ASU would mount one final rally in the ninth, cutting the lead to two and getting the tying run to the plate but were unable to complete the rally.
Nick McLain recorded three hits in his second game back from hamate surgery, scoring three runs as well. Ryan Campos went 2-for-5 and had the go-ahead two-RBI double in the bottom of the seventh – the last of six consecutive hits for the Sun Devils. Kevin Karstetteralso added two hits and two RBIs.
Connor Markl soldiered through 4.0 innings in the start, holding the potent TCU offense to just three runs on five hits – all coming on the leadoff batters of the five innings he started.
INNING BY INNING
First Inning:
Markl worked around a leadoff single by getting TCU to ground into a 4-6-3 behind him and faced the minimum as he covered first on a slow grounder for the final out. McLain drew a one-out walk in the first for the second consecutive game but the next two Sun Devil went down in order to end the threat.
Second Inning:
A leadoff single and one-out HBP would lead to runners on the corners with two outs after a deep flyout but Markl was able to help his cause, fielding a soft grounder and getting the out at first to keep TCU off the board. Jackson would draw a one-out walk in the bottom of the frame but TCU made a pair of nice defensive plays, capped by the centerfielder snagging a hard line drive from Brandon Compton to keep the game square at 0-0 and strand Jackson in scoring position.
Third Inning
For the third straight inning, TCU got a leadoff single but it was deja vu of the first as the Horned Frog’s Sam Myers hit into his second double play of the game with one out to strand the threat. ASU went down in order in the bottom half.
Fourth Inning
Markl again found himself in a jam with a leadoff double followed by a walk as both moved into scoring position on a sac bunt. ASU looked like it might get out of the frame and strand the bases loaded, but a bang-bang play on a fielder’s choice worked against the Devils for the first run of the game before Markl walked in another run to make it 2-0 in favor of the Horned Frogs. Markl did escape the frame with a strikeout to strand the bases loaded. ASU’s tough luck continued in the bottom of the frame as the TCU shortstop made a nice play on a ball deep in the hole to rob Campos of a hit before snagging a line drive off the bat of Karstetter to make it a 1-2-3 frame.
Fifth Inning
The tough luck continued into the fifth as a soft leadoff ground ball bounced off second base to an infield single that would chase Markl from the game. Then, what looked like a possible double play ball bounced off the cut of the infield grass at second, leading to runners on the corners with no outs. A walk loaded the bases and a single up the middle plated a pair of runs with a throwing error moving the other two into scoring position, leading to a sac fly that made it 5-0. Brandon Compton recorded the first hit of the game with a two-out single in the bottom half but a deep flyout would end the frame.
Sixth Inning
Behrens issued the first 1-2-3 inning of the game, doing so on just eight pitches in the sixth. The Sun Devils finally broke through for their first run of the weekend with a pair of one-out singles from McLain and Campos leading to a Tobias sac fly to make it a 5-1 game.
Seventh Inning
Behrens continued to play well, allowed a two-out walk but otherwise limiting the TCU offense. Ethan Mendoza continued his solid weekend with a one-out double after Jackson smoked a line drive out. Compton dropped a blooper to left to put runners on the corners with one out. Mendoza would score on a wild pitch and ASU would again have runners on the corners after a pinch hit single from Cromwick. The hit parade continued from there with Williams and McLain recording RBI singles before Ryan Campos put ASU on top with a two-RBI double to make it 6-5. Kevin Karstetter added a two-out RBI single to make it 7-5.
Eighth Inning:
TCU came right back with a leadoff single and a seeing eye hit through the right side put the tying run on with no outs. A chopper over Karstetter at third that ended up leading to an obstruction call and a run would bring Jacobs in in relief. An error on a sac bunt snowballed into a six run-inning of TCU’s own to reclaim a 11-7 lead. The Devils went down quietly in order in the bottom half.
Ninth Inning
Matt Tieding stranded a leadoff infield single in scoring position to keep things at four. The Sun Devils tried to mount a late rally with a leadoff walk and single from Williams and McLain. After a pair of outs, Williams scored on two-out, two-strike infield single from Kevin Karstetter and McLain scored on a wild pitch, bringing the tying run to the plate. A called strike three on a borderline pitch, however, ended the threat and the game.
ON DECK
Sun Devil Baseball will try to salvage a game in the Kubota Baseball Series in a rematch against #7 Texas A&M tomorrow at 10 a.m. AZT (11 a.m. Texas time).
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Jeremy Hawkes
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