Sun Devil baseball ran into their worst nightmare once again: having a late lead.
Coming into their series opener against Baylor on a five game win streak, Arizona State had all the momentum against a slumping Bears squad, even playing on the road. Early returns from starter Ben Jacobs suggested the win streak should continue, too.
Jacobs was his usual self to start, dealing strikes left and right. The Bears got on the board with a solo RBI double in the third, but Jacobs was dialed in for the most part. He lasted five innings, giving up just three total hits while striking out 10 batters; it's his third straight start with double digit K's.
The Sun Devils also put Jacobs in position to get the win, too.
Baylor held onto their 1-0 lead through the first five innings, but Arizona State's offense woke up in the top of the sixth. Isaiah Jackson took the lead with a gritty two-run homer, and then Kyle Walker added some cushion with a two-run dinger of his own just a few at-bats later.
The Sun Devils nearly brought a fifth run home that inning, too, but a lengthy replay review confirmed that Jacob Tobias was just barely tagged out at home plate, ending the frame.
Still, Arizona State led 4-1 and Willie Bloomquist felt more comfortable pulling Jacobs with the lead. Lucas Kelly came in and pitched a perfect sixth inning, but he completely fell apart in the seventh. He gave up two straight singles to start the frame before a two-out throwing error from Nu'u Contrades brought in a run. That was followed up with a double that brought in two more runs, tying the game.
Kelly was swapped for Cole Carlon, who's been red hot lately, but it didn't stop the bleeding. Carlon started things off with a walk, putting runners in each corner, and then a fielding error brought the go-ahead run home. A single brought another home, and another error from Contrades took in the Bears' sixth run of the inning.
None of those six runs were charged as earned runs to either Kelly or Carlon, highlighting how much of this seventh inning collapse was a team effort, but it still marked a return to the all too common theme for this club: an unreliable bullpen.
Arizona State couldn't even get a hit in their final two frames, striking out three times in the ninth to seal the deal and come away with a series opening loss.
Now, they've put themselves in a must-win scenario on Saturday, with the series victory on the line.