Ethan Long logged two hits and three RBIs to pace the Sun Devils offensively. Jacob Tobiasadded a two-RBI triple and ASU drew nine walks in the game after walking just one on Friday evening.
Unfortunately, the free passes and inability to close out innings on the other side of the ball proved to be ASU’s undoing. The Sun Devil pitchers hit six batters and issued seven walks while allowing seven two-out RBIs to provide UCI with the cushion it needed to stave off the ASU rally.
THE TURNING POINT
After falling in an early 3-0 hole and clawing back with a three-run fourth inning, ASU immediately gave the lead back up in the top of the fifth, allowed three runs with two outs to give UCI a 6-3 lead. ASU would tack on two in the bottom half of the frame but was unable to draw the game evening beyond that 3-3 tie after four.
THE BIG MOMENT
Free bases and two-out pitching have doomed the Sun Devils all weekend and that was never more true than in the top of the eighth. With UCI clinging to a 6-5 lead, Owen Stevenson got a leadoff strikeout and had a 2-2 count before hitting the second batter. Another hit batter and a walk loaded the bases. Stevenson induced a shallow flyout that kept the runner at third but Chase Call dropped the hammer with a back-breaking grand slam with two outs to give UCI a 10-5 lead.
THE FINAL STRAW
The Sun Devils certainly made things interesting in the final frame against UCI’s veteran closer Jacob King. Two walks and a hit by pitch loaded the bases with no outs with ASU getting a run on a Contrades groundout to make it 10-6. Another walk from Luke Keaschallre-loaded the bases and Wyatt Crenshaw drew another to bring a run across and chase King from the game. Ryan Campos struck out looking on a close inside pitch but Ethan Longbrought two runs across with an RBI single through the right side to bring ASU within a run and put the tying run at second. Jacob Tobias almost snuck a ground ball through the right side but the UCI second baseman recovered the bobble and made the throw to first in time to end th threat and the game.
NOTABLES
Jacob Tobias added his second triple of the season, logging two RBIs on this one to give him five total RBIs on his two triples this year.
ASU tagged UCI’s closer Jacob King for four runs in the ninth inning, more than the four-year veteran had allowed in any of his 61 career appearances entering the game.
King had not allowed a run in four appearances this season and had a 10:1 strikeout to walk ratio for the season before walking for ASU batters in the ninth.
Seven different Sun Devils drew a walk in the game while an eighth drew an HBP.
The Sun Devils matched a season high in turning three double plays in the game.
19 of UCI’s 26 runs this weekend have come with two outs, including seven on Saturday. Six of the Anteaters runs reached by way of a walk, hit by pitch or error.
INNING BY INNING
First Inning
Khristian Curtis worked around a two-out seeing eye single followed by a stolen base to strand a runner in scoring position. Ryan Campos worked a two-out walk but that was the extent of the action in the frame.
Second Inning
The unforced errors again hurt the Sun Devils as a leadoff error and hit by pitch would lead to an unearned UCI run. Curtis was able to get out of the frame and strand a pair in scoring position to limit the damage. ASU got a leadoff walk from Jacob Tobias but three straight strikeouts ended the threat.
Third Inning
Curtis found himself in trouble with a leadoff double, single and hit by pitch to load the bases with no outs but was able to again escape disaster with just a sac fly allowing a run to score as a runner’s interference on the ensuing play led to a double play and kept the inning to just one run. ASU got its first hit of the game by way of Nu’u Contrades and Luke Keaschall just missed a homer. But a pickoff and flyout again kept ASU off the board.
Fourth Inning
Irvine continued to tack on with a leadoff triple and an RBI single. But ASU got its second double play in as many innings to keep it just a matchstick on the board. Campos led off the ASU half of the frame with a leadoff singles from Campos and Long. Jacob Tobiasfollowed that with his second triple of the season to get the Sun Devils on the board. Isaiah Jackson’s sac fly evened the game at 3-3.
Fifth Inning
The theme of the weekend has been ASU inability to get out of innings with two outs and that bug stuck again as UCI got a bases loaded hit-by-pitch and a two-RBI single to match ASU’s three-spot with three of its own to make it 6-3. The Sun Devils battled right back though, drawing two leadoff walks from Contrades and Keaschall and scoring on a Wyatt Crenshaw RBI ground-rule double. An RBI groundout from Ethan Long closed the gap back to a run at 6-5.
Sixth Inning
Owen Stevenson had to work around some traffic after some intriguing umpiring that saw head coach Willie Bloomquist sent back to the locker room. But ASU turned its third double play of the game to keep it a one run game. ASU got a leadoff baserunner on an error but a double play and strikeout ended the threat to keep it 6-5.
Seventh Inning
Stevenson worked around a one-out single to keep ASU within a run but the Sun Devils went down in order.
Eighth Inning
The free bases undid the Sun Devils again as two hit batters and a walk were followed by a two-out back-breaking grand slam to make it 10-5 for the UCI. The Sun Devils went down in order.
Ninth Inning
Nolan Lebamoff tossed a scoreless frame and the Sun Devil made things interesting. Taking advantage of a lack of command from the UC Irvine closer, ASU loaded the bases with no outs and brought one across on an RBI groundout. Another pair of walks brought in another run before Ethan Long’s two-out, two RBI single brought ASU back within a run with the tying run in scoring position. Jacob Tobias almost snuck one out of the infield but the UCI second basemen recovered the bobble in time to get the out and end the game
ON DECK
Sun Devil Baseball returns to action looking to salvage a game in the series on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. AZT, set to be broadcast through the ASU Live Stream.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Jeremy Hawkes
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