This one is going to hurt a little longer.
The Sun Devils were feeling the pressure coming into Saturday's game. After losing a high-scoring affair in Game 1, Arizona State needed a win over in-state rival Arizona to stay alive in what's arguably the most important series of the entire season.
They failed to bounce back, though, as the Wildcats pulled off a 5-3 victory to clinch the series win and set themselves up for the sweep on Sunday.
Strikeout king Jack Martinez took the mound for the Sun Devils, but his night started similarly to Ben Jacobs' the night before. Arizona's lead-off batter belted a home run, drawing first blood with a solo shot for the second straight game.
Martinez settled in after that, giving up just one hit over the next four innings pitched with five strkeouts. The problem is that Arizona State's offense couldn't put anything together either. They were held scoreless for the first six innings, with just four hits over that span.
The levee eventually broke for Martinez.
The fifth inning saw another solo home run that put Arizona up 2-0, but things fell apart in the sixth. The lead-off batter hit a double, and a sacrifice fly helped move him to third base with just one out. Martinez walked the next batter, who promptly stole second to put two runners in scoring position.
Both would come flying home in the next at-bat thanks to a booming triple. Shortly after, a single drove that batter home, bringing the Wildcats' lead up to 5-0 with three runs added in just the sixth inning.
The Sun Devils bats didn't wake up until the seventh, when a sacrifice ground out from Brandon Compton brought Nu'u Contrades home, but the inning was over soon after that. Arizona State was blanked in the eighth, setting up a last gasp effort in the bottom of the ninth.
With two outs and Contrades having just stolen second, Compton singled to bring in a run. Matt King singled right after to move Compton up, and a single from Isaiah Jackson brought Compton home to trim the deficit to 5-3. Arizona made a quick pitching change, which resulted in Josiah Cromwick striking out to end the game.
All in all, the Sun Devils finished with a very pedestrian .265 batting average for the night, far below their standards. Martinez finished his night with 12 strikeouts over seven innings, but he was responsible for all five runs given up.
The series loss marks a major disappointment, as Arizona State was ranked 24th in the nation and stood 15th in RPI coming into this weekend, with a chance to cement themselves as the top team in the Big 12.
Now, they're simply hoping to avoid the sweep after losing their first Big 12 series of the year, and in program history. And against their in-state rival, no less.
Indeed, this one is going to hurt a little longer.