(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
After splitting the first two games, the three-game series was on the line for ASU and Washington this Sunday and the Huskies got the last laugh, getting the close 7-6 victory, in a game that came down to the last out.
Nothing could go wrong for the Huskies on the field or at the plate early in the game.
The Huskies registered at least one hit in the first five innings of the afternoon while plating five runs during the first four innings of the game, all of them coming off ASU senior starting pitcher Eli Lingos.
It was Lingos’ second disappointing start in a row, lasting just four innings with eight hits, five runs, a walk and zero strikeouts.
The Huskies’ bats died down after Lingos was relieved by freshmen Brady Corrigan, followed by Boyd Vander Kooi and Dellan Raish, but the Sun Devil bats took too long to come alive, due in large part to Huskies starting pitcher Jordan Jones.
Jones was phenomenal, lasting 6.2 innings with six strikeouts, only one walk and three earned runs.
After allowing the first run of his afternoon on a Spencer Torkelson RBI single, Jones was lifted in favor of freshman Stevie Emanuels, who proceeded to give up a three-run home run to Gage Canning, cutting the Husky lead to 5-4 after seven innings.
The home run gave the Sun Devils hope of a comeback in the rubber game of the series, but Husky senior Joe Wainhouse put a damper on things in the top of the ninth, crushing a two-run home run over the left field wall to extend the lead to 7-4.
ASU battled hard in their final turn at-bat, plating two runs on a Trevor Hauver single and a Lyle Lin sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 7-6, but sophomore Carter Aldrete struck out as the potential winning run to end the contest.
Player of the Game: Jordan Jones. Even though his stellar performance didn’t exactly win the game for the Huskies, ASU’s slow start was his doing, and the game could have gone differently otherwise.
Unsung Hero: Joe Wainhouse. His two-run home run in the ninth inning won the Huskies the game and the series.
You Knew It Was Over When: Joe Wainhouse hit the home run in the top of the ninth off of Raish, the first one allowed all season by the freshman left-hander.
Biggest Concern: Another slow start by the Sun Devil offense, as they did not score until the seventh inning.
What’s Up Next?: The Sun Devils play three more games before heading to Tucson to start their three-game game series against their bitter rivals, the Arizona Wildcats. They play the University of San Diego on Wednesday and the University of the Pacific next Sunday and Monday.
