(Photo:Gabrielle Mercer/WCSN)
Arizona State (17-11, 4-7 Pac-12) evened its series with the Washington Huskies (15-11, 6-5 Pac-12) on Saturday afternoon at Phoenix Municipal Stadium with a 6-3 win.
Junior Eder Erives got the start for the Sun Devils and turned in a productive outing for head coach Tracy Smith.
In his second start of the season, Erives fought and clawed through seven innings, giving up five hits, three runs (two earned) and struck out nine.
ASU got down early as Erives gave up runs in the second and fourth innings, both driven in by Washington’s John Naff. The 2-0 deficit was soon erased by ASU however, as they scored one run in the fourth inning on Brian Serven’s RBI single and evened the score in the fifth with an RBI single from Colby Woodmansee.
Washington starter Josh DeMers lasted six innings, giving up 12 hits and four runs while striking out two.
Washington retook the lead in the seventh inning when AJ Graffanino reached on a fielder’s choice beating out a potential double-play ball, scoring Naff from third. The lead would be short-lived, however.
Woodmansee clocked his fourth home run of the season over the left field wall in the bottom half of the frame following David Greer’s lead-off single, which gave the Sun Devils their first lead of the afternoon.
Greer gave ASU some breathing room when he hit a two-run home run of his own in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Ryan Hingst closed the door for Erives, as he worked two easy innings of relief to close it out for ASU and pick up his first career save. ASU will look to win its second consecutive conference series on Sunday against Washington.
Player of The Game: Colby Woodmansee. He drove in three of ASU’s four runs on the afternoon, raised his team-leading batting average to .370, and tied Sebastian Zawada for the team lead in home runs with four.
Unsung Hero: Ryan Hingst. A week after lasting just three innings while giving up six runs in his start against Washington State, the sophomore came on for Erives to start the eighth and did not disappoint. Picking up a two-inning save with only two hits allowed, Hingst slammed the door shut on a crucial win for the Sun Devils.
You Knew It Was Over When: David Greer belted a two-run home run in the eighth inning to stretch ASU’s lead to 6-3. Greer’s bomb provided Hingst with some much-needed insurance for the ninth inning.
Stat of the Day: Erives and Hingst held Washington’s offense to 1-for-15 with runners on base, and 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
Biggest Concern for ASU: Can it generate any momentum from the win? ASU currently sits with a 4-7 record in Pac-12 play, and will need every win it can get going forward as it tries to work its way back into contention in the conference.
What’s Up Next?: The Sun Devils will wrap up the three-game series with Washington on Sunday afternoon at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m.
