From the circus that was ASU’s trip to Las Vegas to disappointing ends in losses to No. 17 West Virginia and No. 11 Oklahoma, holding on to strong starts has been the Sun Devils' kryptonite.

Even with those instances, having a short memory in baseball is important, and as junior left-handed pitcher Cole Carlon exited the mound after six scoreless innings on Friday, confidence exuded from the third base dugout.

That being the case, just as it has many times this season, history repeated itself.

A complete collapse from ASU’s (22-9 6-5 Big 12) bullpen created a hole it could not climb out of, as the Sun Devils fell 7-4 to Arizona (10-20 3-8 Big 12) on Friday, April 3, at Hi Corbett Field in Tucson. 

All of the Wildcats' seven runs came in the seventh inning, as three Sun Devil relievers failed to keep runners off the bases, surrendering a mix of hits, walks and even allowing a run on a balk.

“We have a great six innings where they’re shutout, and all we need is strikes,” head coach Willie Bloomquist said. “We come in and we can’t throw strikes.”

Bullpen consistency has plagued ASU for the majority of the season and continues to hurt starting pitchers who put up great numbers.

Carlon not only had six scoreless innings, but dominated Arizona entirely, striking out 12 to set a new career-high and only walking one.

“He’s throwing the ball really well for us,” Bloomquist said. “He gave us an opportunity to win, but we just didn’t get it done.”

Opportunity was something the Sun Devils had plenty of, but the difference in the game was that the Wildcats took advantage of them, while ASU left empty-handed despite chances to blow the game open.

The Sun Devils hit a measly .143, 2-for-14, with runners on base compared to Arizona’s .278, 5-for-18, continuously leaving potential runs on the basepaths and allowing the Wildcats to hang around.

“We just did an absolutely atrocious job of hitting with runners in scoring position,” Bloomquist said. “Letting them off the hook with the bases loaded and one out, swinging at first pitch breaking balls and not getting the pitch we’re trying to drive several times.”

Yet lost in the late-inning frustrations were the performances of sophomore left fielder Landon Hairston and junior shortstop PJ Moutzouridis. The duo combined for five of ASU’s nine hits, none being home runs for the second straight night.

Hairston went 2-for-4 with a triple, continuing his blistering hot streak and raising his season average to .475, but he grounded into a double play to end the eighth inning after the Arizona rally.

With the power seemingly zapped from the lineup and a lack of concentration in key moments, the Sun Devils are toeing the line of back-to-back series losses because of the inability to finish a performance.

“It’s just not having that killer instinct that we need to finish a job,” Bloomquist said. “Right now that’s an issue, we have got to get better.”

Though Arizona’s season has gone in a much different direction than its expectations, Bloomquist said after Thursday’s game that he knows his squad will always be getting the Wildcats' best.

While ASU’s starter remains unconfirmed for the series finale, senior right-hander Kole Klecker projects to get the nod, looking to imitate what Carlon did to Arizona’s offense all night.

The left-hander brought a little bit more swagger to the ballpark on Friday night, including staring down the Wildcats' student section after working out of a jam.

While Arizona extinguished the ASU flame on Friday, the Sun Devils are keeping the lessons learned from the collapse in the back of their minds for the series finale.

“I can’t flush this one,” Bloomquist said. “This one stings a bit, and they better learn from it.”