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​Sun Devil bats quieted by Oregon State baseball in second straight loss

ASU baseball still seeks its first Pac-12 win after two straight losses to Oregon State

ASU freshman outfielder Hunter Bishop (24) dives back to first base after the Beavers pitcher threw it to the first baseman during game two of a baseball series against the Oregon State Beavers at Phoenix Municipal Stadium in Phoenix on Friday, March 17, 2017. ASU lost 10-1.
ASU freshman outfielder Hunter Bishop (24) dives back to first base after the Beavers pitcher threw it to the first baseman during game two of a baseball series against the Oregon State Beavers at Phoenix Municipal Stadium in Phoenix on Friday, March 17, 2017. ASU lost 10-1.

Things didn’t seem to go ASU’s way on either side of the ball Friday.

In the series opener on Thursday, ASU (9-9, 0-2 Pac-12) wound up on the wrong end of a battle between two starting pitchers. But on Friday, both the Sun Devil offense and pitching staff struggled, losing 10-1 to Oregon State (16-1, 2-0 Pac-12).

Head coach Tracy Smith credited Oregon State with being an excellent college baseball team, but also said he thought they were beatable if ASU could execute better.

“I’m frustrated and angry about (lack of execution), because we’re better than that," Smith said. "If you don’t execute, you’re going to find it very difficult to win.”

Freshman lefty Spencer Van Scoyoc started Friday’s game. Last week, after Van Scoyoc’s outing against Long Beach State, Smith said Van Scoyoc could help his team by pitching with better command and getting deeper into the game.

But on Friday, Van Scoyoc tossed 4 1/3 innings and walked three, allowing three runs (two earned) with six hits and no strikeouts.

“Up to this point in the season, clearly, the command piece of it has been something that he needs to get better on,” Smith said. “We’ve been kind of living on the edge with him a little bit with all the free passes. This league’s too good. If you continue to give people free bases, it will catch up with you.”

Though Van Scoyoc earned the loss, Oregon State’s bats really came alive in the sixth inning off of ASU junior righty Jake Godfrey. In the four-run frame, the Beavers sent 10 hitters to the plate and collected four hits with two walks.

After Van Scoyoc and Godfrey, sophomore right-hander James Ryan and freshman righty Alec Marsh both pitched. Ryan and Marsh combined for 3 1/3 innings pitched with three earned runs on six hits and a walk to go along with seven strikeouts.

“What we’re doing right now on the mound is a formula for losing. We’re making it very difficult to win. Because when you’re behind in the count and you don’t put people away, and you don’t execute, it makes it very difficult," Smith said. "So I’m not real happy with what’s going on on the bump right now.”

QUIET BATS

The Sun Devils didn’t get on the board until the seventh inning, running into a tough opposing starting pitcher for the second straight night. On Friday, sophomore Bryce Fehmel took the bump for the Beavers and proceeded to toss eight innings, allowing one run on four hits and a walk with two strikeouts.

ASU’s offense mustered just four hits and a walk.

In fact, Oregon State’s pitching had held Pac-12 opponents scoreless for 43 2/3 consecutive innings dating back to last season before junior outfielder Andrew Shaps scored on a wild pitch in the seventh.

UP NEXT

The Sun Devils will play Oregon State for the third and final game of the series on Saturday — first pitch taking place at noon. From there, they’ll look to their three-game series at USC that begins on March 24.


Reach the reporter at matthew.layman@asu.edu or follow @Mattjlayman on Twitter.

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