Baseball Can't Overcome Early Deficit in Loss at #13 UCLA

LOS ANGELES – A tough road weekend came to a disappointing end on Sunday as Sun Devil Baseball fell to 13th-ranked UCLA, 16-5, completing the series sweep.

A depleted Sun Devil roster battling through injuries and illness in the clubhouse showed resiliency after falling behind 9-0 after the first inning, cutting the deficit to four runs through four innings before UCLA plated the final seven runs of the game.

Joe Lampe extended his hitting streak to 14 straight games. Nate Baez went 3-for-4 and added his third three-run home run of the year. Will Rogers also homered and Sean McLain added two doubles.

The offense was fairly solid throughout the afternoon, recording the team's 17th game with double-digit hits in its last 20 played. Eight Sun Devils recorded a hit, but ASU also stranded eight and struggled to keep the offensivee pressure on in the face of such a massive early hole. 

Tyler Meyer returned to the mound after playing limited innings in recent weeks, tossing 3.0 innings and allowing just one run on two hits with four strikeouts and allowing ASU to cut a 9-0 lead to 9-5 after four innings. 

UCLA recorded nine runs without an out to start the game, capped by a grand slam from the nine-hole hitter to make it tough for the Devils. Despite that, ASU got a run on Lampe's single in the second and tacked on three on Baez's blast over the batter's eye in the third. Will Rogers' solo shot in the fourth made it 9-5 but ASU was unable to rally beyond that. 

The Sun Devils return to action next weekend at home in what is now a pivotal series against Utah as ASU will have to battle to earn one of the final qualifying seeds in the Pac-12 Tournament in Scottsdale later this month. The series will get underway on Friday at 6:30 p.m. AZT.