After dropping two of three games against Utah last weekend, the Devils marched into Fullerton looking to get back on track and move their record closer to .500. Like ASU, Cal State Fullerton has struggled in conference play, currently sitting at 5-10 in its first 15 conference games. The non-conference matchup between the two teams was a way for either team to gain momentum heading into the final month of the season.
Unfortunately for ASU, the Titans came out swinging in game two after being shut down in game one. Freshman right-hander Wyatt Halvorson dominated in game one for the Devils, finishing with 13 strikeouts in five innings and giving up only three hits and no runs. ASU took game one in a 3-1 win and looked to continue their solid pitching in game two.
The Titans had other plans, starting game two hot in with four runs in the first and six runs in the fifth on their way to a dominant 15-4 victory in seven innings. The Devils were forced to use five different pitchers in game two, and none of them could seem to find a groove against the Titans. Freshman righty Cole Carlon performed the best, giving up just two runs and striking out seven in three innings.
The Sun Devils offense struggled to put up runs but had no problem racking up hits with 19 between the two games. Kien Vu hit his fourth home run of the season in the first game. His two-run shot in the fourth proved to be the difference in Tuesday’s game in a two-run win. The Titans struck out 17 times that night as well, something that they focused on reducing in the second game.
The Titans went scoreless in only two innings in Wednesday’s game, as Carlon found a small groove in those two innings. Something the Devils struggled with was walking batters. They walked 11 batters, and twice, they walked home a run. Even when they weren’t struggling with their location, ASU’s pitchers couldn’t force a lot of swings and misses, causing them to pitch around the batters. Other than Carlon’s seven strikeouts, the other four pitchers combined for just four punchouts.
ASU made it interesting in the fifth and brought the score to 6-4 after a solo homer from senior outfielder Harris Williams. The Devils showed signs of life, but a two-run fifth inning from the Titans quickly shut that down, and they never looked back.
The player that really killed the Devils in game two was junior catcher Waldie Perez with his seven RBIs on the night. Perez didn’t even play in the first game, and the Devils had no answer for him in the second game. He went 3-for-3 with two walks, two doubles, and a single. His second double is the hit that ended the game, a perfect way to end his stellar night.
This loss now moves the Devils road record to 5-8, something to watch for when they head to UCLA this weekend to play the Bruins before coming back to Tempe the week after to face USC. The UCLA batters have struck out 305 times this season, which is one of ASU’s strengths, with 365 K’s on the year.
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