Sun Devil offense struggles in 8-0 loss to Kansas

(Photo credit: Madison Sorenson/WCSN)

As junior infielder Ayden Allen walked off the field after another scoreless inning for the Sun Devils to conclude a loss to the Kansas Jayhawks, everyone understood that they would need to flush this offensive performance to win the series on Sunday.

The ASU bats went nearly silent on Saturday, recording only four hits, as the Sun Devils fell to the Jayhawks 8-0 in game two of the three-game set. Head coach Megan Bartlett was less than pleased with her team’s offensive performance.

“We have got to do a better job capitalizing on mistakes,” Bartlett said. “Getting on time driving the ball, it’s not rocket science, it’s pretty simple, just got to execute it.”

All four of the Sun Devils hits were singles that occurred sporadically throughout the game. ASU was unable to cobble together any consistency up and down its lineup.

This performance was surprising given that the Sun Devils were able to score six runs in the first game of the series against Kansas. That game ended in favor of ASU by a score of 6-1 with the Sun Devils recording 10 hits.

Of those 10 hits that ASU had, seven of them came from hitters 1-5 in the batting order. The top of the lineup was clicking on Friday, and that script completely flipped on Saturday, which saw hitters 1-5 go a combined 3-for-13.

Many of the ASU mistakes seemed to be self-inflicted on the offensive side. Not capitalizing on mistakes and struggling to hit changeups were the downfall of the Sun Devils’ bats Saturday night.

“When you are hunting one thing and a mistake gets made at a different velo(city), do you make good on it still?” Bartlett said. “We will get back and go watch film, when you watch the game from center field, you might feel a different way about it.”

Now the Sun Devils will be tasked with bouncing back on Sunday to win the series against their new Big 12 Conference rival.

“They better get on time with the changeup,” she said. “They are certainly capable of doing when they are not getting a little sped up, pressing a little bit and trying too hard.”

Bartlett did have hope that the offense could bounce back not just tomorrow but also down the road.

“They know the answer to the test, they are capable of executing it,” she said. “Kansas, all of their kids have good changeups, we will be ready for it, we just got to execute.”

Not only can the Sun Devils work on the physical aspect of hitting, but Bartlett also emphasized the mental aspect of bouncing back tomorrow

“It is typically more mental and emotional than anything,” she said. “They have the ability to win the series tomorrow, so get up and start swinging.”

With this loss, Arizona State falls to 25-14 overall, but more importantly, to just 7-7 in Big 12 play. ASU will need to improve its performance against conference opponents in the Big 12 if it wants to be considered one of the top teams in the country.

“The Big 12 is very good, you are facing smart coaches, well-prepared pitching staffs. We are all super ready to see each other,” Bartlett said. “Offensive numbers might tick down a little bit and people just get exposed a tiny bit, because we have the time right to prepare so well for one another.”