PHOENIX — BYU baseball faced a large deficit early and fell to Arizona State 16-6 on Saturday night at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
“That’s the worst we’ve played in all three aspects of the game all year," said BYU head coach Trent Pratt. "We know how to get better. We have to remember what makes us good and get back to super basic fundamentals. We have a lot of goals that can still be met, we just have to play better than this."
The Cougars went down 13-0 after a 10-run second inning barrage from the Sun Devils. ASU’s 10 runs in the second came on six of its eight home runs on the night. An RBI triple in the eighth put the Sun Devils up 16-6 and brought a run rule into effect to end the game.
While the Sun Devil bats cooled and went scoreless in the third, fourth and sixth innings, the Cougars were unable to mount a comeback and dropped game three in Phoenix with six runs on 10 hits, two errors and six left on base. ASU’s 16 runs came on 13 hits with four stranded.
BYU Highlights
Luke Anderson:1-3, 3 RBI, HR
Chipper Beck: 1-3, HR, RBI
Brock Watkins: 1-3, 2B
Bryker Hurdsman: 1-3, RBI
Game Summary
ASU took an early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first with a two-RBI homer and solo shot. The Cougars looked to strike back in the top of the second with a Watkins double putting two in scoring position but a pair of untimely outs stranded the runners and kept BYU at bay.
The Sun Devils let loose a 10-run barrage on eight hits to break the game open in the bottom of the second. Six of ASU’s eight hits in the half inning left the park, including a grand slam. Fourteen batters later, the Sun Devils exited the second inning with a 13-0 lead.
BYU got on the board in the top of the third with four runs on four hits to cut the ASU lead to 13-4. Beck started off the inning strong with a 421-foot leadoff solo shot, his third of the week in just his third start of the season. Keoni Painter and Ryder Robinson then singled on consecutive at bats to give Anderson men on first and second. Anderson worked a full count and won his at bat with a towering three-run homer to center, his eighth bomb this season.
After a scoreless fourth inning, BYU and ASU added a run a-piece in the fifth. Robinson recorded a leadoff single in the top of the fifth and advanced to second on an Anderson groundout before scoring on a two-out RBI single from Hurdsman. The Sun Devils used a walk, stolen base and advance on a groundout to score one without a hit and retain a 14-5 lead headed into the sixth.
The Cougars picked up another run on two hits in the top of the sixth beginning with a one-out double from Parker Goff. Three batters later, BYU had runners on the corners with Goff at third and Painter reaching on a fielder’s choice. Robinson then doubled down the leftfield line to score Goff from third and trim the deficit to 14-6.
ASU added a run in both the seventh and eighth to finish the game. A double put a Sun Devil in scoring position in the seventh with a dropped fly ball allowing the unearned run. ASU’s 16th and final run came with an RBI triple ending the game in the eighth.
Up Next
BYU is back in action on Monday at Grand Canyon with gametime set for 1 p.m. PDT. Watch the Cougars face the Lopes on ESPN+ or listen live on BYU Radio.