PHOENIX – As the Valley sun began to set through the partly cloudy sky, senior right-handed pitcher Kole Klecker stared down a bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning.
Following his outing against Kansas State the previous week, where he allowed 11 runs, nine of which were earned, Sunday’s start against No. 17 West Virginia (19-5, 7-2 Big 12) was shaping up to be a bounce-back for the Chandler native.
He had allowed hard contact on line drives earlier, but none of them were too costly, as No. 22 Arizona State (20-8, 5-4 Big 12) led by one heading into the sixth inning.
After allowing two singles and a walk, with a flyout to right in between, Klecker faced his biggest challenge of the night: bases loaded, trying to keep a 1-0 lead for the Sun Devils.
Facing graduate outfielder Sean Smith, Klecker found himself in a 2-2 count, throwing a curveball that hit 79 MPH. But unfortunately for him, the ball hung near the heart of the plate.
Smith got a piece of it and let it fly, taking it to right-center, and all Klecker and the rest of the Sun Devils did was watch as it cleared the wall, giving the Mountaineers a 4-1 lead.
Smith’s grand slam began the first of four consecutive innings in which West Virginia scored, as it defeated ASU 9-5 in a Sunday night rubber match at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. The Sun Devils didn’t produce much offense throughout the night, trailing 9-2 before fifth-year outfielder Dean Toigo hit a blast to cut the lead to four.
After taking the opening game of the series in run-ruling fashion on Friday night, 14-4, the Maroon and Gold dropped the final two games in what was a crucial series against one of the elite teams in the conference.
“We came up with some more clutch hits in the first game and limited the damage on the defensive side of the ball,” ASU coach Willie Bloomquist said. “These last two games, there were some things that we got that we didn’t do well.”
Toigo and sophomore outfielder Landon Hairston proved to be bright spots offensively for the Sun Devils. Both combined for five of the nine total hits the team picked up on the night.
Hairston continues what has been nothing short of a monstrous start to the year. The Queen Creek-native led off the bottom of the first with a solo shot to center field, flipping his bat as the ball soared into the Phoenix sky before hitting the batter’s eye in center field.
Hairston now has a team-leading 15 home runs and 45 RBI’s on the season. It’s also the fourth home run of the series for him and his 11th run batted in.
But, despite both Toigo and Hairston’s efforts, the lack of offensive production outside of them, as well as going 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position, caught up to Sparky.
“It’s baseball where guys fall into lulls, and teams fall into lulls, and I think we did that tonight,” Hairston said. “But not to say that nobody was out there, not trying. I mean, everyone out there is giving it their best, and it’s just baseball sometimes.”
“We continually preach ‘Get the ball up in the zone’, and we did chase a lot of stuff,” Bloomquist said. “That kid (Chansen Cole) makes his living by sinking the ball and throwing off speed pitches below the zone. And if we’re not going to get him up in the zone, then we’re going to hit balls in the ground and (hit) double plays and things like that don’t win games.”
The Sun Devils’ pitching staff appeared to be poised for a strong night throughout the first five innings before the sixth inning, as Klecker got out to a quick start.
After he was pulled, the bullpen struggled to back him up, as four pitchers allowed a combined five runs in the final three innings, putting it out of reach before the Sun Devils had a chance to strike back.
“The cheap runs late there; we just lost focus. That came back to bite us,” Bloomquist said. “Who knows what happens if we don’t give up a three-spot there in the ninth, and we come up and Dean hits the big home run there. All of a sudden, we got ourselves a game.”
After the top of the sixth, ASU had its own chance to respond, with runners on first and second with one out, and the tying run at the plate. But junior infielder Dominic Smaldino hit into a fielder’s choice, and sophomore catcher Brody Briggs struck out to end what was Sparky’s best chance to respond.
Though the result was disappointing, Sunday’s matchup was also the first of two regular-season games for the Sun Devils that were nationally televised. The next one will be next Saturday against their in-state rivals down south.
It not only shines a light on ASU’s rich history in the sport, but also on the sport of college baseball as a whole. It’s in an area where it’s seen as a niche compared to other collegiate sports.
“It gives people a chance to see some of our great players, what they’re doing,” Bloomquist said. “The job that Landon Hairston’s doing, Dean Toigo, those guys that are swinging the heck out of it right now. And they get to see our ballpark. They get to see how gorgeous the weather is, all that type of stuff.”
The Sun Devils are back at it on Monday, hosting San Diego State in an early-week matchup. The Aztecs are 15-14 on the season and began conference play with a series win against Grand Canyon in Phoenix.
Following that, ASU will head south against in-state rival Arizona for a three-game series that begins on Thursday.
Losing a series at home is a tough pill to swallow, and the Sun Devils know their ceiling is a Big 12 contender and potentially a national contender.
But against a team like West Virginia, another conference contender, it gives the team confidence that they can rebound.
“The great baseball players know how to stay consistent no matter what, and that’s just how you got to deal with it,” Toigo said. “It’s baseball, things happen. You’re going to fail a lot. So just keeping that mindset.”
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