ASU falters late in 7-6 extra innings loss to Minnesota

(Photo: Austin Hurst/WCSN)

PHOENIX — The situation late Friday night at Phoenix Municipal Stadium had turned from a potential storybook ending to outright disaster for the maroon and gold.

Junior left fielder Kien Vu stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the tenth inning with the bases loaded, two outs already recorded and Arizona State down by a run to Minnesota. A leadoff base hit by junior center fielder Isaiah Jackson followed by a fielding error and a hit-by-pitch juiced the bags without a single out. However, the Golden Gophers forcing a shallow fly out and swinging strikeout meant the game ultimately rested on the bat of ASU’s star outfielder.

Five pitches later, Vu watched a curveball from senior right-handed pitcher Eli Sundquist fall right into the zone for the game-sealing punch out.

Despite putting together a late comeback from a three-run deficit, Arizona State (7-3) couldn’t perform in high-leverage spots on both sides of the ball against Minnesota (3-4) in a frustrating 7-6 extra innings loss. After a bullpen implosion in the final two frames turned a one-run lead into a one-run hole, the Sun Devils’ offense trying to play hero at game’s end ended up handing the team another defeat in a weekend series opener.

“We had plenty of chances to win that game,” ASU manager Willie Bloomquist said. “Instead of trying too hard, try less. I think guys are just really, really wanting to be the guy to finish it off instead of just taking what the game gives you and relaxing and trusting your confidence and your preparation in that situation.”

ASU took an early 2-0 advantage in the bottom of the second inning when senior shortstop Matt King hit an RBI single through the left side before coming home on a double play.

The next four innings of play saw the Sun Devils’ bats become stifled by sophomore right-handed pitcher Cole Selvig, collecting just three hits while keeping the scoreboard untouched.

It wasn’t until Minnesota turned to its bullpen at the start of the seventh inning that the offense regained its momentum from the early game. ASU led off by loading the bases with no one out then scored two quick runs off a four-pitch walk to Vu and a RBI single from sophomore left fielder Brandon Compton. Now down just one run and the bases still loaded with no outs, senior first baseman Jacob Tobias hitting into a double play meant the Sun Devils were only able to squeeze out the equalizing score.

Tied at five runs apiece in the bottom of the eighth, King led off with a double down the left field line that set in motion freshman outfielder and pinch-runner Ky McGary stealing third then scoring the go-ahead run for ASU on a sacrifice fly from junior second baseman Kyle Walker. The senior infielder’s outstanding individual performance consisted of an RBI on three total hits including two doubles.

“We got a lot of competitive guys in there that want to play,” Bloomquist said. “The cream rises to the top and those guys will end up getting the majority of playing time. We’re early on in this season, we’re 10 games in. We need those guys to start getting going in the middle. (Matt) had a great game tonight and hopefully he continues to build on it.”

While the scoresheet’s tally of six scored runs implies a strong performance from the Sun Devils’ lineup, the reality is that the team’s offensive showing was less than optimal. Home run power was replaced by struggles with soft contact which can be seen in the bats hitting into four separate double play situations. Scenarios where runners were in scoring position were also a considerable weakness, leaving eleven total base runners stranded.

“When we’re supposed to score, we need to score those runs,” Matt King said. “Just keep tacking on and not leaving anybody out there that we should be getting in.”

For the third straight time, Bloomquist entrusted junior lefty Ben Jacobs to open a weekend series on the mound. Although Jacobs stretched his start to a season-high six innings, his performance was plagued by inconsistency.

The lefty began by cruising through the first two frames before surrendering a pair of runs in the top of the third on a sacrifice fly and bunt. Following two more half innings of scoreless ball, Jacobs’ night was capped off when junior left fielder Drew Berkland smashed a two-run moonshot to center field in the sixth that gave Minnesota its first lead of the ballgame.

Even with ASU’s starter doing his part to ensure that only three innings needed to be covered, the arms in the bullpen still couldn’t get it done. Sophomore righty Josh Butler relieved Jacobs in the seventh and got tagged for a run when a liner bounced off Walker’s glove. Next came a third straight appearance from junior lefty Sean Fitzpatrick that ended with surrendering a ground-rule double to lead off the ninth.

To collect the final three outs, Bloomquist made the decision to bring in junior righty Lucas Kelly over senior right-handed pitcher Will Koger. Kelly, a pitcher that hadn’t given up a single earned run in four innings of work, got down to the final strike until senior center fielder Parker Knoll hit a game-tying RBI triple.

“Koger threw the other day, leadoff hitter was left-handed,” Bloomquist said. “I thought that was a good matchup for (Fitzpatrick) and Lucas was already hot. I didn’t want to burn him without even using him. He’s been hot and was throwing bullets down there and has been throwing the ball outstanding. So I felt confident with those two guys.

Senior righty Jonah Giblin was the only Sun Devils pitcher to take the mound in extra innings and turned in a performance that epitomized the bullpen’s woes. He easily got the first two outs on six pitches only to watch senior right fielder Josh Fitzgerald hit a ball that carried just long enough to sail over the left field wall. Following ASU’s failure to convert the next half inning, the team finds itself in the same situation it was in a week prior in trying to salvage the remainder of the series after a brutal defeat.

“I don’t think it’s going to be a repeat thing,” Fitzpatrick said. “I’m not worried about it. We just have to play a little better. I think we’re right there. Obviously, we had them on the ropes so we just have to do a little better job on both sides. Like executing pitches and getting guys in. Flat-out, we need to be a little bit better and we’re capable of it.”