ASU falls short on the road against GCU

(Photo via Zina Garcia/WCSN)

PHOENIX – The Sun Devils dropped their seventh straight game following a 5-4 loss in a tight contest in Phoenix against Grand Canyon.

Momentum appeared to be swinging in Arizona State’s (18-22, 2-13 Pac-12) direction almost immediately as graduate outfielder Kelsey Hall crushed the second pitch she saw into deep left field to grab a quick 1-0 lead.

However, bad luck also struck quickly when GCU (37-9) responded in the next half inning. Senior right-handed pitcher Deborah Jones found herself starting in the circle on one day of rest once again, and it only took one chain reaction to make her appearance brief.

In the Lopes’ second at-bat, freshman infielder Libby Walsh mishandled a ground ball causing her to sail her throw past first base and allow a runner to advance into scoring position at second. The next pitch Jones tossed was hit for an RBI single to tie the game up.

It only got worse when Jones gave up a two-run home run to the next batter she faced. After closing out the inning with no further damage, head coach Megan Bartlett pulled the trigger and brought in freshman right-handed pitcher Meika Lauppe to replace Jones.

GCU took advantage of the Sun Devils’ pitching woes again in the bottom of the second with a two-out rally. A double into centerfield opened the door for a line drive to the left field wall to bring home another run, but a pinpoint throw by senior catcher Sara Kinch to throw the runner out at second base also ended the inning.

Unlike past performances though, ASU’s offense chose not to stand pat and began chipping away at the three-run deficit. Senior infielder Kayla Lissy drew a lead-off walk and stole second base before being brought home by a chopper into shallow right field by sophomore infielder Tanya Windle, who marked her return to the starting lineup with a 2-for-3 performance.

“Sometimes, (you) just need to catch her attention,” Bartlett said. “She’s a very gifted hitter, but sometimes the movement gets a little out of control at the plate. It is certainly nice to have Tanya back. She’s learning and grinding every day.”

A throwing error on Windle’s single put her on second base until graduate infielder Alesia Denby hit an RBI single to right field to reduce GCU’s lead to just one run.

The pitching, however, could only hold steady until the bottom of the fifth inning. Lauppe surrendered a lead-off hit before another costly error on a fielder’s choice put runners on the corners with no outs. One batter later, a pitch was driven into right field just deep enough for a sacrifice fly to tack on an insurance run for the Lopes.

The final two innings of play saw ASU presented with a handful of chances to either tie or take the lead back for themselves, but they ultimately failed to capitalize. In the top of the sixth, graduate infielder Jordyn VanHook singled Denby drew a walk to put runners at first and second with two outs. Bartlett made the decision to bring in sophomore infielder Ayden Allen to pinch-hit for sophomore utility Samantha Swan in a game-defining moment.

Although Allen battled to force a full count, she eventually hit a ground ball right into the glove of the Lopes’ pitcher. The throw was made to first for the third out, stranding two Sun Devil base runners with just one frame remaining.

Walsh opened the top of the seventh by driving a ball toward left field that could’ve sailed over the wall if a GCU outfielder hadn’t made a towering leap and catch for the out. The same couldn’t be said when Hall smoked her second solo home run into right field to make it 5-4.

“The past couple weeks, we’ve been talking a lot about zoning in and buying into our plan,” Hall said. “I think our coaches prepare us, but then obviously at the end of the day, we gotta make sure we actually apply it into what we’re doing. I can’t control the results, but I’m going to try to swing at the right pitches at the right time.”

Unfortunately for ASU, the comeback attempt fell short soon thereafter and left the team with more questions than answers. Despite the offense rebounding to form, the ability to reduce mistakes and find consistency on both sides of the ball eludes the Sun Devils.

With the Sun Devils now having lost 13 of their last 15, they’ll look to end this current skid in Tucson in a weekend series against No. 19 Arizona.

“I think this is going to be an interesting weekend,” Bartlett said. “If you don’t have thick skin, that’s gonna be a tough weekend. It’s hostile anytime the Sun Devils are down in Tucson. First and foremost, we have to keep our head about us and stay calm and really be able to stick to the game plan to focus on what’s going to make us successful.”