ASU Baseball Weekend Recap: Sun Devils fall short at USC

Arizona State visited the USC Trojans this weekend, as the Sun Devils partook in their first conference road series of the campaign.

ASU (10-12, 1-5 Pac-12) was unable to claim the series victory, coming away with a Saturday night victory before dropping Sunday’s rubber match, 7-4.

Below is our recap of the action.

Game One

The Sun Devils trailed the Trojans 3-1 in the fifth, when Andrew Shaps scored Gage Canning, closing the deficit to 3-2 before the junior outfielder was caught trying to reach second base on the play.

An infield RBI by Carter Aldrete knotted the score at 3-3 in the top of the sixth. The sophomore second baseman later connected on a two-out RBI single in the eighth, drawing the game even at 4-4 after USC had taken a one-run lead in the seventh.

ASU starting pitcher Eli Lingos (5.0 innings, three strikeouts, one walk, four runs allowed) and reliever Jake Godfrey (3.2 innings, three strikeouts, no runs allowed) performed well on the mound, helping to extend things to extra innings.

The Sun Devils were upended in the 11th frame, when the Trojans scored after an error at third base by Jackson Willeford allowed the hosts to come away with a 5-4 win.

Game Two

ASU bounced back from a tough defeat the night before to dominate USC en route to a 7-0 victory, snapping a four-game losing streak and marking the first Pac-12 win of the year.

Sun Devils head coach Tracy Smith started freshman left-hander Chaz Montoya in favor of freshman left-hander Spencer Van Scoyoc, who has typically started on Saturdays this season.

In his first career start, Montoya shined, tossing a career-high 5.2 innings while logging six strikeouts.

His performance was supplemented by the Maroon and Gold offense, whose production was best characterized by a five-run outpour spanning over five consecutive at-bats during the top of the fifth, giving ASU a 7-0 lead.

Senior right-hander Eder Erives ensured the win, throwing 3.2 innings in relief while striking out six batters without allowing any walks.

Game Three

The Sun Devils came up just short of earning the series win Sunday, falling to the Trojans, 7-4.

Van Scoyoc earned the start for the series finale. He lasted 2.1 innings before giving way to left-hander Reagan Todd. The two allowed seven runs combined (five earned) through six innings of work.

The damage proved too much for ASU’s offense, despite a late rally.

Trailing by four runs in the top of the ninth, the Sun Devils drew one back when Shaps hit into a fielder’s choice that scored Andrew Snow, decreasing the margin to 7-4. However, that would be the extent of the rally.

Following the loss, ASU is now 10-12 on the year, and 1-5 in conference play.

Next: The Sun Devils will host UNLV on Tuesday night for a one-game midweek draw. First pitch is scheduled to be thrown out at 6:30 p.m. MT from Phoenix Municipal Stadium.