The Sun Devils (15-17, 6-9 Pac-12) rallied to tie the game after falling into 4-0 and 7-4 holes but left 10 runners, including stranding a go-ahead runner in scoring position in the fourth and sixth innings.
Kien Vu was 3-for-4 with three RBIs and a triple short of the cycle to pace the ASU offense. Ryan Campos was 2-for-4 with two RBIs while Jacob Tobias and Brandon Compton added two-hit efforts.
Ryan Schiefer gave ASU a chance, coming into the game and stranding the bases loaded in both the third and fourth innings on his way to a Sun Devil career-high 4.2 innings in which he struck out seven and allowed just two runs. Jonah Giblin also added a scoreless inning of relief.
TURNING POINT
The Sun Devils scored all seven of their runs with two outs but were held scoreless over the final five innings after rallying from an early 4-0 deficit to tie the game in the third and then rallying again from a 7-4 deficit to tie the game at 7-7 in the fourth. ASU had the go-ahead run in scoring position in that fourth inning but couldn’t get a hit to bring him home for the first Sun Devil lead of the weekend.
BIG MOMENT
ASU loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the sixth with the game still tied at seven all. A slow grounder to third led to the fielder’s curious decision to race McLain to the third base bag, coming in a step in time for the final out and ending the threat. Ryan Schieferlooked like he might get out of another jam in the bottom half of the frame with two on and one out, getting a strikeout for the second out and just missing on a borderline 2-2 pitch that would have ended the threat. The Beavers made ASU pay with a soft single just past the outstretched glove of the shortstop into shallow center, plating the go-ahead run and proving to be the difference in the game.
FINAL STRAW
A two-out homer in the bottom of the seventh doubled the OSU lead to make it 9-7. ASU got a leadoff walk and single in the top of the eighth to put the tying runs on the basepath and the go-ahead run at the plate with no outs. A pair of strikeouts and a groundout stranded the pair with no damage done. ASU again got a leadoff baserunner in the ninth to bring the tying run to the plate but a strikeout and double play ended the threat.
INNING BY INNING
First Inning
McLain notched a two-out single but that was the extent of the action in the frame. Jacobs struck out All-American Travis Bazzana to lead off the game. Back-to-back doubles followed, however, giving OSU an early 1-0 lead. A two-out liner glanced out of the glove of a leaping Ondina at short to make it 2-0, despite two strikeouts in the frame from Jacobs.
Second Inning
Tobias laced one to shortstop, himself, but his went directly into the glove of the shifted Hainline for the first out as the Sun Devils went down in order. A leadoff double and a two-out double tacked on another run for OSU and an RBI single made it 4-0.
Third Inning
The Sun Devils finally got the bats going with a massive two-out rally in the third. Campos kicked things off before a Vu opposite field shot to halve the ASU lead. A hustle double from McLain led to another run on a Texas League single from Lance, who took third on a Tobias single. ASU used some trickeration to tie the game, faking the steal to second, allowing Lance to come home during the ensuing rundown to make it 4-4. The momentum was short-lived, however, as a leadoff single preceded a two-run homer to put Oregon State right back on top, 6-4. Back-to-back walks would chase Jacobs from the game and a seeing eye single off Schiefer plated another run before the reliever stranded the bases loaded to keep ASU within 7-4.
Fourth Inning
Brandon Compton led off with an opposite field double to chase the OSU starter from the game. The Devils would again come roaring back with two outs with Ondina starting this rally with a walk. Campos quickly fell 0-2 in the count with swinging strikes before ripping one down the right field line to score both runners on the base path. Vu followed that with a double to score Campos and tie the game and give ASU seven two-out runs in the contest. The Sun Devils looked in danger of failing to get a stop after score yet again as the Beavers loaded the bases with one out. But Schiefer settled in to get a infield fly and a massive backwards K to strand the bases loaded for the second straight frame and keep the score at 7-7.
Fifth Inning
Tobias led off with a bloop single to center but ASU went down quickly in order after that. Schiefer responded with the first 1-2-3 inning of the game for the Sun Devils, including a pair of strikeout as the game remained tied at 7-7.
Sixth Inning
The Sun Devils tried to mount another two-out rally with a HBP by Vu, who stole two bases to get to third as McLain drew a walk to put runners on the corners and force a pitching change with another walk loading the bases but a fielder’s choice to third ended the threat. Schiefer had nearly worked himself out of another jam with two on one out, getting a strikeout and just missing on what looked like it might have been an inning-ending strike three, which unfortunately led to a soft single just past the outstretched glove of Ondina in shallow left to plate the go-ahead run to make it 8-7 but Campos got a huge caught stealing for the final out of the frame to keep the damage to a run.
Seventh Inning
Demera drew a two-out walk but that was the extent of the offense in the frame. The two-out bug struck again after Schiefer picked off a leadoff single and got a flyout as a solo shot made it a two-run lead at 9-7
Eighth Inning
Campos drew a leadoff walk to bring the tying run to the plate with Vu getting his third hit with a single but back-to-back strikeouts and a groundout from the heart of the Sun Devil order ended the threat. Jonah Giblin pitched an efficient 1-2-3 eighth in relief to keep the lead at two.
Ninth Inning
Compton notched a leadoff single to bring the tying run to the plate but the clutch hit again avoided ASU a double play ended the game.
ON DECK:
ASU will look to get back in the win column on Tuesday as it travels up the I-17 to take on GCU at Brazell Park on Tuesday evening at 6 p.m. AZT. The game will be available via ESPN+ and Fox10XTRA
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Jeremy Hawkes
Click on Logo
