Inning by inning
First inning
Hairston busted out of his home run drought in a loud way, taking a full count pitch over the street down the right field line for his 26th of the year to lead off the game. Contrades followed two pitches later with a 414-foot blast to left center to give ASU an immediate 2-0 lead. Carlon followed with a cool 1-2-3 inning with a pair of strikeouts.
Second inning
Roellig led the frame off with a single and stole second. With two outs, Moutzouridis singled to left field and Roellig made an aggressive turn around third to take home but was thrown out on a dart by the left fielder to keep ASU off the board in the frame. After getting two quick outs, Carlon’s velocity noticeably dropped and a four pitch walk led to ASU pulling him from the game for precautionary reasons due to shoulder stiffness. Colin Linder entered in an emergency relief appearance and got a strikeout to keep it a 2-0 ball game.
Third inning
Contrades continued to demolish baseball’s with a 410-foot blast for his second of the game to give ASU a 3-0 lead. Smaldino reached on a two-out error but ASU couldn’t tack on to the lead. UH notched back-to-back-back one out RBIs on a triple, single and double to tie the game. Linder was able to strand the go-ahead run at third behind a flyout and strikeout to keep things tied at 3.
Fourth inning
The Sun Devils lined into a pair of hard outs to start the frame before Briggs’ two-out walk but that was the only ASU action. UH notched a leadoff walk which took second on a wild pitch and third on a failed pickoff error by Linder. A strikeout and walk followed to put runners on the corners with one out. But Houston lined a squeeze bunt right at a charging Smaldino from first, who easily threw back over the first to double up the runner and keep it a 3-3 game.
Fifth inning
Hairston and Contrades each had balls with 100+ exit velos robbed from being hit by nice defensive plays. Toigo walked but a popout by Smaldino ended the threat. Houston got a one-out double that got lost in the lights but Overbay stood strong, knocking down a comebacker and getting the out at first and then striking out the Houston cleanup batter to strand the runner at third.
Sixth inning
Roellig reached on a one-out infield single and moved to second on a fielder’s choice but a nice play by the UH third baseman on a do-or-die hop off a Briggs chopper put another zero ion the board for ASU. Overbay worked ASU’s first 1-2-3 frame since the first inning.
Seventh inning
Hairston reached on a one-out error but a 1-5-3 double play (with the shift) led to just the minimum batting in the frame. Like yesterday, Houston took its first lead with a solo shot to leadoff the bottom of the seventh before Overbay set the rest of the side down.
Eighth inning
Smaldino notched a one-out double down the left field line and moved to third on a Michel ground out. An incredible diving snag from the Cougar first baseman on a ball smoked by Roellig kept the run from scoring and kept UH ahead, 4-3. Houston got a nubber single to lead off the bottom of the frame with another reaching on a one-out walk and the bases loading on a single to center. A HBP extended Houston’s lead to 5-3. Buxton was able to settle in to get back-to-back strikeouts to strand the bases loaded and keep ASU within striking distance.
Ninth inning
The bottom of the Sun Devil lineup went down in order to force a Sunday rubber match, capped by a fantastic barehanded charging play at third on a Moutzouridis grounder.
