(Photo: Dominic Cotroneo/WCSN)
Tracy Smith’s first year as head coach of the Arizona State baseball team came to a halt on Sunday with a 7-4 loss to the Pepperdine Waves. The loss eliminates ASU from postseason play.
After a grueling 14-inning loss to CSU Fullerton on Saturday, the Sun Devils were thin on pitching options, so Smith had to turn to usual-reliever Jordan Aboites for the spot start. Reliever Darrin Gillies also appeared for his third straight game for the Sun Devils.
Unfortunately for the ASU pitching staff though, Hutton Moyer was locked in all game. Moyer recorded 5 RBI, including tie breaking two-run home run in the fifth inning, and dealt the final blow to ASU in the eighth with a bases-clearing double that was the difference in Pepperdine’s 7-4 win.
RJ Ybarra ignited the ASU offense when he legged out a leadoff single in the third. After a Zach Cerbo single, Andrew Snow brought home Ybarra with a deep sacrifice fly to give the Sun Devils an early lead.
They would tack on another with Jake Peevyhouse’s RBI single that scored Cerbo, and gave ASU a 2-0 lead after three.
The Waves first got on the board in the fourth, with a Brandon Caruso RBI single. Colton Yamaguchi then smacked an RBI double to left field to tie the game at two.
Pepperdine took its first lead of the game with a two run shot by WCC home run leader Hutton Moyer in the fifth, giving the Waves a 4-2 lead after five.
But ASU quickly cut away at Pepperdine’s lead, beginning with a solo shot from Peevyhouse in the sixth, which tightened the game at 4-3.
In the seventh, ASU capitalized on pitches left up in the zone by Ryan Wilson, with consecutive hits from RJ Ybarra and Brian Serven. Snow then knotted up the game at four with his second sacrifice fly of the game, scoring Ybarra in the process.
With two runners on, reliever Darrin Gillies notched a huge strikeout to keep the Waves at bay, and keeping the game tied as well.
The momentum quickly shifted, however, in the bottom of the eighth. With the bases loaded and two outs, Hutton Moyer capped off his impressive performance with a bases-clearing double to put Pepperdine up 7-4.
With their season on the line, the Sun Devils did not roll over quietly. Both Brian Serven and Johnny Sewald reached base, but two consecutive flyouts from Peevyhouse and Colby Woodmansee spelled doom for ASU, as it lost the game 7-4 and is now eliminated from postseason competition.
