SURPRISE, Ariz.– Nick Diamond might just be a magician.
The redshirt freshman left-hander entered Friday’s ASU baseball game in a mess. Two runners were on, nobody was out and ASU was clinging to a one-run lead. He got the first out on a bunt, the second on a strikeout looking and finished the inning with a groundout.
Diamond’s escape act preserved the Sun Devils’ (5-4) lead, and they went on to beat the Gonzaga 10-5 in the second game of the Sanderson Ford College Baseball Classic.
“Oh that was awesome, wasn’t it?” coach Tim Esmay said of Diamond’s performance. “That was electric. ... That was huge. That was the turning point in the game.”
Diamond inherited a jam started by sophomore right-hander Ryan Burr. At 92 pitches through six innings, Burr was not able to record an out in the seventh, walking the only two batters he faced. He then gave way to Diamond, and watched the southpaw escape the jam.
“I had a clear mind, I’ve been in this situation before,” Diamond said. “I’m glad he got the win, it boosts his confidence. He hasn’t been on his ‘A’ game, but he’s getting there.”
He said he didn’t think too much about the tying run being 90 feet away with only one out.
“It’s scary, but that’s baseball,” Diamond said. “It’s in the back of your mind, but you can’t let it affect how you’re throwing.”
Burr was the first one out of the dugout after the inning to congratulate Diamond.
Seventh inning aside, Friday night was Burr’s best starting performance to date. After not making it to even the fifth inning in either of his previous two starts, Burr finished a career-high six innings and allowed two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out a pair. He finished with 102 pitches on the evening.
“This was a good chance to extend (Burr),” Esmay said. “He hasn’t been that extended (or) gone that deep into game, so it was a great opportunity for him to go out there.”
For the Bulldogs (2-8), freshman right-hander Brandon Bailey started the game in dominant fashion. He allowed a single to start the first inning, then retired the next 11 Sun Devils he faced.
Bailey allowed one run in the fifth, then ASU took the lead for good in the sixth. Back-to-back one-out singles by sophomore designated hitter RJ Ybarra and freshman catcher Brian Serven started the rally, and they both came around to score on a double by sophomore third baseman Dalton DiNatale.
ASU tacked on three insurance runs in the home-half of the seventh after Diamond preserved the lead, which the team would need in the eighth. Three runs came across to score and the tying run made it all the way to third base before being stranded.
Redshirt junior right fielder Trever Allen blasted a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Sun Devils a five-run lead and put the nail in Gonzaga’s coffin. The score would stand at 10-5 after freshman right-hander Hever Bueno came in to lock down the ninth inning and put ASU back over the .500 mark for the first time since opening weekend.
ASU guarantees at least a split of the weekend’s tournament. Last year, the Sun Devils went 3-0-1 in Surprise, tying with Gonzaga because of time constraints. ASU plays Oklahoma on Saturday night followed by a meeting with No. 12 Oklahoma State on Sunday.
Both games are scheduled for 40 minutes after the conclusion of that day’s MLB spring training game.
Reach the reporter at justin.emerson@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @J15Emerson
