(Photo: Maya Diaz/WCSN)
As warmup music echoed throughout GCU ballpark, baseball bats pinged and cleats scraped dirt. Arizona State Baseball prepared for its first road game of this small fall season, facing a Grand Canyon University, who is coming off of a 36-25 record and its fourth consecutive WAC regular season championship title last year.
ASU stepped up to the plate and accomplished a major early win with a 8-0 shutout over GCU. The Sun Devils finished the game with ten total hits and eight runs, while holding the Lopes to just two hits and zero runs.
Arizona State established dominance early in the second inning, when freshman lefty Easton Barrett pitched three strikeouts in a row, ending the frame early for the Lopes.
After a scoreless first two innings, both teams looked to gain momentum with pitching changes. First, sophomore Connor Mattison came out for GCU, but that didn’t stop the Sun Devils. Instead, ASU’s offense began swinging it in the top of the third, with graduate catcher Josiah Cromwick smashing a home run.
Shortly after, the Devils secured three more runs after a walk by redshirt junior infielder Kyle Walker, a single from redshirt sophomore outfielder Brandon Compton and a wild pitch with junior infielder Nu’u Contrades up to bat to put the score at 4-0.
Head coach Willie Bloomquist rotated through a total of six pitchers, starting by bringing out sophomore right hander Derek Schaefer in the third. Schaefer held the Lopes to just one hit during the third, and zero during the fourth.
While the score wouldn’t budge until the top of the ninth later in the game, ASU still put on a show on the field- specifically during their time in the outfield.
Shining on defense for ASU was junior outfielder Isaiah Jackson, who caught all three fly balls in the bottom of the fourth, including a spectacular catch off the wall in center outfield before concluding the inning with a third consecutive catch.
As cloud cover closed in over Brazell Field, so did a chance for the Lopes to reclaim victory in the seventh inning. After a walk and hit-by-pitch, head coach Gregg Wallis made a substitution in hopes of turning the game around. As sophomore Cooper Neville walked up to bat, he singled, putting the Lopes in perfect scoring position. With bases loaded, GCU had the opportunity to come back, but sophomore Carson Ohland struck out.
With a shutout in sight, ASU was determined to secure victory. After a walk from sophomore Brody Briggs, substituting for Garza, who was injured while catching for ASU in the sixth, the Sun Devils singled, walked twice and singled again to put the lead at eight, where it remained.
However, the second game ended differently, with a close score of 6-8 as ASU fell short to GCU. The Sun Devils battled a rain delay and the determined Lopes in an attempt to come back at the end of the sixth, but it wasn’t enough to secure a second victory in the doubleheader.
With a dominant showing over a powerful program in the Grand Canyon Antelopes, ASU Baseball is clearly utilizing every opportunity fall ball has to offer. Taking advantage of each rep and proving their play is just as strong on the road, the team sets a precedent for a successful season with early wins over established opponents.
Arizona State Baseball looks to take advantage of fall ball with its first game of the Maroon and Gold World Series, set to take place at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on Tuesday, November 19th.
