UCLA
26-22-1, 11-15-1
Arizona State
30-21, 15-12
ASU Walks Off UCLA in Series Opener, 5-4
May 18, 2023 | Baseball
TEMPE, Ariz. โ Luke Keaschall hit a walk-off double in the bottom of the ninth inning to hand Arizona State a 5-4 win over UCLA on Thursday night at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
The late winner from Keaschall spoiled a comeback effort from UCLA (26-22-1, 11-15-1 Pac-12), which rallied to tie the game at four-apiece after plating a single run in the ninth.
ASU (30-21, 15-21) set the table for the game-winning rally on a leadoff walk, putting the go-ahead run into scoring position immediately thereafter with a sac bunt. A few moments later, Keaschall would easily plate the game-winning run from second, dropping a bloop just inside the left field foul line and out of the reach of UCLA left fielder Jarrod Hocking.
The Bruins didn't trail until the seventh inning on Thursday, as ASU parlayed a pair of early-inning singles into a go-ahead run on an RBI fielder's choice from five-hitter Jacob Tobias.
Keaschall was the clear offensive star for the Sun Devils, going 3-5 with three RBIs. In addition to his walk-off hit, he had a two-run homer in the third.
Most of UCLA's offensive production came from the first and last spots in the order, as leadoff man Daylen Reyes had a career-high four hits (all singles) with a pair of RBIs while nine-hitter JonJon Vaughns went 1-1 and drew three walks to reach base four times.
The duo was instrumental in run-scoring rallies in both the third and ninth innings.
Vaughns led off the third with a base hit, pouncing on an 0-2 change-up below the zone and sending it to right for a single. He later moved to third after a pickoff attempt with him on the move got into the outfield, and he came across moments later when Reyes rolled a grounder through the left side for an RBI single. Reyes would come around himself on a Duce Gourson RBI fielder's choice to make it 3-1 in UCLA's favor.
Senior DH Josh Hahn had the big hit of UCLA's game-tying rally in the ninth, going the opposite way with an 0-2 offering and placing it inside the left-field foul line for a one-out double. Vaughns later worked his third walk of the day to bring Reyes to the plate, and he shot a liner down the right field line to bring in pinch-runner Toussaint Bythewood and make it 4-4.
Gourson had a career-high three stolen bases in the losing effort. His legs allowed the Bruins to open the scoring in the first, as he stole second after a two-out single before scoring on a Kyle Karros base hit through the left side. He later stole both second and third base as part of the Bruins' two-run third.
It marked just the second time this season that UCLA lost a game when scoring in the first inning.
UCLA starter Kelly Austin was solid on Thursday, allowing five hits and four runs (all earned) over 6 1/3 innings with nine strikeouts.
The Bruins and Sun Devils resume the series on Friday night at 6:00 p.m. PT on the Pac-12 Networks.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Stevenson, Owen (5-3)
L: Delvecchio, Cody (1-4)
Batting:
2B: Hahn, Josh 1
RBI: Reyes, Daylen 2 ; Gourson, Duce 1 ; Karros, Kyle 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Reyes, Daylen 1 ; Gourson, Duce 1 ; Bythewood, Toussaint 1 ; Vaughns, JonJon 1
SB: Gourson, Duce 3 ; Vaughns, JonJon 1
CS: Vaughns, JonJon 1
Batting:
2B: Keaschall, Luke 1 ; Contrades, Nu'u 1
HR: Keaschall, Luke 1
RBI: Keaschall, Luke 3 ; Tobias, Jacob 1 ; Weaver, Jonny 1
SH: Hill, Luke 1
SF: Weaver, Jonny 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Mclain, Nick 1 ; Campos, Ryan 2 ; Keaschall, Luke 1 ; Contrades, Nu'u 1
SB: Crenshaw, Wyatt 1 ; Jackson, Isaiah 1
