(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
On Tuesday night Arizona State welcomed its arch-nemesis the Arizona Wildcats to Phoenix Municipal for the lone time in 2018.
However, the game would not be a memorable one for the Maroon and Gold as they were defeated 6-2 to move back under .500 on the season.
The Wildcats (10-6) struck early with two runs in the second inning on RBI base knocks from second baseman Cameron Cannon and right fielder Matt Frazier.
The Sun Devils (8-9) responded with a run in the bottom of the third when Alika Williams countered with an RBI single.
But trouble spilled out for ASU the fifth and sixth innings when Arizona plated an additional four runs. Five free passes and a two-run error pushed the Wildcasts out to a sufficient lead where they held their grip for the remainder of the game. ASU freshman Spencer Torkelson’s solo shot would not be enough to spark a comeback.
Devils’ right-hander Alec Marsh got the nod for Tuesday night’s matchup, where he would last 4.2 innings, surrendering five runs (three earned) while walking two and striking out five. It was the first time this year that Marsh allowed a run, coming into the game with 12.1 scoreless frames.
Fitz Stadler, Dellan Raish, and Zane Strand relieved Marsh and combined to pitch the final 4.1 innings of the ballgame.
Arizona countered with left-handed junior Avery Weems, who also tossed 4.2 innings, while giving up two runs on five hits while striking out one.
Player of the Game: Arizona’s Nick Quintana. The Wildcats third baseman tallied two hits, while reaching base three times. He stretched the lead to four with his RBI single in the top of the sixth.
Unsung Hero: Zane Strand. His outing on the mound marked his first since February of 2017. He threw just 0.2 innings in last season’s opening series versus Northwestern before leaving with an elbow injury. It was later diagnosed as a torn UCL, resulting in Tommy John surgery.
Strand hurled a scoreless frame in the top of the eighth Tuesday night, leaving a runner on third, and already surpassing his inning total from last season.
You knew it was over when: Drew Swift was thrown out at the plate on a single to right field from Lyle Lin in the bottom of the sixth. Had the run counted, it would have brought Torkelson to the plate representing the tying run.
Biggest Concern: The Sun Devils offense is in a slump as of late. While the hot hitting prevailed them to victories in numerous non-conference games, they have scored just three runs in the last three contests. Tonight, they struggled mightily in putting runners on base early in the inning, being just 1-for-9 in leadoff situations.
Stat of the Day: Spencer Torkelson hit his ninth home run of the season on Tuesday, golfing one over the Jimmy John’s sign in left field during the bottom of the fifth. It put Torkelson into a tie for the nation’s leaders in long balls (Brett Kinneman (NC State), Andrew Vaughn (Cal), Albee Weiss (CSUN) while also being two homers shy of tying the ASU freshman record in a season (11), held by MLB’s current all time home-run leader Barry Bonds.
What’s Next?: The Sun Devils open up Pac-12 play as they welcome the Oregon Ducks into town for a three game weekend series, beginning Friday at 6:30 p.m. ASU lost two of three games against Oregon last season in Eugene.
