SALT LAKE CITY – In a pitcher's duel decided by timely hitting early on, Sun Devil Baseball dropped their series opener at the University of Utah, 2-0, on Friday morning at Smith's Ballpark in Salt Lake City.
In what was most likely his final appearance donning a Sun Devil uniform, senior Eder Erives toed the rubber for the Devils (23-30, 8-20) in his seventh start of the season and was exceptional throughout
The righty ran into some trouble early on, as a defensive miscue and a fielder's choice would allow Utes to the corners with none out. Erives would lock in to use just three pitches to record three outs and get out of the inning, including inducing a clutch inning-ending double play. However, the Utes (25-24, 13-15) would plate a run with a sacrifice fly to make the score 1-0.
Utah would tack on one more in the second frame with a solo shot to left field, but that's all they would pin on the El Paso-native. The Utes would again threaten in the third inning with two runners in scoring position and two out, but a weak infield pop up gave Erives his first scoreless inning on the afternoon.
Erives quickly bounced back after a shaky start, as he escaped several jams with timely pitching to prevent Utah from adding to their lead. Getting stronger as the afternoon went on, Erives retired 14 of the final 16 batters he faced, ending the afternoon scattering two runs, one earned, off four hits in seven innings of work.
In the batter's box, the Maroon and Gold had their fair share of chances to capitalize, but were unable to string together timely hitting. Lyle Lin would lead off the fourth frame with a single and Hunter Bishop would nail a one-out double off the top of the wall in right to put two in scoring position, but a strikeout and foul out would effectively end the threat.
Fellow Texas-native Grant Schneider would replace Erives at the top of the eighth inning, recording a quick groundout. Utah would come back to knock a double and a walk, again putting runners on the corners with two out.
The Devils would call to the bullpen and Tanner West would take the jog in, as the freshman settled in to face the bottom of the order. West remained poised, working the count full before freezing the batter for a strikeout looking to end the inning and give his hitters and chance to attack.
The offense would largely be kept in check for the remainder of the game, until their final chance came in the top of the ninth in the form of a leadoff double by Lin with the heart of the order up. The Utes would then call to the bullpen, who would use just six pitches to record three outs and seal the loss for the Devils.
In what was most likely his final appearance donning a Sun Devil uniform, senior Eder Erives toed the rubber for the Devils (23-30, 8-20) in his seventh start of the season and was exceptional throughout
The righty ran into some trouble early on, as a defensive miscue and a fielder's choice would allow Utes to the corners with none out. Erives would lock in to use just three pitches to record three outs and get out of the inning, including inducing a clutch inning-ending double play. However, the Utes (25-24, 13-15) would plate a run with a sacrifice fly to make the score 1-0.
Utah would tack on one more in the second frame with a solo shot to left field, but that's all they would pin on the El Paso-native. The Utes would again threaten in the third inning with two runners in scoring position and two out, but a weak infield pop up gave Erives his first scoreless inning on the afternoon.
Erives quickly bounced back after a shaky start, as he escaped several jams with timely pitching to prevent Utah from adding to their lead. Getting stronger as the afternoon went on, Erives retired 14 of the final 16 batters he faced, ending the afternoon scattering two runs, one earned, off four hits in seven innings of work.
In the batter's box, the Maroon and Gold had their fair share of chances to capitalize, but were unable to string together timely hitting. Lyle Lin would lead off the fourth frame with a single and Hunter Bishop would nail a one-out double off the top of the wall in right to put two in scoring position, but a strikeout and foul out would effectively end the threat.
Fellow Texas-native Grant Schneider would replace Erives at the top of the eighth inning, recording a quick groundout. Utah would come back to knock a double and a walk, again putting runners on the corners with two out.
The Devils would call to the bullpen and Tanner West would take the jog in, as the freshman settled in to face the bottom of the order. West remained poised, working the count full before freezing the batter for a strikeout looking to end the inning and give his hitters and chance to attack.
The offense would largely be kept in check for the remainder of the game, until their final chance came in the top of the ninth in the form of a leadoff double by Lin with the heart of the order up. The Utes would then call to the bullpen, who would use just six pitches to record three outs and seal the loss for the Devils.