Red All Over: The Sun Devil Curse continues to plague Utah this year - Salt Lake Tribune

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Utah’s softball team scored in every inning Sunday at Arizona State, taking a 17-9 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning.

Then the Utes lost, 18-17.

The Sun Devils’ comeback occurred on the campus where the ASU women’s basketball team scored the last 20 points of a February game against Utah, winning by two.

What are the odds of that combination of events happening?

With an NCAA skiing championship, a Pac-12 South football title and some great individual performances, it has been a memorable school year in Utah athletics. But the Sun Devil Curse is part of the Utes’ story of 2018-19. The twist is the Utah men’s basketball team staged a rally from 17 points behind to win at ASU in January.

These are good ASU teams; the Sun Devils are playing in the women’s basketball Sweet 16 and the softball team is ranked No. 13. But those two defeats remain stunning.

Utah led 17-10 with two outs in the seventh, after Ally Dickman had gone 4 for 6 with five RBIs to lead the Ute offense. ASU’s three-run homer made it 17-13. Then came a hit batter, a walk (after a pitching change), a run-scoring double, an intentional walk to load the bases, a walk and a three-run triple.

The Utes are 13-18, 2-4 in the Pac-12. They will host No. 2 Oklahoma on Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (noon) at Dumke Family Softball Stadium.

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Where does Utah’s defensive line rank among the “nastiest” in college football? The 247Sports site gives a strong endorsement. (247)

Jon Wilner thoroughly examines the actions of the Pac-12 office, and he says turning down ESPN’s offer to take over the Pac-12 Network was the right call. (MERC)

Patrick Carr of the (Ogden) Standard-Examiner found a good angle on the NCAA Tournament, with Ute legend Wat Misaka meeting Gonzaga’s Rui Hachimura, who will extend Misaka’s Japanese legacy in the NBA. (STAN)

-The Ute men’s basketball program hosted a prime recruiting target this week. Tajzmel Sherman, a 6-foot-4 guard from Collin College in Texas, would help fill the scoring vacancies left by Sedrick Barefield and Parker Van Dyke. Sherman told ESPN 700 he will make his decision shortly after his mid April visit to West Virginia.

-Utah’s baseball team got to play only one game of its home-opening series vs. Niagara two weeks ago, so the Utes (7-12, 1-5 Pac-12) are hoping for better weather this weekend as they host Oregon at Smith’s Ballpark. The games are scheduled at 6 p.m. Friday, 4 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.

Senior outfielder Erick Migueles is among the team's success stories, batting .329 with 19 RBIs in 19 games.

Migueles started his college career at New Mexico, then transferred to Pima Community College in his home town of Tucson, Ariz., before coming to Utah. He hit .261 for the Utes last season and is thankful for the junior college experience that rerouted his career.

“It shows you a lot of things about yourself, and how you have to work for everything,” he said. “It's underrated. If you put your pride aside, it's all the same. It's all baseball.”

-The Ute volleyball team will be well represented in international competition this spring and summer. Returning players Saige Ka’aha’aina-Torres, Dani Drews and Kenzie Koerber will play for a USA National Collegiate Team in Japan, May 19-30. And coach Beth Launiere will be an assistant for another USA team that plays in the University World Games, June 30-July 13 in Italy.

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