Baseball season ends with loss to Texas

<p>The Sun Devils 2011 baseball season came to an end on Sunday night in Austin, Texas, as ASU fell to Texas 4-2 in the decisive Game Three of the Austin Super Regional. Arizona State finishes the season 43-18.</p><separator></separator><p>Texas used a sixth inning rally to grab a lead that the Longhorn bullpen would not relinquish, as UT advances to the College World Series. <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/lambson_mitchell00.htm… Lambson</a> (7-4) was saddled with the loss after allowing three runs in his five innings of work. He struck out six and gave up five hits. The Devils managed just six hits and scored only six runs in the three Super Regional games.</p><separator></separator><p><a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/torrez_riccio00.html">… Torrez</a> got the Devils on the board right off the bat, blasting a two-run homer to right in the top of the first inning. It was his fourth homer of the year and first for the Sun Devils in the Super Regional. The Longhorns would answer right back against Ottoson in the bottom of the inning, plating a run of their own to cut the lead to 2-1.</p><separator></separator><p>The Sun Devils looked primed to add to their lead in the top of the fourth, but a questionable call stifled the potential rally. After a one out single by <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/demichele_joey00.html"… DeMichele</a>, <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/wilson_zach00.html">Za… Wilson</a> drew a full-count walk. Despite the ball four call, Texas catcher Jacob Felts threw down to second to try and throw out DeMichele, who had taken off with the pitch. After a prolonged argument by Texas head coach Augie Garrido, home plate umpire Scott Cline called DeMichele back to first base and signaled <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/wilson_zach00.html">Za… Wilson</a> out. The inning then ended on a <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/newman_matt00.html">Ma… Newman</a> foul out, as did the ASU threat.</p><separator></separator><p><img alt height="1border=0" src="http://grfx.cstv.com/graphics/spacer.gif&quot; width="5"><br> It looked like Texas would use the momentum swing to their favor in the bottom of the inning. A leadoff single by Paul Montalbano spelled the end for Ottoson, who had a 1-0 count on the next hitter when he was lifted for <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/lambson_mitchell00.htm… Lambson</a>. Lambson walked the hitter, then hit the next, loading the bases with nobody out. Lambson fanned the next two hitters and induced a ground out to end the threat.</p><separator></separator><p>But the Longhorns would not be denied, as they scored a run in the bottom of the fifth to even things up. After two singles to lead off the inning and a sac bunt to move the runners over, Lambson was called for a balk that scored Brandon Loy and tied the score. Lambson would escape further damage with back-to-back strikeouts. They would finally breakthrough against Lambson in the sixth with a two-out rally. An RBI single to right by Mark Payton made it 3-2. The lead would grow to 4-2 when Texas plated another run on a double by Loy.</p><separator></separator><p>Texas used three out of the bullpen to keep ASU off the scoreboard, as the Horns threw eight shutout innings to end the game.</p>