Baseball falls short in conference opening loss to TCU

Turning point
The Sun Devils had baserunners with less than two outs and/or runners in scoring position in the first, third, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings and managed to plate just four runs out of that batch, missing several opportunities to take control of the game.

Big moment
After the Sun Devils had rallied from a two-run deficit in the seventh to tie the game, they immediately gave up a pair of leadoff walks in the top of the eighth that would prove to be their undoing. With the bases loaded and two outs in a 3-3 game, the hero of the TCU night Colton Griffin stepped to the plate and promptly pushed the first pitch he saw the other way through the hole on the left side, plating the aforementioned walks and giving TCU a 5-3 lead. 

Final straw
Trailing by two in the ninth, ASU did its best to mount a valiant comeback. A leadoff walk by Smaldino and a one-out single from Myers put the tying run on the basepaths. Briggs’ single brought Smaldino home and moved the tying run 90-feet away at third. With runners on the corners and just one out, Zavorek popped a shallow fly ball into left. The Sun Devils attempted to even things up there, taking their chances with the new arm in left field that had entered just an inning early. Colton Griffin was up to the challenge, humming one into home just ahead of Myers tag for the game-ending double play.

The big number
4 - The Sun Devils hit and/or ran into a season-high four double plays on the night, none of which were the conventional sort. Two came on strike ‘em out throw ‘em out, one came on a tough luck hit-and-run with a line drive directly to an outfielder for the double up and the last coming on the final two outs of the game with the Sun Devils attempting an aggressive send on a shallow fly ball to the outfield that was followed with an absolute dart at home plate for the final out of the game.

Inning by inning
First inning
Cole Carlon took the mound, pitching a clean 1-2-3 inning, complete with a flyout and two strikeouts. 

PJ Moutzouridis got the Sun Devils on the board with his first home run of the season, putting ASU up 1-0. Austen Roellig singled, but a strikeout from Dominic Longo and a caught stealing from Roellig ended the frame.

Second inning
Carlon put up another three-up, three-down inning, bookended by strikeouts. 

With two outs, Ky McGary singled to first, but a fly out from Coen Niclai finished off the inning.

Third inning
The Horned Frogs got on the board with a solo shot to open up the third, tying the game at one. Carlon then got a strikeout and a flyout before a two-out single put a runner on for TCU. However, the runner got picked off to end the inning. 

After two quick outs, Moutzouridis walked and Roellig moved him over to third with a single. Roellig stole second shortly after, but both were left stranded as Longo struck out.  

Fourth inning
A throwing error and walk put two Horned Frogs on base, but two strikeouts from Carlon kept it close. With the bases loaded, Carlon issued another strikeout to keep the Horned Frogs off the board. 

The Sun Devils struggled to get anything going in the bottom of the fourth. 

Fifth inning
Other than a walk, Carlon kept the bases clean, striking out the side.

Arizona State went down in order with a groundout and two strikeouts.

Sixth inning
Colin Linder came on in relief for the Sun Devils, issuing two strikeouts and a flyout for a scoreless sixth. 

Moutzouridis led off the inning with a walk and stolen base, but a strikeout and double play kept the game tied 1-1.

Seventh inning
After a walk and a single started the inning for TCU, a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. The Sun Devils were able to pick up a walk via groundout before Sean Fitzpatrick came in. He struck out the first batter he faced, but after an intentional walk gave up a two-run double to give the Horned Frogs a 3-1 lead. Finn Edwards was then called in from the bullpen, who issued a strikeout to strand the runners at second and third and limit the damage. 

Smaldino got on base with a single, and after a strikeout, Sam Myers got a pinch hit triple, scoring Smaldino and cutting TCU’s lead to 3-2. Garrett Michel then singled through the right side to tie the game at three. Ryan Darrah came in as a pinch runner, moving over to second on a groundout from Beckett Zavorek. Hairston then struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Eighth inning
Edwards stayed in the game, walking the first two hitters before being relieved by Josh Butler who earned a fly out and strike out. TCU was able to score two before ASU shut it down with a ground out to first. 

Austen Roellig was able to get on base after a fly out, but a double play cut the inning short for the Sun Devils. 

Ninth inning
Eli Buxton was the next Sun Devil out of the bullpen, retiring the side with a flyout and two strikeouts. 

A walk got Smaldino on base, followed by a strikeout. A single from Myers set up two runners on base. Brody Briggs singled in a run, closing the gap to only one run. However, Zavorek flew out to left field, and Myers was thrown out at home for the game-ending double play. 

Quotables
Head Coach Willie Bloomquist
Opening Statement
“Our guys made it interesting there in the ninth, and our guys battled back twice, a couple different times to tie that thing up, and had a chance there to tie it or win it in the ninth. We had our guys up that we wanted, and the left fielder made a heck of a throw there to end the game, which is unfortunate for us, but the way our guys battled back was great. We just, again, left a lot of runs out there. On the pitching side, we can't walk the leadoff guy. Several times we did that, and it just came back to bite us. So, those are the types of things that, again, against good teams you can't afford to do.”

On Cole Carlon’s night on the mound
“He was good. Had the one mistake there where he gave up a homer, but pitched his way out of some trouble a couple times. His pitch count got pretty high through five. We have to try to be a little more economical with him to try to get him maybe through another inning or two as we continue to move forward here. But at the end of the day, he battled. He pitched really well, and I think that with them having his pitches, at least they seem to, and he still did pretty well. So I was happy with his performance.”

On walking seven batters and stranding runners
“That's something we discuss all the time. That's just the fundamentals of baseball. We have to be able to throw strikes. And we did strike out a ton of guys tonight, but the free passes, ultimately, at the end of the game are what killed us. So we got to clean that up. We have to be better at that. Situational hitting we have to be better at. [TCU’s starting pitcher] has a good breaking ball. Of course, a couple of those guys had good breaking balls, but at the end of the day, if we can't recognize those and see them above the zone, we're gonna leave runners on base when we shouldn't. So things to clean up. But again, I'm happy with the fight that our team showed, but the execution has got to be better.”

On the message to the pitching staff after having 18 strikeouts
“Trust it. It's kind of what I told them after the game, is that you're right there. It's just a matter of executing in big situations, in big moments, and again, eliminating the free passes, we have to do a better job of that. And two strike hitting, we have to do a better job of. Those are the two things that bit us in Texas. And they bit us tonight, so we have to just do a better job at those things.”

Infielder PJ Moutzouridis

On hitting his first home run as a Sun Devil
“It was pretty, it was good. It was a good swing. But it sucks when you lose a game like that. All the homers and everything else aside, making a win against a team like TCU would feel a lot better.”

On feeling the loss of Nu'u Contrades
“Nu'u is the captain of the team, and it sucks for him being out because of how much of an impact he plays on the game. When we get guys like Beckett and, and everybody else who could play those positions, we have good depth on this team.”

Infielder Garrett Michel

On tonight’s game
“We just came up short. The good thing about baseball is we got another one tomorrow. We're all pretty eager to get back out there tomorrow and, and just execute better and come out with a win.”

On the crowd’s energy at Phoenix Municipal Stadium
“I've never played in front of a crowd like this. I was telling some guys the other day, it's awesome. It gets us going, it definitely fires us up, and we love when they're engaged.”