Final inning chaos puts ASU on losing end of sweep against Utah

(Photo via Zina Garcia/WCSN)

It was another series sweep loss for the Sun Devils on Sunday, as they could not make a final-game comeback against the Utes. While the entirety of the game was a stalemate with six scoreless innings, the Devils could not rally their bats to overtake the massive offensive outing the Utes had in the seventh inning, making the final score 4-0.

The hectic final inning began with a grounder to left field by redshirt junior utility Leilani Melendez, and then a walk by senior righty Deborah Jones added another Ute runner on the bases. It was not long before the bases were loaded after some confusion between graduate infielder Alesia Denby and graduate utility Audrey LeClair on a pop-up catch.

“It’s two fifth years, and that’s an easy out that’s just gotta be caught,” head coach Megan Bartlett said. “It’s an easy catch, so it’s a mental mistake. We certainly need people on the field who would rather lose their teeth than let that ball fall in that moment. So we’ll have to go back to the drawing board there.”

Just when the Devils were already knocked down, in a no-out scenario, graduate utility Haley Denning doubled to deep center field to bring in two runs for the Utes and keep two runners on second and third base. Things turned for the worst for the Sun Devil offense after a fielding error by Denby that allowed yet another run to score.

At this point, freshman righty Meika Lauppe stepped into the circle to try and stop the bleeding. But like earlier in the game, a Ute runner attempted to steal, and senior catcher Sara Kinch’s throw to second was way off to the right, allowing the runner on third to come home and bring the score to 4-0 after six innings of scoreless play.

The Utes (25-17, 7-11 Pac-12 Conference) had an outstanding offensive showing at the most crucial point in the game, leaving the Devils (18-20, 2-12 Pac-12) with no time to make a comeback. Much of the Devils’ misfortune was due to small errors made by veteran players, which added to the team’s defensive struggles in the seventh inning.

Although the Devils could not close out the game, it was not all bad. Defensively, the Devils were able to hold the Utes silent for the first six innings, letting no runner get farther than second base. One of the stars of Sunday’s game was graduate outfielder Kelsey Hall, who saw a lot of action in center field. Hall made crucial catches in the second, third and fifth innings that recorded necessary outs for the Devils. Despite a miscommunicated play, Denby also had an impressive showing, as the shortstop showcased her speed to snag a grounder near second base in the fourth inning.

While the Devil bats were dormant, recording only three hits in the game, it was all up to Jones to make up for what the offense lacked in the circle. She performed reasonably well, achieving four strikeouts and pitching six innings. Although it was a rocky start for the senior, as she started the game with two walks, she was able to come back before Lauppe had to step into the circle to stop the rally from the Utes in the final inning.

“(Jones) can move at three speeds and she can go up and down,” Bartlett said. “(Jones) was just a kid who was naturally built to work five miles an hour harder than she does with those exact same tools. I mean, you’ve got something there that’s really, really special.”

Overall, the Devils struggled to get hits throughout the game. The first base hit came from senior infielder Kayla Lissy in the second inning, and the Devils did not see another runner on base until LeClair’s left-field lob in the sixth inning. Moving toward the end of the season, where the Devils have some key matchups, the team still has no solution to their struggles.

“I don’t know that there’s a ton of answers right at this point in the season,” Bartlett said. “You’re gonna learn how to compete and get it done in a big moment, and I think that’s honestly the bang for the buck. There’s no going back and teaching more pitches, rewriting pitch profiles, and changing any patterning and swings. That doesn’t exist anymore. You learn how to compete with what you have and who you are and represent the jersey the right way.”