PHOENIX – A ninth-inning run on a play at the plate broke a 2-2 tie and No. 17 Sun Devil Baseball fell to No. 1 TCU in the series finale, 3-2, in front 3,112 fans on Sunday at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
TCU center fielder Cody Jones drove a two-out single through the left side and left fielder Evan Williams scored from second to record the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth. ASU outfielder Trever Allen’s throw was in time, but Williams’ slide at home plate knocked the ball out of catcher Brian Serven’s glove.
Arizona State starting right-hander Darin Gillies did not allow an earned run and scattered four hits across 5 1/3 innings. He struck out five, including a pair in the top of the fourth with a runner at third base, and walked two in his second start of the season.
More than 10,000 fans attended the three-game series for the second consecutive weekend and Phoenix Muni has drawn more than 23,000 total fans through its first seven games.
The Sun Devils (4-3) put runners at the corners with no outs in the bottom of the seventh but were unable to break the 2-2 tie. Third baseman Dalton DiNatale popped up the shortstop for the first out and Allen, who doubled to lead off the inning, was picked off at third base before catcher Brian Serven struck out looking on a full count.
Shortstop/right-handed pitcher Jordan Aboites (0-1) was responsible for the go-ahead run and took the loss as he issued a walk to Williams in the second at-bat of the ninth. Aboites recorded a pair of outs in the inning before right-hander Ryan Burr replaced him with runners on first and second, and conceded the eventual game-winning single.
Designated hitter RJ Ybarra fell a triple short of the cycle for the second consecutive game as he went 3-for-3 with a solo home run and a double. Third baseman David Greer also added a solo home run.
Ybarra’s solo homer in the bottom of the second put the Devils on top early, 1-0. The Horned Frogs (6-1) tied the game in the top of the ensuing frame with a two-out RBI single by third baseman Derek Odell after the inning was extended due to a throwing error in the first at-bat.
Greer led off the third with a solo home run, the first of his career, to put the Devils back on top, 2-1.
Left-hander Tucker Baca replaced Gillies with one out and a runner on first in the top of the sixth. Baca conceded a single and then committed a throwing error on a failed pickoff attempt, which trickled into the outfield and allowed TCU to score from second and tie the game at two runs apiece. Right-hander Hever Bueno struck out a pair, including a swinging strikeout to end the sixth and strand runners at first and third.
Aboites took over in the eighth inning and recovered from a leadoff single with a swinging strikeout and a double-play groundout to end the threat.
Shortstop Colby Woodmansee and second baseman Andrew Snow each recorded a pair of two-out singles in the eighth, but TCU left-hander Ryan Burnett coerced first baseman Chris Beall into a groundout to end the frame.
Burnett (1-0) earned his first win of the season and right-hander Riley Ferrell tossed a perfect ninth for his first save. Starting left-hander Alex Young allowed a pair of runs on four hits in the fifth inning.
Notes
ASU moved to 2-2 in one-run games this season and is 9-11 in 20 one-run games dating back to the start of 2014…Snow took over at second base in the eighth inning, and turned a double play and singled.
Up Next
Arizona State hosts the four-team Phoenix Muni Classic with Cal State Bakersfield, Gonzaga and Purdue Feb. 26-March 1. The Devils will take on Cal State Bakersfield on Feb. 26 and Feb. 28 at 6:30 p.m., Purdue on Feb. 27 at 6:30 p.m., and Gonzaga on March 1 at 2 p.m. The other teams in the Classic will play at 1 p.m. Feb. 26-28, and at 10 a.m. March 1. All four of the Devils’ games will be live streamed via thesundevils.com.