PHOENIX — TCU Junior left fielder Colton Griffin didn’t enter the game until he got called on as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning.

Yet he delivered the two biggest plays of the game on both sides of the ball.

Griffin hit a two-run go-ahead single in the top of the eighth inning to put the No. 17 Horned Frogs. He then gunned down junior left fielder Sam Myers at the plate to end the game, as TCU (11-6, 1-0 Big 12) escaped with a 5-4 victory over Arizona State (12-5, 0-1 Big 12) at Phoenix Municipal Stadium Friday, March 13.

The Sun Devils’ bullpen struggled to keep the Horned Frogs’ bats at bay, as they scored two runs each in the seventh and eighth innings to decide the game.

Head coach Willie Bloomquist said giving away walks hurt his team in the late innings, particularly walking the leadoff batter.

Additionally, junior infielder Garret Michel pointed to the team’s offensive struggles.

“We were also very underneath the zone today, hitting-wise,” Michel said. “The walks definitely aren’t ideal, but there’s a lot more that leads to a loss than just that.”

Despite the late walks, ASU’s pitching staff totaled 18 strikeouts, 11 of which came from its starting pitcher, junior left-hander Cole Carlon.

Carlon pitched five innings, only allowing one run.

“His pitch count got up there pretty high through five,” Bloomquist said. “We have to try to be a little more economical with him to try to get him through another inning or two.”

Sophomore left-hander Mason Brassfield got the start for the Horned Frogs and shut down the Sun Devils’ offense, allowing one run over six innings while striking out eight.

The game was tied 1-1 entering the seventh inning, but the offenses heated up with both starters out. Each team scored twice in the seventh before Griffin put TCU ahead in the top of the eighth.

ASU entered the ninth inning down 5-3, but it didn’t go down quietly.

Sophomore catcher Brody Briggs hit an RBI single to make it 5-4 and set up runners at first and third with only one out.

That brought up sophomore second baseman Beckett Zavorek with an opportunity to tie the game.

Zavorek flew out to relatively shallow left field, however, it was deep enough for ASU to elect to send Myers home from third base.

Griffin made Myers pay for that decision, throwing him out at home for a double play to end the game.

ASU has a winning record on the season, however, with the loss it drops to 1-5 against ranked opponents.

Friday also marked ASU’s second game without one of its best bats in junior infielder Nu’u Contrades, who injured his leg sliding during the Sun Devils’ 29-4 blowout of Loyola Marymount Sunday March 8.

“Nu’u is the leader on this team,” Michel said. “He’s one of the best players I’ve played with.”

Michel added that despite Contrades’s absence, he believes the offense has solid depth to make up for his absence.

One of those pieces is junior shortstop PJ Moutzouridis, who gave ASU the lead early.

The California transfer hit his first home run as a Sun Devil in the bottom of the first.

However, Moutzouridis cared more about the game’s result than what he did in the first inning.

“It was a good swing, but it sucks when you lose a game like that,” Moutzouridis said.

ASU looks to put Friday’s result behind it, with two more games against TCU this weekend.

“The good thing about baseball is we got another one tomorrow,” Michel said. “I think we’re all pretty eager to get back out there tomorrow and just execute better and come out with a win.”