After the emotional high of their first Big 12 series win, Arizona State looked to continue that momentum with a solo tilt against former conference foe USC on Tuesday night. However, the Sun Devil offense that's been so explosive this season largely failed to show up, and they fell 6-3 to the Trojans.
Head coach Willie Bloomquist turned to reliever Wyatt Halvorson for the start, but he only made it two innings. Halvorson was pulled after giving up a two out RBI triple in the second to put USC up 1-0 early.
Arizona State managed to respond in the bottom of the second, retaking the lead. A double from Isaiah Jackson brought Jacob Tobias home, and a single from Landon Hairston brought Jackson home to give the Sun Devils a 2-1 lead.
The bats went cold from then on. In fact, Arizona State would net just two hits over the next four innings, a complete meltdown for an offense that scored 26 runs on Saturday.
At the same time, the bullpen exhibited their usual problems. Josh Butler, who replaced Halvorson, had a third inning pitch blasted by Ethan Hedges for a solo home run in the third as USC knotted things back up. In the fifth, Butler left a changeup over the middle and it was also drilled for a home run, this time a two-run shot.
That ended Butler's night, replaced by former closer Will Koger, now working in a relief role. He retired the final two batters of the fifth and then wiped out the side in the sixth. The seventh, though, saw Koger unravel.
His first pitch of the frame saw a short single, and two pitches later he had a ball launched over the fence for a two-run shot. Koger managed to get a ground out before Bloomquist replaced him with Cole Carlon, but the deficit had been widened to 6-2.
In response, the Sun Devils finally showed signs of life on offense again. Jax Ryan doubled, with a Sun Devil strikeout before and after him, and Kyle Walker pinged a line drive down left field for an RBI single. It was short lived, however, as Brandon Compton almost immediately followed it up with a ground out.
Carlon pitched a perfect eighth inning, as did Lucas Kelly in the ninth, but the Sun Devils were held hitless in the eighth and got two quick outs in the bottom of the ninth. Ryan was hit by a pitch, and a single from Brody Briggs helped him advance to third, with runners in the corners. But Kyle Walker was unable to move them, grounding out on the next at-bat and ending the game.
It was a disappointing night for Arizona State after their confidence-boosting weekend in Fort Worth. Hardly any of their batters seemed capable of making contact or putting the ball in play, frequently chasing bad pitches. They had a few opportunities to mount a comeback, but it slipped through their fingers each time.
Arizona State will now rest until Friday, when they kick off a weekend series at home against the red hot Kansas Jayhawks.