(Photo: Brady Klain/WCSN)
The Arizona State baseball team finished off their first Pac-12 series of the season with an exclamation point on Sunday as they defeated the Oregon Ducks 6-1, finishing off the series sweep.
The Sun Devils were able to grab a first-inning lead for the third consecutive game against the Ducks, as Carter Aldrete floated a seeing-eye single into center field that scored Gage Canning from second base.
Aldrete picked up his second RBI of the day his next time up in the third, singling home Lyle Lin. Taylor Lane followed with his second RBI in as many games when he singled home Spencer Torkelson to give ASU a 3-0 lead.
The Ducks were able to get on the board in their half of the fourth when Daniel Patzlaff singled home Spencer Steer, but cost his team a chance for more when he was picked off first base by starting pitcher Eli Lingos to end the frame.
ASU plated one run in the fourth on a Drew Swift sacrifice bunt, before adding two more in the fifth on an RBI double by Gage Workman and an RBI single off the bat of Alika Williams.
Lingos, making his first start on Sunday after being entrenched in the Saturday position for the first month of the season, was able to work around a two-error top of the first inning unscathed and from there was in control the entire afternoon.
Picking up his third win of the season, Lingos cruised through 7.2 innings, scattering five hits while walking three and striking out four.
Redshirt freshman Zane Strand, making his second appearance of the season after Tommy John surgery, recorded the final out of the eighth before giving way to Connor Higgins in the ninth.
Higgins worked around two walks to finish off the Ducks and clinch the sweep for Arizona State.
Player of the Game: Eli Lingos. The senior turned in perhaps the best performance by a Sun Devil pitcher so far in 2018, stymieing the Ducks offense over 7.2 innings. With the possibility of freshman Boyd Vander Kooi being elevated to the Saturday spot in the weekend rotation, Lingos’ consistency and experience can make him a dangerous weapon closing out series.
Unsung Hero: Gage Workman. The freshman finished Sunday with two doubles and an RBI, continuing his impressive introduction to college baseball. Despite Carter Aldrete being slated as the third baseman to begin the season, Workman is leaving the coaching staff no choice but to continue to run him out there.
You Knew It Was Over When: Lingos picked off Patzlaff to end the top of the fourth. The Ducks had cut the lead to 3-1 on Patzlaff’s RBI base hit, but with the threat snuffed out the Sun Devils were able to answer with a run of their own in the fourth followed by two more in the fifth. The Ducks weren’t able to mount any kind of serious rally for the rest of the afternoon.
Stat of the Day: Gage Canning picked up two more hits including a double, as he finished the weekend 10-13 with seven RBI, eight runs scored, two home runs and two triples.
Biggest Concern: Second baseman Alika Williams was removed from the game after his RBI single in the fifth after he had fouled a ball off his foot earlier in the at-bat.
What’s Up Next?: The Sun Devils will welcome the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels to Phoenix on Tuesday, before they venture to southern California for their first conference road series against the UCLA Bruins next weekend.
