ASU Baseball. Pitching excels and falters for Sun Devils in LBSU split

(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)

Coming off of a series defeat at the hands of the Saint Mary’s Gaels this past weekend, the Arizona State baseball team embarked on their first road trip of the season for a two-game matchup with the Long Beach State Dirtbags that the Sun Devils split 1-1.

Game 1:

The Devils came out on the right side of a classic pitching duel on Tuesday night, winning 1-0 with Jake Godfrey and four relievers able to make a first-inning run hold up. A leadoff single by Gage Canning, a stolen base, and a single by Scott Mehan brought home the only run of the night for either teams.

Making his second start of the season, Godfrey tossed two scoreless innings with two walks and two strikeouts, giving way to the top performer of the night, sophomore Alec Marsh.

Marsh scattered only two hits over 4 2/3 innings while walking only one and striking out four picking up the win.

Connor Higgins bounced back from his loss against Saint Mary’s by recording the final out of the seventh, before giving way to Sam Romero and Chaz Montoya to close out the eighth and ninth innings, respectively.

ASU’s defense had let them down over the first two weekends of the season, but it bailed the Devils out in the biggest way in the bottom of the ninth trying to preserve the 1-0 lead.

With runners on second and third and two outs, Montoya got pinch hitter Shaq Robinson to lace a low line drive to left field, where freshman Trevor Hauver made a diving catch for the final out of the night.

Game 2:

The second game of the series started out strong, but finished poorly for ASU, as the Sun Devils fell to Long Beach State 16-4 on Wednesday.

ASU opened the scoring once again on Wednesday night, with Alika Williams coming home on a Hunter Jump double play in the third inning. The Dirtbags evened up the score at one with a Brooks Stotler RBI single one inning later.

Spencer Torkelson continued his impressive introduction to college baseball in the top of the fifth with a home run, his first this season with a runner on base, making the score 3-1 Sun Devils. Torkelson went 3-4 on the night with 3 RBI, connecting on another home run, a solo shot in the seventh inning.

The game and the thought of a midweek series sweep escaped the Sun Devils in the bottom of the fifth however, as the Dirtbags plated 10 runs in the frame against five different Sun Devil pitchers.

Stotler, Jarren Duran, Clayton Andrews, Tristan Mercadel, Steven Rivas and Antonio Torres all had run-scoring hits in the frame, the biggest being a bases-loaded triple off the bat of Andrews.

Usual Friday night starter Spencer Van Scoyoc was then brought in by Tracy Smith to face Duran with the bases loaded and one out, walking him on four pitches. Van Scoyoc wouldn’t get a chance to redeem himself as he was immediately lifted in favor of Grant Schneider.

Six of the 16 runs on the night were charged to senior Schneider, with his season ERA now sitting at 41.73 in just 3.2 innings pitched.

With Ryan Hingst giving up two runs in the sixth and infielder Adisyn Coffey takin the mound and allowing three more in the eighth, the Dirtbags ran their total on the night to 16.

In addition to Torkelson’s productive offensive night, Canning added three more hits in five at-bats, raising his season average to .585.

The Sun Devils will return home this weekend as they welcome Big 12 power Oklahoma State to Phoenix Municipal Stadium for a three-game series.