Baseball Drops Midweek Tilt at GCU - Arizona State University Athletics (2024)

• Box Score

Game Recap: Baseball | April 9, 2024

PHOENIX - Sun Devil Baseball fell short in the cross-town rivalry, losing 5-3 against Grand Canyon (17-15, 9-3 WAC) on Tuesday night at Brazell Stadium.

The Sun Devils (15-18, 6-9 Pac-12) were tied through six innings, but gave up a three-spot in the seventh that turned out to be the difference in the game.

Kevin Karstetter stormed back into the lineup and went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Ryan Campos also hit his 15th double of the season in a 2-for-4 effort. Jacob Tobias matched with a double on 2-4 batting.

Freshman pitcher Cole Carlon held GCU to one unearned run in his 3.0 innings, allowing four hits and striking out two batters on 39 pitches. Throwing against his old team, Hunter Omlid added a solid 1.1 innings of relief, entering with one out to go in the fourth and striking out the batter. He added another strikeout as the Lopes went down in order in the fifth. Wyatt Halvorson entered a tricky situation in the sixth and only allowed one run to plate on a fly out. He went 1.2 innings and allowed 2 walks on 25 pitches.

TURNING POINT
After allowing a run in the first inning, the Sun Devils used a two-out walk from Jackson to put him in position to quickly round the bases on a rolling double down the left line from Karstetter. In the third inning, Kien Vu reached on a strikeout and fielder's choice to a runner stealing third. Tobias' walk got Vu to third, and he reached home on Compton's single to right field for the Sun Devils' first lead. Up 2-1, the Sun Devils would allow a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game.

BIG MOMENT
ASU went the next three innings without scoring a run, and let up some damage in the bottom of the sixth. A fielding error put a runner on first, and they followed it up with a double and two singles to score twice. With one out, Wyatt Halvorson entered and let the bases fill with a walk before a fly out and groundout would bring one runner in and put an end to the inning, down 5-2.

FINAL STRAW
The Sun Devils were able to string together a couple hits and a walk to load the bases with one out in the top of the eighth. Vu drew a walk to plate one, but after three opportunities with the lead-changing batter at the plate, the Sun Devils all but squandered the frame. Tobias led off the ninth with a single to bring the tying run to the plate, but a double play ended hope of a comeback.

NOTABLES

• After having his reached base streak ended at 30 games on Saturday, Ryan Campos earned a first inning walk to reach base in the last two games. He has now reached base safely in 112-of-122 career games (91.8 percent) with the Sun Devils. He added his Pac-12-leading 15th double of the season in the fourth.
• Campos also added his Pac-12-leading 15 double of the year
• ASU has reached double digit hits in 19 of 33 games after getting 10 today.
• Eamonn Lance has reached base in each of his past seven appearances, notching a pinch hit single in the eighth tonight.
• ASU entered the night seventh in the country with 81 doubles, adding three more to the tally this evening. The team has a double in 31 of 33 games on the year and has multiple doubles in 23 of those.
• Kevin Karstetter notched his second three-hit game of the season and first since the season opener in his first start since March 19.

QUOTABLES
Head Coach Willie Bloomquist
Opening Statement
"Disappointing. Obviously, we didn't play well tonight at the end of the day, bottom line. There were some good things that we did, but there were also some things that just are routine stuff that we're not getting done. We can't kick that many balls defensively and expect our guys to give them runs like that and put base runners on the bases the way we did defensively. From an offensive standpoint to put up three runs with that many runners on base, we have to be better than that. So, fastball efficiency wasn't great from an offensive standpoint. Again, we're just not on time for the fastball and that's basically the whole MO of our hitting approach is 'be on time for the heater'. And we got beat in good hitters' counts with guys in scoring position and we're late. And so to me, that's a mindset and mentality that just isn't where it needs to be at."

INNING BY INNING
First Inning
Campos was hit on the first pitch of the game, but was left stranded after a pop fly and two strikeouts. GCU led with two singles, and an error on the second left runners on the corners. Carlon looked to get out of the inning with a strikeout and a pop fly, but another single brought one runner home before a second strikeout ended the frame.

Second Inning
The Sun Devils reached two outs by strikeout and fly out, but Jackson then earned a full count walk to give some life to the offense. A strong double down the left line from Karstetter gave Jackson enough time to round the bases and even the score. An athletic play from the second baseman ended the frame on an ensuing groundout. Carlon only needed seven pitches to end the inning with two groundouts and a pop out.

Third Inning
Campos doubled down the left field line to start things off, but was thrown out stealing third on a fielder's choice that allowed Vu to reach first after a strikeout. After a pop out, Tobias faced a 1-2 count before being hit by pitch. Brandon Compton followed up with a single to right field that brought Vu home from second for the first Sun Devil lead of the night. The Lopes reached on a fielding error by second base, but the runner was thrown out attempting to take third on a bunt single. The bunter was then thrown out running to second on a Carlon pickoff attempt, and the score remained 2-1.

Fourth Inning
Karstetter hit a one-out single up the middle, and Campos hit to the same spot after another out. Hoping to get their third two-out run of the night, a groundout to first base ended those chances. Bennett Fryman entered for his first action of the season on the mound, but was replaced with one out to go after allowing a home run and a walk. Omlid entered and delivered a strikeout to close the inning tied at 2-2.

Fifth Inning
Besides a double to the warning track from Tobias, ASU was retired by two fly outs and a groundout. The lopes went down in order by fly out, strikeout, and groundout.

Sixth Inning
After two fly outs, Ondina narrowly reached first on a single towards shortstop, but another fly out left him there. Sean Fitzpatrick took the mound for ASU, and the first batter reached on a fielding error by second base. GCU was able to string together multiple hits after that, bringing two runs in and leaving runners on first and second after Fitzpatrick fielded a bunt and forced an out at third. Wyatt Halvorson came in to pitch and allowed a walk to fill the bases. A fly out brought one more runner in before a groundout ended the inning with ASU trailing 5-2.

Seventh Inning
After two outs, Tobias was walked. He'd be stranded on a fly out. GCU also left one runner stranded that reached on a walk.

Eighth Inning
Eamonn Lance came into the game and singled up the middle on his second pitch. Karstetter added his third hit of the game and Ondina was hit by pitch to load the bases with one out. After a pop out, Vu earned an RBI walk before a fly out would strand three. Two pitching changes occurred in the bottom of the inning, with Jonah Giblin coming in and working a groundout and fly out to strand a runner on second. ASU trailed 5-3.

Ninth Inning
Tobias led off with a single up the middle, but a strikeout and a double play would close out the game.

ON DECK:
ASU will return home to host Utah in a three-game conference series, beginning on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. AZT at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. The series will be available to watch on ASU Live Stream-2 and streamed over the airwaves on KDUS AM 1060.