FULLERTON, Calif. — Live by the close game, die by the close game.
No. 2 seed ASU (35-23) saw its second late-game gut punch in as many games Sunday afternoon, being eliminated from the Fullerton Regional in a 7-4 loss to Pepperdine (32-28) off of junior second baseman Hutton Moyer's three-RBI double in the eighth inning at Goodwin Field.
Facing a bases-loaded situation with two outs in the eighth inning and ASU senior right-hander Darin Gillies on the mound, Moyer delivered with a deep shot to center to drive in what would be the game-winning runs for the Waves.
The loss ended ASU's season, giving them another empty trip in the Fullerton Regional.
ASU head coach Tracy Smith, while disappointed with the result, had no qualms about his team's effort Sunday.
"You never want it to end," Smith said. "Kind of a surreal feeling at the end of the season. A bunch of teams start out, but one that's happy when it's all said and done...it didn't end the way we wanted it to end, but we got another good baseball game and it just didn't happen for us. I'm sorry it's over."
The second straight loss in late innings, Smith said, was a lot to deal with.
"Looking back at it as a baseball person, it probably couldn't have gone in a worse way in terms of the script," Smith said. "A 14-inning game, let alone out of the shoot you're facing two All-American (pitchers). I was very pleased that we were sitting 1-1, still in the tournament after facing those guys and the two arms that we did.
"We still felt good about it. The extra innings hurt us and stretched us a little bit, but that stuff is going to happen in baseball. Tough losses."
After using six pitchers in Saturday night's 14-inning epic against Cal State Fullerton, Smith elected to start junior right-hander Jordan Aboites, who was making just his second career start.
Aboites started off strong but ran into trouble in the middle innings, going 4.2 innings and giving up four runs on eight hits while striking out three on 60 pitches.
Facing elimination, the Waves sent out freshman left-hander Ryan Wilson.
Wilson went 6.2 innings, giving up four earned runs on nine hits while walking two and striking out seven on 115 pitches.
ASU got on the board first thanks to a hustle play by junior designated hitter RJ Ybarra, who stretched a hit down the third-base line for a leadoff double in the top of the third inning. The aptly-named "Tortuga" caught Pepperdine left fielder Chris Fornaci by surprise, narrowly beating the throw to second with a good slide.
Ybarra advanced to third on a single by sophomore catcher Zach Cerbo, scoring on freshman second baseman Andrew Snow's sacrifice fly to make it 1-0 ASU.
ASU added on in the inning, as senior left fielder Jake Peevyhouse singled to right, picking up the RBI as Cerbo scored to make it 2-0 Sun Devils.
Pepperdine got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth inning, capitalizing after Aboites plunked Moyer to lead off the inning. The Waves executed a hit-and-run perfectly, setting up sophomore right fielder Brandon Caruso to drive home Moyer to cut the lead to 2-1.
Waves senior designated hitter Kolten Yamaguchi knotted the game up later in the inning, hitting a bloop RBI double to score sophomore catcher Aaron Barnett and tie the game at 2-2.
Moyer got the best of Aboites in his next at-bat in the fifth inning, taking a 2-0 pitch way out of Goodwin Field over the right-center field fence for his 14th home run of the year and a 4-2 Pepperdine lead.
Aboites said he began giving away pitches in his delivery and leaving pitches out over the plate in the middle innings, allowing the Waves to get their offense going.
"I started throwing the ball over the plate a little bit more (in the middle innings)," Aboites said. "I think I was giving away some of my pitches, just based off of my delivery. I was kind of speeding it up a little bit on fastballs and slowing it down on off-speed...I did the best I could, but it wasn't good enough today."
ASU fought right back, as Peevyhouse led off the next half-inning with his second home run of the season, a solo shot to right field to cut the Pepperdine lead to 4-3 in the top of the sixth.
The Sun Devils came all the way back the next inning, as Ybarra led off the inning with a single. Pinch-hitter Brian Serven laced a double down the left field line, setting up Snow to hit his second RBI sacrifice fly of the game to score Ybarra and tie the game 4-4.
Smith was encouraged with the comeback, making him feel like ASU had a chance to take the lead in later innings.
"We felt like we were going to score," Smith said. "They jumped out and got the back-to-back. We were able to get it going. We got it down to a three-inning game, which has kind of been our mode of operation all season."
Serven advanced as far as third with two outs, but ASU was unable to get him across.
The Waves threatened in the bottom half, reaching on a questionable error call and a walk. The two made it as far as second and third with two outs, but ASU reliever Darin Gillies struck Caruso to end the inning to keep it knotted 4-4.
Moyer came up in the eighth inning with the bases loaded and all but decided the game for the Waves, driving a three-RBI double over the head of ASU junior center fielder Johnny Sewald, giving Pepperdine a 7-4 lead.
ASU got the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning after Serven's lead-off walk and Sewald's double, but sophomore shortstop Colby Woodmansee lined out to sophomore center fielder Jeremy Goldenetz to end ASU's season.
By winning Sunday's elimination game, Pepperdine faces No. 1 seed Cal State Fullerton Sunday night in the regional final.
The winner of the Fullerton Regional travels to Louisville, Kentucky to face No. 3 national seed Louisville in the Louisville Super Regional.
Reach the reporter at fardaya@asu.edu or follow @fardaya15 on Twitter.
Like State Press Sports on Facebook and follow @statepresssport on Twitter.
