women's basketball season, and that narrative seemed like it would continue when they visited Tempe in January to take on Arizona State. The Ducks got off to a red-hot start, shooting 67 percent from the floor in the first quarter to jump out to an early lead. Ja'Tavia Tapley kept the Sun Devils in it early, scoring six of the team's first 12 points to make it 14-12 after about eight minutes, but the Ducks would knock down three triples in the final two minutes of the quarter to take an eight-point lead.
Superstar and eventual No. 1 overall draft pick Sabrina Ionescu would help the Ducks maintain their lead with a game-high 24 points on the night, but after giving up 23 in the first quarter, ASU would hold the Ducks to 29 points combined in the second and third quarters. While Oregon entered the final frame with a 10-point lead, the Sun Devils would go on a 14-0 run to take the lead with under four minutes remaining. The Ducks would battle back and reclaim the lead, but Jamie Ruden proceeded to take over the final minutes of the game, knocking down a three that would give the lead back to ASU. Ionescu would hit a jumper before Ruden knocked down two more clutch shots to give the Sun Devils a 65-62 lead with 34 seconds remaining. The Ducks had no choice but to intentionally foul, and the Sun Devils knocked down 7-of-8 free throws in the final 20 seconds to secure their huge win over No. 2 ranked Oregon.
2019 Women's Golf Pac-12 Championship:
The Arizona State Women's Golf team entered the 2019 Pac-12 Championships as the No. 15 ranked squad, but the Sun Devils established themselves as contenders right out of the gate. The biggest highlight of the day came from Sun Devil Madison Kerley on the 16th hole, as she recorded the only eagle on the day with only three shots on the par-five hole. ASU would finish the first day in fifth place with 15 birdies, the second-most of any team, and five Sun Devils finished in the Top-25, led by Olivia Mehaffey in second place. Mehaffey and the Sun Devils would continue their impressive play on the second day, jumping into fourth place as a team with Raquel Olmos and Alexandra Forsterling duplicating their scores from the first day.
On the final day, after keeping pace with Stanford's Albane Valenzuela, Mehaffey shot 4-under 209 (69-70-70) to finally catch up to first place. A playoff on the 18th hole saw her shoot par while Valenzuela made bogey, which made Olivia Meharrey the individual winner of the Pac-12 Championship. ASU's second individual Pac-12 title performance in four years, followed by Linnea Storm in 2016, helped the Sun Devils finished in third-place in the 2019 Pac-12 Championships.
2019 Softball Utah vs. ASU:
When the Utah Softball team visited Tempe for a three-game series in late March 2019, the Sun Devils completely dominated the Utes, shutting them out in the first contest and winning the first two games by a score of 27-4. But in that third game of their road trip, Utah had apparently come to play, and they had a 3-0 lead in only the second inning. Arizona State would then score five runs in the second inning to retake the lead, capped off by a three-run bomb by Kindra Hackbarth. The Utes would come back even stronger, however, scoring five runs of their own in the third to take an 8-5 lead.
The ASU offense would remain stagnant as the Utes continued to build their lead, adding another five runs to take a commanding 13-5 lead at the halfway point of the contest. Utah would keep that 8-run lead going into the final frame, but the Sun Devil offense would explode when the team needed it most. After homers from both Kindra and Maddi Hackbarth, several walks and an RBI-double from Jade Gortarez, Alli Tantall would find herself at the plate with two outs, a two-run deficit, and the bases loaded. Tantall would connect on a triple, driving in the game-winning run to complete the miraculous comeback and sweep the series for the Sun Devils.
2018 Hockey Minnesota State vs. ASU:
In their final game of 2018, ASU Hockey would host No. 3-ranked Minnesota State-Mankato in a tightly-contested affair at Gila River Arena. The Sun Devils scored the first point of the game after about six minutes when Johnny Walker assisted Jordan Sandhu for an easy goal. The Minnesota State offense would come alive in the second period, scoring two goals on Joey Daccord. However, Daccord would say solid for the rest of the contest, and the Sun Devils would find themselves down by 1 with less than a minute remaining.
After assisting on ASU's earlier goal, Johnny Walker would get the rebound from Brett Gruber and score his 18th goal of that season to tie the game up with only 29 seconds remaining. After a scoreless overtime period, the team would go into its first shootout of the season, and ASU sent in Max Balinson as its fifth shooter, who had not scored any goals on the season up to that point. Yet in only the third game he dressed for all year, according to ASU coach Greg Powers, Balinson delivered on a clutch shot for the Sun Devils, capping off one of the most memorable games of the season for the program.
2019 Baseball UCLA vs. ASU:
ASU Baseball hosted a tough series against the No.1-ranked UCLA Bruins in early May 2019, and the Sun Devils found themselves on the verge of being swept after being outscored 23 to 5 in the first two contests. ASU's Hunter Bishop clearly had other plans, as his grand slam early in the game would give the Sun Devils a quick 4-0 lead. The Bruins came storming back, however, scoring three runs in the second inning to pull within one. The Bruins would load the bases up in the fifth and only managed to score the tying run, but ASU's fortunes would quickly run out in the next inning as a pair of walks and a Sun Devil error helped UCLA score three runs to take a 7-4 lead.
But after that rough sixth inning for Arizona State, pitcher Blake Burzell was able to settle down and hold the Bruins scoreless in the next two frames, while a pair of solo shots from Gage Workman in the sixth and Spencer Torkelson to lead off the eighth helped chip away at the lead. Workman would find himself with the bases loaded in the eighth and his sac fly would tie the game, before Carter Aldrete delivered a clutch RBI single to score the game-winning run. RJ Dabovich would give up a leadoff walk in the ninth before settling in and retiring the final three batters, completing the comeback for Arizona State and securing one of their most impressive wins of the season.
2018 Football ASU at UA:
In the first Territorial Cup game with Herm Edwards as head coach, the Arizona Wildcats invited the Sun Devils into Tucson, only to dominate the game for the first three quarters. ASU would score a touchdown in each of the first three quarters, including two rushing scores from Eno Benjamin, but the Wildcat offense and special teams would overwhelm the Sun Devils very quickly. Kicker Josh Pollack nailed four field goals in the first three quarters, the defense would secure a safety in the opening minutes of the second half, and Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate tossed three touchdown passes to put the Wildcats up 40-21 after three frames.
But after being dominated for the entire game, the ASU offense would explode to put the team back in the game. Kicker Brandon Ruiz added a pair of field goals for the Devils, but the rushing offense would come alive in the final frame, with quarterback Manny Wilkins taking the ball himself for the 11-yard score. Eno Benjamin added another 22-yard rushing score with just over three minutes left, giving Arizona State their first lead of the evening. The ASU defense, after getting pummeled for 40 points in the first three quarters, pitched a shutout in the final frame. They held onto a one point lead for the final three minutes, securing a huge comeback win and the first Territorial Cup for coach Herm Edwards.
This Wednesday just got a whole lot better thanks to the weekday action that starts with women's basketball upsetting No. 2 Oregon in the desert followed by the 2019 Pac-12 Women's Golf Championship. Softball airs third in the lineup with a game you have to see to believe and hockey rings last call with an overtime thriller - puck drop is at 9 p.m. PT.
Wednesday, May 13 - Arizona State 'Campus Classics' (5 p.m. PT - 11 p.m. PT) on Pac-12 Network 5 p.m. PT - Women's Basketball: 2020 Oregon at Arizona State (recap) 6:30 p.m. PT - Women's Golf: 2019 Pac-12 Championships 7:30 p.m. PT - Softball: Utah at Arizona State (3/24/19) (recap) 9:00 p.m. PT - Ice Hockey: 2018 Minnesota State at Arizona State (recap)
Thursday, May 28 - Arizona State 'Campus Classics' (5 p.m. PT - 11 p.m. PT) on Pac-12 Network 5 p.m. PT - Baseball: UCLA at Arizona State (5/5/19) (recap) 6:30 p.m. PT - Softball: Utah at Arizona State (3/24/19) (recap) 8 p.m. PT - Women's Basketball: 2020 Oregon at Arizona State (recap) 10 p.m. PT - Football in 60: 2018 Arizona State at Arizona (recap)
SOCIAL MEDIA SNEAK PEEKS
Wednesday, May 13
Women's Basketball: Sure, Ducks ranked No. 2 in the country and boast one of the best college athletes of all time. That's nothing for Charli's Devils. Tip-off at 5 p.m. PT.
— Sun Devil WBB (@SunDevilWBB) January 11, 2020
Women's Golf: Hint: A classic Sun Devil comeback. See you on the green at 6:30 p.m. PT this Wednesday.
PAC-12 CHAMPION??@SunDevilWGolf's @OliviaMehaffey wins the individual title! pic.twitter.com/hUjNIFUCME
— Arizona State Sun Devils (@TheSunDevils) April 17, 2019
Softball: Down six runs in the bottom of the 5th... but SURPRISE! We win this game. Watch Pac-12 Network on Wednesday, May 13 at 7:30 p.m. PT to see how it happens.
???? SZN @maddihack | #OTD2019 pic.twitter.com/jbsH1OHGiR
— Sun Devil Softball (@ASUSoftball) March 24, 2020
Ice Hockey: David and Goliath on ice. And we know who wins with the slingshot. Watch the showdown this Wednesday at 9 p.m. PT.
Johnny ******* Walker! #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/AAIhDckFgZ
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) December 30, 2018
Thursday, May 28
Baseball: It's Cinco de Mayo and the Sun Devils are here to party and serve a SWEEP to the top team in the country. Opening pitch against the Bruins at 5 p.m. PT.
Devils still in this after @gagework9's homer in the sixth.
— Sun Devil Baseball (@ASU_Baseball) May 5, 2019
7-5, UCLA. Three innings left. pic.twitter.com/d57KMooVNN
Softball: We're staying on the diamond for another re-run against Utah. #HomeRunU on full display at 6:30 p.m. PT.
Women's Basketball: This is so good, we're showing it twice. Catch it again at 8 p.m. PT.
Football: One of the all-time biggest football comebacks since 1966. Even better, it's against the team down south. Life is sweet sometimes. Kickoff at 10 p.m. PT.
the game needed life, i put my heart in it.. pic.twitter.com/Ru7mewh6yE
— Eno Benjamin (@eno_benjamin5) November 25, 2018
CAN'T WAIT? HERE'S HOW IT ALL WENT DOWN
2020 WBB Oregon vs. ASU:
The Oregon Ducks thoroughly and consistently dominated their 2019-2020 women's basketball season, and that narrative seemed like it would continue when they visited Tempe in January to take on Arizona State. The Ducks got off to a red-hot start, shooting 67 percent from the floor in the first quarter to jump out to an early lead. Ja'Tavia Tapley kept the Sun Devils in it early, scoring six of the team's first 12 points to make it 14-12 after about eight minutes, but the Ducks would knock down three triples in the final two minutes of the quarter to take an eight-point lead.
Superstar and eventual No. 1 overall draft pick Sabrina Ionescu would help the Ducks maintain their lead with a game-high 24 points on the night, but after giving up 23 in the first quarter, ASU would hold the Ducks to 29 points combined in the second and third quarters. While Oregon entered the final frame with a 10-point lead, the Sun Devils would go on a 14-0 run to take the lead with under four minutes remaining. The Ducks would battle back and reclaim the lead, but Jamie Ruden proceeded to take over the final minutes of the game, knocking down a three that would give the lead back to ASU. Ionescu would hit a jumper before Ruden knocked down two more clutch shots to give the Sun Devils a 65-62 lead with 34 seconds remaining. The Ducks had no choice but to intentionally foul, and the Sun Devils knocked down 7-of-8 free throws in the final 20 seconds to secure their huge win over No. 2 ranked Oregon.
2019 Women's Golf Pac-12 Championship:
The Arizona State Women's Golf team entered the 2019 Pac-12 Championships as the No. 15 ranked squad, but the Sun Devils established themselves as contenders right out of the gate. The biggest highlight of the day came from Sun Devil Madison Kerley on the 16th hole, as she recorded the only eagle on the day with only three shots on the par-five hole. ASU would finish the first day in fifth place with 15 birdies, the second-most of any team, and five Sun Devils finished in the Top-25, led by Olivia Mehaffey in second place. Mehaffey and the Sun Devils would continue their impressive play on the second day, jumping into fourth place as a team with Raquel Olmos and Alexandra Forsterling duplicating their scores from the first day.
On the final day, after keeping pace with Stanford's Albane Valenzuela, Mehaffey shot 4-under 209 (69-70-70) to finally catch up to first place. A playoff on the 18th hole saw her shoot par while Valenzuela made bogey, which made Olivia Meharrey the individual winner of the Pac-12 Championship. ASU's second individual Pac-12 title performance in four years, followed by Linnea Storm in 2016, helped the Sun Devils finished in third-place in the 2019 Pac-12 Championships.
2019 Softball Utah vs. ASU:
When the Utah Softball team visited Tempe for a three-game series in late March 2019, the Sun Devils completely dominated the Utes, shutting them out in the first contest and winning the first two games by a score of 27-4. But in that third game of their road trip, Utah had apparently come to play, and they had a 3-0 lead in only the second inning. Arizona State would then score five runs in the second inning to retake the lead, capped off by a three-run bomb by Kindra Hackbarth. The Utes would come back even stronger, however, scoring five runs of their own in the third to take an 8-5 lead.
The ASU offense would remain stagnant as the Utes continued to build their lead, adding another five runs to take a commanding 13-5 lead at the halfway point of the contest. Utah would keep that 8-run lead going into the final frame, but the Sun Devil offense would explode when the team needed it most. After homers from both Kindra and Maddi Hackbarth, several walks and an RBI-double from Jade Gortarez, Alli Tantall would find herself at the plate with two outs, a two-run deficit, and the bases loaded. Tantall would connect on a triple, driving in the game-winning run to complete the miraculous comeback and sweep the series for the Sun Devils.
2018 Hockey Minnesota State vs. ASU:
In their final game of 2018, ASU Hockey would host No. 3-ranked Minnesota State-Mankato in a tightly-contested affair at Gila River Arena. The Sun Devils scored the first point of the game after about six minutes when Johnny Walker assisted Jordan Sandhu for an easy goal. The Minnesota State offense would come alive in the second period, scoring two goals on Joey Daccord. However, Daccord would say solid for the rest of the contest, and the Sun Devils would find themselves down by 1 with less than a minute remaining.
After assisting on ASU's earlier goal, Johnny Walker would get the rebound from Brett Gruber and score his 18th goal of that season to tie the game up with only 29 seconds remaining. After a scoreless overtime period, the team would go into its first shootout of the season, and ASU sent in Max Balinson as its fifth shooter, who had not scored any goals on the season up to that point. Yet in only the third game he dressed for all year, according to ASU coach Greg Powers, Balinson delivered on a clutch shot for the Sun Devils, capping off one of the most memorable games of the season for the program.
2019 Baseball UCLA vs. ASU:
ASU Baseball hosted a tough series against the No.1-ranked UCLA Bruins in early May 2019, and the Sun Devils found themselves on the verge of being swept after being outscored 23 to 5 in the first two contests. ASU's Hunter Bishop clearly had other plans, as his grand slam early in the game would give the Sun Devils a quick 4-0 lead. The Bruins came storming back, however, scoring three runs in the second inning to pull within one. The Bruins would load the bases up in the fifth and only managed to score the tying run, but ASU's fortunes would quickly run out in the next inning as a pair of walks and a Sun Devil error helped UCLA score three runs to take a 7-4 lead.
But after that rough sixth inning for Arizona State, pitcher Blake Burzell was able to settle down and hold the Bruins scoreless in the next two frames, while a pair of solo shots from Gage Workman in the sixth and Spencer Torkelson to lead off the eighth helped chip away at the lead. Workman would find himself with the bases loaded in the eighth and his sac fly would tie the game, before Carter Aldrete delivered a clutch RBI single to score the game-winning run. RJ Dabovich would give up a leadoff walk in the ninth before settling in and retiring the final three batters, completing the comeback for Arizona State and securing one of their most impressive wins of the season.
2018 Football ASU at UA:
In the first Territorial Cup game with Herm Edwards as head coach, the Arizona Wildcats invited the Sun Devils into Tucson, only to dominate the game for the first three quarters. ASU would score a touchdown in each of the first three quarters, including two rushing scores from Eno Benjamin, but the Wildcat offense and special teams would overwhelm the Sun Devils very quickly. Kicker Josh Pollack nailed four field goals in the first three quarters, the defense would secure a safety in the opening minutes of the second half, and Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate tossed three touchdown passes to put the Wildcats up 40-21 after three frames.
But after being dominated for the entire game, the ASU offense would explode to put the team back in the game. Kicker Brandon Ruiz added a pair of field goals for the Devils, but the rushing offense would come alive in the final frame, with quarterback Manny Wilkins taking the ball himself for the 11-yard score. Eno Benjamin added another 22-yard rushing score with just over three minutes left, giving Arizona State their first lead of the evening. The ASU defense, after getting pummeled for 40 points in the first three quarters, pitched a shutout in the final frame. They held onto a one point lead for the final three minutes, securing a huge comeback win and the first Territorial Cup for coach Herm Edwards.