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ASU baseball concludes season with loss to TCU in regional final

The Sun Devils beat Gonzaga before falling to the Horned Frogs.

ASU baseball's Zach Dixon pitches during a game against California at Phoenix Municipal Stadium in Phoenix, Arizona, on Sunday, April 17, 2016. The Sun Devils won the final game in this series 4-0.
ASU baseball's Zach Dixon pitches during a game against California at Phoenix Municipal Stadium in Phoenix, Arizona, on Sunday, April 17, 2016. The Sun Devils won the final game in this series 4-0.

Pitching plagued ASU baseball throughout the 2016 season, and once again a lack of depth and consistency on the mound led to the Sun Devils' demise on Sunday. 

TCU advanced to the super regional with an 8-1 victory over ASU in the Fort Worth regional final, ending the season on a sour note for the Sun Devils — who finish the season with a record of 36-23.

ASU advances past Gonzaga in regional semifinal

In the first game of the day, ASU defeated Gonzaga 6-3 thanks to a solid performance from freshman left-handed pitcher Zach Dixon.

Dixon threw 140 pitches over the course of eight innings, allowing six hits and three earned runs before sophomore right-hander Ryan Hingst notched the save in the ninth.

It was Gonzaga who took the lead in the bottom of the first inning, going up 1-0 on an RBI double by sophomore center fielder Tyler Frost. Neither team would score in the second and third innings before ASU took a commanding lead.

That lead was solidified by two crucial mistakes made by the Bulldogs in the fourth inning — a wild pitch and an error that led to three Sun Devil runs, putting them up 3-1.

Junior catcher Brian Serven continued his stellar play in the batters box, extending ASU's lead to 4-1 in the fifth inning with a thundering RBI double to left center.

Gonzaga would find its offense in the eighth inning, however, plating two runs on a fielder's choice and RBI double to claw back within a run of the Sun Devils.

But in this elimination situation, ASU responded in the top of the ninth with two additional runs of its own. A solo home run from freshman third baseman Jeremy McCuin led things off, while Serven added to his RBI total with a sacrifice fly to bring home sophomore designated hitter Ryan Lillard.

The Sun Devils' three-run lead would not waver as they sent the Bulldogs packing and advanced to face TCU in the regional final.

Horned Frogs dominate on their home field

TCU trotted out 6'9" junior right-hander Brian Howard to pitch against ASU, and he was huge (literally and figuratively) for the Horned Frogs in an 8-1 win. Howard pitched eight innings — allowing four hits, one run and striking out nine in a decisive victory.

Junior right-handed pitcher Eder Erives took the mound for the Sun Devils, struggling to contain the TCU offense as he allowed seven hits and four earned runs in seven innings. Junior right-hander Seth Martinez got shelled in relief of Erives, giving up four runs on four hits in two-thirds of an inning before ASU rotated other pitchers in.

The Horned Frogs jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning when Erives surrendered a sacrifice fly, an RBI double and an RBI single to a potent TCU lineup.

ASU managed to score a run in the bottom of the third on an RBI single by junior first baseman David Greer, but the Horned Frogs made that run up in the seventh thanks to an RBI double by freshman left fielder Josh Watson.

TCU would proceed to double its run total in the eighth inning, plating four more on an RBI single, a two-run home run and an RBI single — all off of Martinez. ASU would not score again in the game.

Tracy Smith's 2016 Sun Devil team graduates four seniors with the loss: Jordan Aboites, Christopher Beall, Eric Melbostad and RJ Ybarra.


Reach the reporter at rclarke6@asu.edu or follow @RyanTClarke on Twitter.

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