(Photo: Sam Fenway/WCSN)
PHOENIX- Nothing seemed to go right for Arizona State baseball in a rubber match contest against Utah as the offense couldn’t stay consistent throughout the ball game and the pitching couldn’t hold off the Utes’ long ball ability. A familiar game script for the 2024 Sun Devils.
On Sunday afternoon, ASU (16-19, 7-10 Pac-12) had an early lead but couldn’t stay in front of Utah as they allowed Utah (23-11, 9-6 Pac-12) to score seven unanswered runs resulting in an 11-5 loss.
“I felt like from the first pitch to the last pitch, we were putting together quality at-bats,” redshirt freshman Brandon Compton said. “The ball wasn’t dropping the way we thought it would, and that’s kind of just how the game went.”
The bats started incredibly hot for Arizona State. In the bottom half of the first, ASU went back-to-back-to-back with home runs from junior catcher Ryan Campos, sophomore Kien Vu and junior Jacob Tobias. The 1-2-3 solo shots had the bench pumped up as ASU took the 3-0 lead. After just four batters, the Utes’ starter, freshman RHP Colter McAnelly, was forced to exit the game before recording a single out.
“We came out and established the tone really well,” head coach Willie Bloomquist said. “Then we kind of fizzled off, gave up the momentum.”
Utah however was able to quickly climb back into the ball game trailing 4-1 in the top of the third inning. ASU starter, senior RHP Matt Tieding, struggled with command resulting in a 2 RBI home run from senior TJ Clarkson. Junior Landon Frei shot an RBI double to left center and the Utes were back in it.
ASU regained the lead in the bottom half of the inning and held it until the sixth inning when Clarkson struck again, this time on the first pitch he saw against junior RHP Ryan Schiefer. He crushed the pitch to right field, scoring two for the Utes and a 6-5 lead. Shortly after, pinch-hitting sophomore Matt Flaharty got a hold of one to blow the game open on a 3-run homer to go up by four.
“(Schiefer) wasn’t as sharp as he normally is and gave up some uncharacteristic hits that he usually doesn’t do,” Bloomquist said.
Schiefer entered the game with a 2.28 ERA in 27 ⅔ innings. His five runs allowed in Sunday’s matchup was his most all season.
As if a four-run deficit wasn’t enough for the Sun Devils to handle, Flaharty took freshman LHP Cole Carlon’s yard for his 2nd home run of the game in the eighth inning to tack on two more. With ASU’s bats cooling off in the middle innings just as quick as they got hot, the Utes were just too much to handle in what became a blowout loss.
With ASU’s postseason and even Pac-12 tournament odds hanging in the balance, Sunday’s loss was crushing, and the question remains if there is anything Arizona State can do to turn it around at the end of the season.
“Trying to control the things we can control,” Bloomquist said. “Effort, attitude, mindset… you have to go out and give your best effort everyday and to me those are non-negotiables. We’re not always going to be pretty, there’s going to be days when we’re ugly and days when we’re good and regardless you are expected to carry yourself in the right way.”
