(Photo: ASU Athletics)
The 2014 baseball season for Arizona State came to a disappointing end Saturday afternoon, as the Sun Devils were upset 5-4 by Sacramento State in an elimination game of the NCAA Tournament.
The Sun Devils entered the ninth inning knotted at two runs with Sacramento State, but fell apart on defense and allowed the Hornets to plate three runs.
Shortstop Drew Stankiewicz made a costly error on a routine double play ball that gave Sacramento State runners on second and third with no outs.
Hornets centerfielder David del Grande quickly capitalized on the miscue and singled into left field to give Sacramento State a 3-2 lead. The Hornets would go on to plate two more runs in the inning on another RBI single and a walk from ASU closer Ryan Burr.
Down 5-2 with the bottom of the order up and only three outs to spare, the Sun Devils were on life support and needed three runs to extend their season.
David Greer, who had entered the game as a defensive replacement for an injured Brian Serven, led the inning off with a double down the left field line. RJ Ybarra was uncharacteristically not in the starting lineup for the Sun Devils, but made his presence felt with a towering pinch-hit two-run homerun to cut the Hornets lead to 5-4.
Back-to-back singles from Stankiewicz and Jake Peevyhouse put the winning run for ASU on base. But with two outs and down to the final strike of the season, right fielder Trever Allen struck out looking on a sweeping curve ball.
Sacramento State had taken a 2-0 lead in the sixth inning on a two-run single from Nathan Lukes. However, the Sun Devils immediately answered with two runs of their own, as third baseman Dalton Dinatale’s hit into centerfield tied the game.
Arizona State starter Ryan Kellogg did not have his best stuff (a season-high four walks) but grinded out seven innings of work and departed with his team in a deadlock.
The loss for the Sun Devils resembles the loss suffered earlier today by nationally-seeded powerhouse Florida State. The Seminoles were heavily favored over Alabama, yet were down 6-0 in the ninth inning. Florida State benefitted from walks and defensive miscues from the Crimson Tide and plated five runs in the final frame. But just like the Sun Devils, the tying run proved too much to muster.
Despite the upset and disappointing showing in the regional tournament, all is not lost for the Sun Devils. The team will return its three starting pitchers in Kellogg, Brett Lilek and Darin Gillies for the 2014-15 season, as well as its closer in Ryan Burr, and its dominant midweek starter in Seth Martinez. The eight other starters in the field are all returning as well.
Peevyhouse will be carrying a 23-game on-base streak into next season and Allen will also be riding a 15-game hitting streak. The trio of Stankiewicz, Nate Causey and Ybarra will be anchoring the middle of the lineup once again.
Sun Devils baseball has not made an appearance in Omaha, Neb. since 2010, but with the entire crop of starters returning and maturing, combined with the loaded group of prospects committed to Arizona State, the team will enter 2015 with high expectations.
You can reach Jacob Garcia on Twitter @Jake_M_Garcia or via email at Jacob.M.Garcia@asu.edu
