Saturday marked the second day in a row that Arizona State (7-4) had a lead in the seventh inning or later against Minnesota (4-4) and blew it. The Gophers squeaked out a 6-4 comeback victory to leave a sour taste in the mouths of the Phoenix Municipal faithful.
It began in the top of the eighth when Cole Carlon, who had pitched a scoreless inning and a third out of the pen up to that point, put a pair of runners on and was subsequently pulled.
Freshman Eli Buxton came in and walked an additional batter, a costly mistake that loaded the bases for Jake Perry, who pinch-hit for Jake Larson.
It was Perry’s first at-bat of the year.
The second pitch he saw, he hit over the fence in right field for a grand slam, flipping the game on its head for a 5-4 Minnesota lead.
Buxton had been solid for Arizona State, posting consecutive scoreless outings against Oral Roberts and UCLA following a bumpy performance in his first career appearance against Ohio State.
“I got a lot of confidence in that kid,” coach Willie Bloomquist said. “He’s got really really good stuff.”
Bloomquist followed that up by saying the blame was on himself for Saturday’s heartbreaking loss, who said he “put a freshman in a really tough spot.”
Nevertheless, Bloomquist has faith that his premier right-handed freshman arm will continue to prove himself in the coming season.
“I’m not hesitant to put him in,” Bloomquist said. “Some of these freshmen, you’d like to give them softer landings, and he’s had a few, and he’s done really well.”
The bullpen combined for five runs in 4.1 innings, their second poor performance since their midweek dominance at UCLA.
The end of the game soured an incredible start from Jack Martinez, who contributed the most impressive outing of his college career.
Martinez got through five and two-thirds innings, allowing just one earned run on four hits and a walk while striking out a career-high 11 batters. His lone run allowed was a solo shot from Drew Berkland in the sixth inning.
Isaiah Jackson was another bright spot for the Sun Devils. The Arizona-born junior was 3-4 at the plate, homering once and adding on a double.
Jackson attributed a meeting before the game to his success, saying adjustments to velocity were key and “switched something,” in his head.
Matt King has been another key part of the Sun Devil offense over the past couple of games after getting out to a slower start.
Bloomquist said they made a small mechanical adjustment on King, a change that’s paying dividends for the UTSA transfer.
After beginning the season with a .176 average, King has bounced back against the Gophers, going 5-8 with four doubles and an RBI.
King also flashed his defensive prowess with a diving grab in the first inning to help Martinez get out of an early jam.
Outside of the second inning, Arizona State only put four men on base and scored just one on Jackson’s homer.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, outfielder Kien Vu and Gophers reliever Tyler Hemmesch had a scary collision at first base following a race to the bag.
Bloomquist confirmed at the end of the game that Vu was doing well and there was no injury concern.
“He's a tough kid, he’s fine,” Bloomquist said.
The Sun Devils will come back again on Sunday to finish the series against Minnesota, hoping to avoid their first sweep of the season.