Arizona State’s Connor Markl starts the day on the mound and has a solid three innings before giving up a home run to the leadoff batter in the fourth. (Photo by Shirell Washington/Cronkite News)
SCOTTSDALE – The month-long momentum Arizona State took into the Pac-12 Baseball Tournament came to a screeching halt Tuesday at Scottsdale Stadium.
After rallying from a six-run deficit to close to within one, the Sun Devils fell short, losing 8-7 to Stanford, who saw the end of its 10-game losing streak.
The Sun Devils had won 15 of their last 18 games and hopes were high. The loss was significant as ASU tries to claw into the playoffs. Now it finds itself with only a slim chance of advancing to the NCAA Tournament.
“At this point, we have to control what we control and try to beat Oregon State,” ASU coach Willie Bloomquist said about the team’s opponent Thursday.
Come-from-behind victories are common for the Sun Devils. Down 13-8 against UNLV Saturday, the Sun Devils offense came to life and propelled the team to a 14-13 victory.
There was no such luck Tuesday.
Both offenses struggled early as the game was scoreless through three innings.
But baseball is a game that ebbs and flows, which was true for this opening round Pac-12 matchup. Stanford’s offense woke up in the fourth inning as the Cardinal scored eight runs that were aided by ASU wild pitches and errors.
Stanford stuck with its game plan in the fourth and it paid off, said sophomore catcher Malcolm Moore, who hit two home runs in the inning.
On the mound, ASU attacked Stanford in different ways.
“I saw a lot of fastballs and changeups,” Moore said. “They were living in the zone and I had to take advantage of where the ball was being thrown.”
Stanford moved back into the win column after 10 tough losses.
“We had lost 10 in a row, so winning felt great,” Moore said. “It was a close game, but we came together and pulled it out.”
Arizona State outfielder Kien Vu slides into second base against Stanford in the opening game of the Pac-12 Baseball Tournament. ASU fell 8-7 and hurt its chances to advance to the NCAA Tournament. (Photo by Shirell Washington/Cronkite News)
Stanford was swept by ASU during the regular season, making the victory even sweeter.
“They thought they were better than us and we wanted to show we could compete with them,” Moore said.
Despite allowing eight runs, ASU stayed strong and didn’t give up. The team knew it could rally. It had done it before.
Bloomquist wasn’t worried about his pitching and knew why Stanford went on a scoring spree.
“We opened the door and they took advantage of our mistakes,” Bloomquist said. “They had one inning where they put together runs when we gave them extra outs.”
Like Stanford, ASU also gained momentum in the fourth inning. Outfielder Nick McClain hit a double and infielder Ethan Mendoza got a hit, helping ASU score its first run.
ASU loaded the bases in the fifth inning and scored another run. Eamonn Lance’s two-run homer in the sixth cut Stanford’s lead to 8-4.
In the ninth, infielder Jacob Tobias, left-handed pitcher Brandon Compton and infielder Ethan Mendoza all scored, with Mendoza’s run coming after he was walked with the bases loaded. ASU trailed by just a run.
The Sun Devils had an opportunity to complete another impressive comeback but outfielder Kien Vu’s fly ball was caught, ending the game.
Disappointment filled the Sun Devils’ clubhouse afterward.
“We swept them in the regular to end Pac-12 play,” Lance said. “We knew we couldn’t take them lightly because anything can happen in these games.”
The Sun Devils have to play wait-and-see after the loss. They will need help from other Pac-12 teams to keep their playoff hopes alive.
ASU plays Oregon State at 10 a.m. Thursday at Scottsdale Stadium.
