ASU’s starting pitcher kept his team in the game on Friday, but a lack of timely hitting and late bullpen struggles led to the Sun Devils' 9-3 loss to UCLA – their sixth loss in eight games.
A failure by ASU’s offense to capitalize on opportunities was represented no better than when junior infielder Andrew Snow was picked off second base to end the eighth inning. If he had scored, the game would have been tied.
Some shots from pregame here at Phoenix Municipal Stadium as @ASU_Baseball takes on @UCLABaseball. pic.twitter.com/YEANJnJ68U
— Josh Orcutt (@JoshOrcuttPhoto) April 1, 2017
Earlier, sophomore designated hitter Tyler Williams struck out with the bases loaded to end the fifth inning.
However, none of it mattered as UCLA plated five runs in the ninth, and the Sun Devils (11-13, 1-6 Pac-12) fell to the Bruins (12-11, 5-2 Pac-12) on Friday, 9-3.
"Probably some of our worst at bats of the game were when we had chances to score some runs," head coach Tracy Smith said.
Junior Eli Lingos got the start on the bump for ASU. He entered the game 3-1 with a 3.05 ERA in 38 1/3 innings this season. Lingos had a rough second inning, allowing three runs (two earned), but settled in.
Lingos finished his day after 5 2/3 innings pitched, allowing four runs – just two earned – on five hits, five walks and four strikeouts. He had three 1-2-3 innings.
"Not his best (performance)," Smith said. "But it's hard to say. But defensively, it's been a struggle. When you're out there, you're making your pitches and getting ground balls but you're not getting outs, that compounds things ... but five-plus innings and two earned runs wasn't horrible, either."
ASU had two errors on Friday.
But at one point, Lingos made a dazzling defensive play:
In the second, UCLA outfielder Brett Stephens tapped a ball softly back to Lingos, who charged in and scooped up the grounder. He then flipped the ball out of his glove to get the runner at home.
T2 | Bruins take a 2-0 lead, but @elingos15 flashes the leather and records a fielder's choice to end the inning.https://t.co/reDSMEbdtL
— Sun Devil Baseball (@ASU_Baseball) April 1, 2017
But as Lingos worked, the Sun Devil bats were stymied by the Bruins’ starter, junior righty Griffin Canning. Canning went 7 1/3 innings, allowing seven hits and three earned runs, walking three. But perhaps most impressively, he struck out nine hitters while throwing 117 pitches en route to the win.
"They had a pretty good pitcher on the mound," Smith said of UCLA. "Canning's been a top arm for the better part of the year. He's good."
Though Lingos kept things close, Sun Devil sophomore reliever Chris Isbell allowed five runs in the ninth inning (two scored after he exited the game, while junior Grant Schneider was pitching). That big inning for UCLA sealed the Sun Devils’ fate.
ASU will try to get its second Pac-12 win on Saturday in the second game of the series against UCLA.
Reach the reporter at matthew.layman@asu.edu or follow @Mattjlayman on Twitter.
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