(Photo: Karli Matthias/WCSN)
When the No. 15 Sun Devils stepped on the field at PK Park on Sunday, there was only one thing on their mind: redemption.
Arizona State (22-1, 5-1 Pac-12) lost to the Oregon Ducks (12-9, 2-4 Pac-12) in the second game of their series in Eugene, snapping their 21-0 winning streak to begin 2019. The Sun Devils were the last remaining Division I team that had not suffered a defeat.
However, they came out ready to play the third game of the series and came away with a 7-3 win.
ASU broke the game open in the fourth inning, scoring four runs to put them ahead 6-2, courtesy of a single from Lyle Lin, a double from Gage Workman, a base hit from Sam Ferri, and a wild pitch from Oregon’s Christian Ciuffetelli.
Ferri and Spencer Torkelson crossed the plate later in the fourth inning with an extra-base hit from Hunter Bishop.
The top of the lineup for ASU carried the offensive throughout the game. The first three batters in the lineup for the Devils had two hits each, and the first four batters scored four RBI.
Alika Williams moved up in the lineup for ASU this week, now batting clean-up. Williams has the third-highest batting average for the Devils at .388, behind Torkelson (.389), and Bishop (.427).
Starting pitcher RJ Dabovich went 5.1 innings for Devils, giving up three runs and four hits. Dabovich now has a 2.97 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in the 33.1 innings he has pitched this season.
Senior right-handed pitcher Sam Romero came in to relieve Dabovich in the sixth inning. Romero gave up four hits but keep the Ducks scoreless throughout the rest of the game, racking up six strikeouts en route to earning the save.
Even though ASU’s record is no longer perfect, they still have a .957 winning percentage, good for the best mark in the nation. The Devils will continue Pac-12 play this upcoming weekend, hosting their Territorial Cup rival University of Arizona.
This game will take place at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on March 29, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. MST.
